"I will declare Thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee. Ye that fear the LORD, praise Him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify Him; and fear Him, all ye the seed of Israel." (Psalm 22:22-23)
CHRIST IS MY SHEPHERD TUNE TO "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds CM WORDS BY Jim Byrd
1. My Shepherd is the Lord of lords, My needs He will supply; To waters still He leadeth me, In pastures green I lie.
2. The Shepherd Who restored my soul, Directs the way I take; In paths of righteousness He guides, All for His own Name’s sake.
3. Though through death’s valley I must walk, Yet evil I’ll not fear; For the great Shepherd dwells with me, My Lord is ever near.
4. The Shepherd’s rod and staff provide For my security; For me a table has been set, Though foes encircle me.
5. His goodness and His mercy shall Follow through life with me; And in God’s house I shall abide, To dwell eternally.
SCRIPTURE READINGS TODAY: MORNING: GENESIS 22:1-14 (pew Bible, p. 16) EVENING: JOHN 7:14-39 (pew Bible, p. 786)
"Our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. Their idols are silver and gold,the work of men’s hands" (Psalm 115:3-4). Let me ask: if it be so very absurd to worship the work of other men’s hands, what must it be to worship the work of our own hands? Perhaps you say, "God forbid that I should do so." Nevertheless, let me tell you: trust, confidence, reliance and dependence for salvation are all acts, and very solemn ones too, of divine worship and upon whatsoever you depend, whether in whole or in part, for your acceptance with God and for your justification in His sight, whatsoever you rely upon and trust in for the attainment of grace or glory, if it be anything short of God in Christ, you are an idolater to all intents and purposes. –Augustus Toplady (author of Rock of Ages)
THE WORK IS FINISHED Have I then no work to work in this great matter of my pardon? None. What work canst thou work? What work of thine can buy forgiveness or make thee fit for the Divine favor? What work has God bidden thee work in order to obtain salvation? None. His Word is very plain and easy to be understood, "To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5). There is but one work by which a man can be saved. That work is not thine, but the work of the Son of God. That work is finished. –Horatius Bonar
GLORYING IN THE CROSS "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Galatians 6:14). Paul did not glory or boast in the abilities God had given him, the churches he had established, or the persons who had been converted under his ministry. He gloried only in the cross of Christ. Cross was a term which the Apostle used to set forth the successful, substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. This is that truth that the blessed Savior satisfied every demand of divine justice by His death and resurrection thereby putting away the sins of His people, redeeming us from the curse of the law and bringing in everlasting righteousness. The very message which was a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles was his greatest source of joy and comfort. While the enemies of the cross wanted the message concealed, Paul proclaimed it with boldness; he saw it to be the revelation of the righteousness of God and the demonstration of the wisdom and the power of God. Rather than push the cross off to the side, this was the heart and soul, the very center and life of his preaching, and so he stated, "I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1　Corinthians 2:2). He declared that Christ was "delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:25), that "He died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) and that in Him "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). This was his constant message that "now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor" (Ephesians 5:2). –Pastor Jim Byrd
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