BLESSED JESUS, OUR REDEEMER Tune to "COME THOU FOUNT" 8.7.8.7. Words by JIM BYRD
1. Bless-ed Jesus, our Redeemer, Saved us from eternal loss; For He bore our sins and sorrows, When He died upon the cross. Glad the tidings of salvation, All our sins on Him were laid; Trusting soul O hear this message, Christ your debt has fully paid.
2. Look my soul behold with wonder, See who died upon the tree; ‘Twas the Lord the righteous Servant, Put to death to set us free. Mark the sacrifice appointed, Lamb of God for sinners slain; God in human flesh enduring, All our judgment, grief and pain.
3. Hear Him lift His voice in triumph, "It is finished." Praise His Name! Gone our guilt and our transgressions, He removed our sin and blame. Resurrected and ascended, Now He reigns upon His throne; Bless-ed Jesus, only Savior, Intercessor for His own.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread; Are big with mercy, and shall break, in blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower. Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain. --William Cowper
When your faith endures many conflicts, and your spirit sinks low, do not condemn yourself. There is a reason for your season of heaviness. Great soldiers are not made without war. Skillful sailors are not trained on the shore. It appears that if you are to become a great believer, you will be greatly tested. If you are to be a great help to others, you must pass through their trials. If you are to be instructed in the things of the kingdom, you must learn from experience. The uncut diamond has little brilliance, and the unthreshed corn feeds no one, and the untried believer is of little use or beauty. There are GREAT BENEFITS to come from your trials and depression. The one who is much plowed and often harrowed will thank God if the result is a larger harvest to the praise and glory of God by Jesus Christ. If your face is now covered with sorrow, the time will come when you will bless God for that sorrow. The day will come when you will see great gain from your losses, your crosses, your troubles and your affliction. From your affliction this glory shall spring, and the deeper your sorrow the louder you’ll sing. --Charles Spurgeon
A STRAIGHT STICK As a child, did you ever put a stick into some water and become amazed because it seemed to be bent and then you removed it only to find it straight again? Of course the water did not actually bend the stick. In scientific terms it was due to refraction of light. Your discernment was deceived; no matter what information the eyes sent to the brain, the stick was not altered.
Isn’t that the way it is with our fleshly observation of the workings of providence? Though God’s chosen, redeemed, regenerated and believing people are assured that "all things work together for good" (Romans 8:28), yet when we look at things through carnal eyes we see crookedness in the events that happen to us. When the flesh observes the "stick in the water," it sends a disturbing signal to the heart that our life has suddenly become bent out of shape. This was the natural reasoning of Jacob as he viewed some "sticks in the water." He judged according to the flesh that "all these things are against me" (Genesis 42:36), but he was wrong and so are we when we form an opinion of the dealings of God with us from a carnal viewpoint. Natural understanding is not equipped to correctly judge the mysteries of providence. We must look at all things with the eyes of faith, trusting our Father’s goodness, wisdom and grace. Pay no attention to the information carnal reasoning sends to the mind and heart. Rest assured child of God, there is nothing wrong with the "stick." No matter how crooked things may appear, every "stick" remains straight. God’s eternal purpose pertaining to each of His blood-washed and righteous people is being carried out by providence with lovingkindness and with exact precision. --Pastor Jim Byrd
"A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked." (Psalm 37:16)
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