Author: William Mason Tune: There is a Fountain

1. My Jesus, my almighty Friend, When I begin Thy praise,
Where will the growing numbers end! The numbers of Thy grace!
Still has my life new wonders seen Repeated ev'ry year;
Behold my days that yet remain, I trust them to Thy care.

2. Thou art my everlasting Trust, Thy Person I adore:
And since I knew Thy graces first, I speak Thy glories more.
My feet shall travel all the length, Of the celestial road,
And march with courage in Thy strength, To see my Father God.

3. When I am fill'd with sore distress, For some surprising sin,
I'll plead Thy perfect righteousness, And mention none but Thine.
How will my lips in glory tell, Thy vict'ries, O my King!
My soul redeem'd from sin and hell, Shall Thy salvation sing.

1 Corinthians 10:4 “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

"We Will Be Glad and Rejoice in Thee."
Song of Solomon 1:4
We will be glad and rejoice in Thee. We will not open the gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high sounding cymbals of gladness. "O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation." We, the called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs, and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others lament over their troubles, we who have the sweetening tree to cast into Marah's bitter pool, with joy will magnify the Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are the temples in which Thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring and blessing the name of Jesus. We will, we are resolved about it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart's delight; we will not dishonor our Bridegroom by mourning in His presence. We are ordained to be the minstrels of the skies, let us rehearse our everlasting anthem before we sing it in the halls of the New Jerusalem. We will be glad and rejoice: two words with one sense, double joy, blessedness upon blessedness. Need there be any limit to our rejoicing in the Lord even now? Do not men of grace find their Lord to be camphire and spikenard, calamus and cinnamon even now, and what better fragrance have they in heaven itself? We will be glad and rejoice in Thee. That last word is the meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut, the soul of the text. What heavens are laid up in Jesus! What rivers of infinite bliss have their source, aye, and every drop of their fulness in him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, Thou art the present portion of Thy people, favor us this year with such a sense of Thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day we may be glad and rejoice in Thee. Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close with gladness in Jesus. --C.H. Spurgeon
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"Jesus Christ; the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever." Hebrews 8:8
Precious truth to open the year with, and to keep constantly in view amidst all the fluctuating and changeable circumstances arising both within and without, and all around! My soul, meditate upon it: fold it up in thy bosom to have recourse to as may be required.
Contemplate thy Redeemer as he is here described. He is Jesus, thy Jesus; a Saviour, for he shall save his people from their sins. He is Christ also; God thy Father's Christ, and thy Christ: the Anointed, the Sent, the Sealed of Jehovah. He is the same in his glorious Person, the same in his great salvation:-"Yesterday;" looking back to everlasting: "To-day;" equally so through all the periods of time: "For ever;" looking forward to the eternity to come. And, blessed thought, he is the same in his love, in the efficacy of his redemption; his blood to cleanse, his righteousness to justify, his fulness to supply grace here and glory hereafter. And what sums up the precious thought; amidst all thy variableness, thy frames, thy fears, doubts, and unbelievings, he abideth faithful. He is, he will be, he must be Jesus. Hallelujah!
--Robert Hawker
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A General Principle
It is a general principle that a blessing is about to come from God when we are moved to seek Him with all our hearts. Men do not, by nature, long for nor seek God. So if one is aware of their great need and impressed to seek mercy in Christ, they can be sure the blessing is already designed. --Pastor Henry Mahan

Daily Readings December 31-January 6, 2018
Sunday - Revelation 19-21

Monday - Gen. 1-3; Matthew 1
Tuesday - Genesis 4-6; Matt. 2

Wednesday- Gen. 7-9; Matthew 3
Thursday - Genesis 10-12; Matt. 4