Devotional Break Until April 7

I will be prepping for a church music conference this weekend and heading out of town next week. The daily devotional will take a break until Monday, April 7.

Tunnel Vision

As a parent of two growing children, I assume I am in a tunnel vision mode. Like all parents at times, we see the daily events, weekly events, church events, worry about bills, wal-mart, bills, wal-mart, medicine, wal-mart...you get the drift, right?

A skilled parent is one who does everything possible to take advantage of every moment and also sees the big picture. The child will not remain 4 years old much longer...you won't get that time back.

It is hard to think about things like this when kids are running wild around the house, laundry is piled up, and dishes need to be done. But, each day we should see our children in a new light. A new vision. A vision which understands their limited time in our home, their every-wandering mind and thoughts, and their growing bodies and personalities.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Tracing the Footsteps of Jesus

article from "Christianity Today"

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/2008/001/2.20.html

Imagine

Here is a family.org article called "Imagine Yourself on the Cross". In a day where many worship service trends only focus on the positive and improving your life to the best it can be, this may not be a very popular article.

But, reflecting back on the Easter weekend, it provides some good thoughts for us to remember:

http://www.family.org/faith/A000001974.cfm

Weekend Edition: Happy Easter!

Friday: (Good Friday)
"Worthy is the Lamb"
Verse 1
Thank You for the cross Lord
Thank You for the price You paid
Bearing all my sin and shame
In love You came
And gave amazing graceVerse

2Thank You for this love Lord
Thank You for the nail-pierced hands
Washed me in Your cleansing flow
Now all I know
Your forgiveness and embrace

Chorus 1Worthy is the Lamb
Seated on the throne
Crown You now with many crowns
You reign victorious
High and lifted up
Jesus Son of God
The darling of heaven crucified
Worthy is the LambWorthy is the Lamb

Saturday: "Above All"
Crucified laid behind the stone
You lived to die rejected and alone
Like a rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all

Verse 1Above all powers above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Verse 2Above all kingdoms above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure
What You're worth

Sunday: (Easter Sunday...He is Risen!)
"He Lives!"
I serve a risen SaviorHe's in the world today
I know that He is livingWhatever men may say
I see His hand of mercyI hear His voice of cheer
And just the time I need HimHe's always near

CHORUS: He lives He lives
Christ Jesus lives today
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life's narrow way
He lives He lives
Salvation to impart
You ask me how I know He lives
He lives within my heart

Were You There?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?

Near the Cross

Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There a precious fountain
Free to all, a healing stream
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.

Refrain
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadows o’er me.

Near the cross I’ll watch and wait
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand,
Just beyond the river.

Because He Lives

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2004/003/13.12.html

There is a Fountain

When a large religious service was being conducted at the Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco, many people quickly became aware that the minister delivering the main address was not thoroughly orthodox. Although a gifted speaker, he began to direct most of his eloquence against the power of the blood of Christ.

Ruth E. Marsden relates that when his fluent oratory ended, a timid, elderly lady stood up in the midst of the crowd and softly began to sing a great hymn by William Cowper as a touching rebuttal to the modernist’s remarks.

A hush fell over the assembly as they heard those faint but familiar words: “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”

Before she could begin the second stanza, approximately a hundred people rose to join her.

By the time she reached the third verse, nearly a thousand Christians all over the audience were singing that blessed song of faith.

The triumphant, thrilling strains rang out loud and clear: “Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power, ’til all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more.”

Many were deeply moved as that humble believer stood up for her Lord and with the light of Heaven upon her face.
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There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood

(1) There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel's veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that blood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains.
And sinners, plunged beneath that blood,

(2) The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though sinful, too,
Wash all my sins away,
Wash all my sins away,
And there may I, though sinful, too,
Wash all my sins away.

(3) Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power,
'Til all the ransomed Church of God
Be saved, to sin no more,
Be saved, to sin no more,
'Til all the ransomed Church of God
Be saved, to sin no more.

(4) And since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be 'til I die.
And shall be 'til I die.
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be 'til I die.

Weekend Edition

Friday (14th) O Sacred Head Now Wounded
Today's hymn, "O Sacred Head Now Wounded," is so old that historians are not sure to whom to attribute the writing. Most people believe that an monk abbot by the name of Bernard (1091-1153) of Clairvaux, France was the man who put it together. It was first found in the Latin and the words can be found in a medieval poem which had seven parts. Each part of the poem would address a certain part of Christ's body, (feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart and face.) These words were from the 7th part and was first entitled, "To the Suffering Face of Jesus Christ." Years later it was translated into English by James Alexander, and the music was written by a German composer during the Renaissance period. There are some people who do not care for hymns like this one which are written in a minor key and sound so sad. But read the words carefully; the message to us is very powerful.

Saturday (15th) Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone
The hymn, “Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?” originally read “Shall Simon bear the cross alone, and other saints be free.” Thomas Shepherd, the author, used his hymn after preaching about Simon Peter, who was believed to have been crucified upside down. Later, the hymn was altered to refer to Jesus. The hymn was written in 1693 and a year later, Shepherd made his own decision to take up the cross and follow Jesus. He left the Church of England, where he was pastor in a beautiful church building and became an independent preacher in Nottingham barn. He felt he could proclaim the true gospel of Christ.

Sunday (16th) Room at the Cross for You
"The basic reason I have written songs is that I love God and Christ has loved me. Most of my songs are the outgrowth of real experiences with Christ. I think they appeal to people because I have had trials, heartaches, and sorrow in my own life, and I know what I write about." At the age of 17, Ira Stanphill (1914 - )wrote his first gospel song. He traveled with evangelists, playing the piano, organ, ukulele and accordion. At one of these meetings the sermon was entitled, Room at the Cross. Stanphill wrote the words down on a scrap of paper. Later, after finding the words again, he was quickly wrote the tune and words for the hymn, "Room At The Cross For You."

from: http://schaefer-family.com/hymns.htm

Lead Me to Calvary

http://www.tanbible.com/tol_sng/leadmetocalvary.htm

Alas and Did My Savior Bleed (At the Cross)

This hymn was penned by Issac Watts, the Father of English Hymns. Watts wrote his hymns thinking as a Bible student, not a musician. That is what we need more of today!

