BE JOYFUL CHILDREN OF THE LORD TUNE "THERE IS A FOUNTAIN" CM/DOUBLE WORDS BY JIM BYRD
1. How gracious is the Lord our God, Compassionate and kind; And those who trust His promises, Will comfort in Him find. In love He purposed to bestow, Upon a chosen seed; The honor to be sons of God, And meet our ev’ry need.
2. In time the Father sent His Son, Our ransom price to pay; And by His bloody sacrifice, Christ washed our sins away. He reconciled us to our God, And brought in righteousness; We are redeemed, set free, forgiv’n, His beauty we possess.
3. Our Savior ever lives above, For us to intercede; Those wounds received on Calvary, For us shall ever plead. Be joyful children of our God, The Lord is with us still; He makes all things work for our good, According to His will.
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength." (Isaiah 26:3-4)
GOD KEEPS HIS PEOPLE IN PEACE "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace" (Isaiah 63:3). By the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, everlasting peace between a holy God and offending sinners has been established. "Having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" (Colossians 1:20). This peace is the fruit of righteousness and, as we are brought by the Holy Spirit to believe Christ and submit to God’s way of grace through the substitutionary death of our Savior, we enter into the wonders of and the joys of this peace. This sweet repose is known to the degree that we believe the record God has given of His Son. The peace that God gives is rare: the world knows nothing of it for it is "perfect peace." It is a truthful, honest, enduring and real peace. As the people of God, we enjoy the continuation of peace, but, when we arrive safely in heaven, we will realize this peace in a way that we have not known here; yet the cause for and the basis of the peace, will ever be the same. Christ has been wounded, bruised, crucified and raised again. This will always be the very foundation of God being at peace with us and ransomed sinners being at peace with Him. –Pastor Jim Byrd
A WORD FOR MOTHERS "From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures" (2 Timothy 3:15). We give thanks to God for mothers like Timothy’s mother Eunice, and his grandmother Lois, (2 Timothy 1:5), who are diligent to teach their children the Word of the Lord. On this Mother’s Day, I want to remind each mother (grandmothers too) of the awesome responsibility you have to your children. Among all of your duties, your greatest obligation is to set before them an example of one to whom the preaching and reading of the Word of God are vital. I often think of how my mom would take the time to read the Scriptures to my brother, my sister and me. She insisted we attend the place where the Word of God was set before us. She made certain we each carried a bible, sat respectfully in the services and listened attentively. When the congregation would sing, we sang; when everyone was quiet, we would sit quietly or suffer the consequences of improper behavior when we got home. We were not allowed to sleep, color, doodle or be engaged in anything other than listening and following along in our Bibles as the preacher turned to various passages. My general knowledge of the Bible is due, in great measure, to the teaching and example of my mother and father. There was never any doubt where we would be on the Lord’s Day. Only on very rare occasions did family reunions, outings, picnics or other such things hinder being in church.
I realize that moms and dads cannot effectually teach their children the gospel of grace, that is the work of the Holy Spirit. However, parents and grandparents must be diligent in doing what we are able to do. Yes, we must raise our children to have good manners, be well-rounded individuals who are physically, mentally and emotionally prepared to enter into society and be successful in their chosen profession. However, may it never be laid to our charge that of all the things we did for our children or grandchildren, we were negligent in the most important area, that of teaching them and keeping them under the sound of the Word of God. Remember, they not only learn through instruction, but more so, by example. –Pastor Jim Byrd
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