Author: astherainandsnow

“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you… You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also… The word of God is not bound!…

“Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene…

“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful.., ready for every good work.

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2:1-2,9b,14-17a,21-25

Health and life, or gangrene? Paul knew the potency of words to effect harm, having spent his earlier years voicing murderous threats and condemnation against God’s children. He knew the destructive nature of a message and the suffering it could cause. He also knew the transforming power of the gospel proclaimed and received. He urged Timothy to be a spreader of God’s good news and so effectuate holy living and the salvation of many. (Acts 8:3; 9:1-2; 26:10; Romans 1:16)

The mouth is a powerful instrument, a vessel worthy of great influence as it spreads not only words but all their residue. The bearer determines whether that is to be for good or evil, saving or destroying, upbuilding or tearing down. The loftier our thinking, the more steeped we are in the word, the sweeter and richer will be our conversation and living. Rightly handling the truth entrusted to us honors the Lord and opens the way for His Spirit to bear much fruit. (James 3:2-10)

As consumers of words, we choose what we pay attention to, value, and emulate. The more we expose ourselves to coarse entertainment and indulge in cattiness and controversy, the more we’ll imitate those unholy examples.

How seriously do we take our responsibility for the words we take in and spread? How careful are we to filter out falsehoods and reject detrimental messages, thus guarding against their resulting discouragement and bad attitudes? How hungrily do we ingest God’s truth and readily put it into practice as an example to those around us?

Lord, keep me on Your straight and narrow that I might spread Your grace, love, truth, and light wherever I go and whatever I say, to Your glory.

“John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

“Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,  and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood… 

“I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…

“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,  and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.  The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,  his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.  In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last.'” Revelation 1:4-5,9-10,12-17a

John had been exiled for his testimony, yet remained very much a partner in faith with believers over the known world. He shared their tribulations, ministry in the kingdom, and patient endurance, exhibiting how true partnership in the gospel behaves. His letter would serve to engage their senses in mutual worship and encourage their faith, hope, and endurance. No matter circumstance or place, partners in Christ are connected when He is central.

How seriously do we take partnership in the gospel? When life and programs are running smoothly, it is easy to hum along in synch with others, and enjoy mutual joys. But when we clash in opinion, or unexpectedly face an insurmountable need or handicap or impasse, we might be tempted to abandon ship and go it alone. Suffering can be too great to have bandwidth for others, cares might seem to insignificant to share though they deplete us. It is often in these trying times that partnerships bring the most comfort and bear the most fruit.

How engaged am I in the work of God’s kingdom? How well do I value, come alongside, and pray for others who serve and suffer? What can I specifically do to build them up, contribute time and resources, speak truth in love, actively help? How am I sharing the glories of Christ with my partners in the gospel, that we might rejoice together? (Ephesians 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

Lord, help me be a good partner with those who serve and love You, supporting and blessing them so Your gospel is conveyed and Your glory magnified.

“Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place… Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, ‘How do you advise me to answer this people?..’ And they said to him, ‘If you will be good to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.’ But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him…

“When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem..  Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak…”‘ 

“So King Rehoboam grew strong in Jerusalem and reigned… seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.  And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 9:31; 10:6,8; 12:1-2,5,13-14

Rehoboam was a man conflicted, impetuous in decisions and impatient with conflict. His zeal drove some positive initiatives, but pride kept his devotion off-kilter. A heart untethered from the Lord wreaks havoc with thinking and actions. (2 Chronicles 10:6-19; 11:1-12)

It serves us well to know the state of our heart. Passion for a certain role or cause might spark excited, even bright ideas, but unless they are within God’s parameters and weighed with wisdom, they can lead us astray. Pomposity might afford success and famous feats, but prohibits humility before God and adherence to His laws.

Do I go about my days with wishy-washy, priorities, swaying to and fro in commitment and focus? Are any of my affections misaligned with the Lord’s? If my mindset is to serve self, and to satisfy my wants rather than fulfill God‘s plans, my heart will lead me astray from what is true and good. (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 23:27-28)

What unsets my heart? What desires and enticements dissuade me from staying fixed in Christ? Do worry and fretting shake resolve to trust, or unchecked emotions or temper break me off from holy determination? Since we are raised in Christ in salvation, we are free to be unfettered from the world’s clutches and wholly fixed on Christ’s victorious, lofty, and good ways. Would we detach from self and fix our minds and hearts on Him today? (Colossians 3:1-2)

“What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man, I would do my part;
Yet what can I give Him?
Give Him my heart.” ~Christina Rossetti (1872)

Lord, keep my heart set on You and in Your perfect will, so all I say and do brings honor to Your fame and name.

“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’  Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.  We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud  and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing…

“They called the man who had been blind and said to him, ‘Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.’  He answered, ‘Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see…’

“Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?’  Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.’  He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.” John 9:1-7,24-25,35-38

Jesus made clear to the many that the high purpose of the blind man’s handicap was that the works of God might be displayed. As the miracle and its rustling aftermath unfolded, those who believed Jesus was who He claimed He was were born into new sight and understanding of what God does. The Lord had come as the light that illumines the life-changing power of God. To the healed man, God’s grand display shone both physically and spiritually.