Watts took himself back to the time of the crucifixion and studied all the documents he could find and put himself in the situation as if her were there. He was so moved about the suffering of Jesus, he wrote a rather graphic verse which many hymnals today do not use:

"Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, thine,
and bathed in its own blood,
while all exposed to wrath divine
the glorious Suff'rer stood."

Prolific hymn-writer Fanny Crosby was moved and influenced by Watt's writings. This hymn, in its day, was today's equal for "Just As I Am."

Ralph Hudson completed this hymn, much later, by adding the refrain. The marriage of these two (verse and refrain) make up a widely appreciated hymn for any season in the church today.

1 Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
and did my Sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head
for sinners such as I?

Refrain
At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day!

2 Was it for crimes that I have done,
he groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

3 But drops of grief can ne'er repay
the debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away;
'tis all that I can do!

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

http://www.tanbible.com/tol_sng/christthelordisrisentoday.htm

Catch-Up Devotions....

So, yes, I admit that the snow really got to me. I did not post a devotion this weekend! So, here are four (one for Friday-Monday) to catch things up a bit.
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1) Story behind "The Power of the Cross" by Keith Getty
http://gettymusic.com/insight2.asp?id=16

2) Story behind "In Christ Alone" by Keith Getty
http://gettymusic.com/insight2.asp?id=28

3) Story behind "See What A Morning" by Keith Getty
(One of my favorite Easter songs ever)
http://gettymusic.com/insight2.asp?id=25

4) Story behind "The Communion Hymn" by Keith Getty
(A remarkable new hymn setting remembering the Lord's Supper)
http://gettymusic.com/insight2.asp?id=108

Happy reading...

Crown Him with Many Crowns

Today is Matthew chapter 11...
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http://www.tanbible.com/tol_sng/crownhimwithmanycrowns.htm

"Crown Him with Many Crowns"

Matthew Chapter 10 (if you are following the gospel)
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Here is the story (from the book I am using as a reference) behind "Crown Him with Many Crowns"

http://books.google.com/books?id=5rkeABYCSjUC&pg=PA97&lpg=PA97&dq=story+behind+crown+him+with+many+crowns&source=web&ots=C3Zhido-PF&sig=YWthN9ZHqpaurXWlimijjjdqbrU&hl=en#PPA100,M1

"He Lives!"

Today is Matthew chapter 9 if you are reading through the gospel
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Here is a link to the story behind "He Lives"

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2007/002/9.17.html

Jesus Paid it All

Today is Matthew chapter 8 if you are reading through the gospel
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Here is a brief story to "Jesus Paid it All" found in "Songs of Easter" released last year.
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Elvina Hall was inspired by a pastor's message about Isaiah 1:18. She was distracted during this message as many members of her church were dead due to the civil war (recently completed). The pastor prayed after this message and during this very lengthy prayer, she began to be led to write down her thoughts about the price Jesus paid (like her former church members (for our Spiritual freedom.

After the prayer, she took the notes to her pastor and he realized that she had put into a few short verses what he had been trying to do for an hour: clearly explain Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross.

The music was composed by her choir director to a tune which he composed earlier, but disliked the lyrics. They matched perfectly with Hall's new text.

3/2/08 "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"

If you are reading through the gospel of Matthew, today is chapter 7.
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Issac Watts, the father of English hymnody, has over 700 published hymns. Born in 1674 in England, he once said, "the singing of God's praise is the part of worship most closely related to heaven; but its performance among us is the worst on earth."

Watts began early in his life attempting to fulfill his calling as a pastor, but health kept getting in the way.

An inspiration to the hymns may have began when Watts was entranced by Galatians 6:14 "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."

The tune was found in 1824 and it still widely sung today.

"When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

(unused verse...but I like it!)
His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all."

3/1/08 "Old Rugged Cross" --Stories Behind Easter Hymns

Today begins a 23 day devotional set of stories behind some hymns of Easter. Today is the "Old Rugged Cross." If you are reading through Matthew on "The Journey to Easter" read chapter 6 today.

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The Old Rugged Cross


During the early years of his ministry, Rev. George Bennard was “praying for a full understanding of the cross and its plan in Christianity.”


Consequently, he spent many hours in study, prayer and meditation, until he could say, “I saw the Christ of the cross as if I were seeing John 3:16 leave the printed page, take form and act out the meaning of redemption.”



During these days the theme of what was to be his most successful song came to him. He was staying in the Methodist parsonage at Pokagon, Michigan, while engaged in series of service in the Pokagon Church when he finally perfected his song and wrote down the words and music.


“Old Rugged Cross Day” is observed annually at this Church, and on a large stone nearby is carved the names of the original singers and the significance of the event. The song became immediately popular. Introduced before a large convention in Chicago, its fame spread rapidly throughout the Christian world.



Today, a twelve-foot high wooden cross stands on a roadside near Reed City, Michigan, honoring the composer. On it are the words ‘Old Rugged Cross.” A sign reminds passersby that this is the “Home of Living Author, Rev. Geo. Bennard.”
—Ernest K. Emurian

++++++++++
The Old Rugged Cross[1]
1

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
Chorus So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.


2

On that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.


3

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.


4

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory for ever I’ll share.


[1]Eckert, Paul, Steve Green’s MIDI Hymnal, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1998.