The Lord enters our wrangling over blame, castigation, and pontificating opinions about whys and if onlys to suggest another perspective. Instead of meddling in these insignificances, would we have eyes to look for His glory unfolding? Would we quit the horizontal peskiness and look up?

What current situations loom or pester that have taken up way too much of our attention in self-pity, blame, criticism, even fear? Where are we sludging in the horizontal, nit-picking here, accusing there? Whose business takes up our focus and energy more than God’s business?

If we stopped that conversation altogether and considered only what is true, how might our outlook change? If we began to think in the vertical, might we see anew something greater at work, more to learn, more of God’s character and love and power being revealed? The next time we get snarled in the why, would we choose to consider Who is at the helm and what He’s showing us?

When we recognize the Lord’s work on our behalf, or parallel to us but on obvious, splendid display, how readily do we praise Him? Do we take the time to take the knee in humble adoration of His incredible worth?

Lord, in all that transpires keep clear my vision to see Your glorious grace and hand, and worship You.

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.  For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ… 

“Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.”

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 1:2-8,12; 3:18

Through the knowledge of God and the Savior Jesus came salvation, and multiplied grace and peace. Through the knowledge of Him came the power that grants all things pertaining to life and godliness, along with the call to His glory and excellence. Knowledge of the Lord is foremost in helping His children grasp His precious and very great promises and partake of His divine nature. And continually adding to knowledge is paramount for continuing responsibilities. Owning truth is vital, and remaining established in it is key to a virtuous, fruitful life.

We want knowledge, we hunger for it, search and explore and ingest it. As Christians, by faith we receive God’s knowledge as life-giving truth that saves and transforms. But we’re never meant to stagnate in a state of standing. Knowledge is never meant to increase for its own sake. Rather, God bids us to keep partaking and making every effort to grow, put it to use, increase in Christ-like qualities, and so effectively spend our days.

Have we limited our knowledge of the Lord, dismissing deep study because we’ve done our church or class duty in the past? What are we regularly and practically doing to increase our knowledge of God through His word and experiential practice? Who recognizes growing Christlikeness in us? With whom do we share His life-changing truth?

“Lord, speak to me that I may speak
In living echoes of your tone.
As you have sought, so let me seek
Your erring children, lost and lone.

Oh, lead me, Lord, that I may lead
The wand’ring and the wav’ring feet.
Oh, feed me, Lord, that I may feed
Your hungry ones with manna sweet.

Oh, teach me, Lord, that I may teach
The precious truths which you impart.
And wing my words that they may reach
The hidden depths of many a heart.

Oh, fill me with your fullness, Lord,
Until my very hearts o’erflows
In kindling thought and glowing word,
Your love to tell, your praise to show.

Oh, use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as you will, and when, and where
Until your blessed face I see,
Your rest, your joy, your glory share.” ~Frances Havergal (1872)

Amen!

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God… God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:7-11

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16-17

What manner of love is this? God sent His only Son into the world, the world they had created together side by side, to save their people gone astray. This only Son, begotten of the Father, condescended from glory to give His life for the sake of their lost children. His only Son came to procure many sons (and daughters) for the family of God. (Genesis 1:1,26-27; Proverbs 8:24-31; John 1:1-3,9-13)

What a picture of love! God’s heavenly, divine love manifest in flesh! God come down as man, atoning for my sin! This kind of love should astound and humble us- who are we to be so loved? Is our proper response to God not worship for such selfless, priceless love that is His nature and passion? This kind of love should also inspire us. We love in pale compared to God, yet drawing from His pure and selfless life-giving love for us, we can learn to love in return and with abandon. Are we so determined? (Psalm 8:3-5; Isaiah 43:1-4)

When have we experienced a kindness, service, or particular care from an individual that caused us to feel loved by the Lord? What examples of Christlike love can we emulate by beginning to put them into practice within our homes, among friends, communities, church? Contemplating the exquisite gift of an only son, what of great value might the Lord be calling me to sacrifice for the eternal sake of another? What of my time, my resources, my very heart and care am I eager to expend? How willing am I to step out in faith to do so, and thereby experience God’s unmatchable blessing? (Genesis 22:1-14; 1 Thessalonians 2:8)

“What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down, O my soul!
When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.” ~Anonymous

Lord, in the indescribable light of Your love for me, may I in faith and reciprocal love lay down my life for You and others, to the praise of Your glory.

“When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” “Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Luke 9:51; 13:33-35

“He left Judea and departed again for Galilee.  And he had to pass through Samaria.” John 4:3-4

“Look… to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

At His parting from heaven’s glory, Jesus was Jerusalem bound. At His birth in a manger in Bethlehem, Jesus was Jerusalem bound. When His parents moved Him to Egypt, then Nazareth, Jesus was Jerusalem bound. And throughout His earthly ministry, from village to village, town to town, temple to temple with no place to lay His head, Jesus was Jerusalem bound. Each morning, each decision, each step, each encounter, Jesus was Jerusalem bound. He knew why He’d come to earth and every second here was ministry with sound purpose on His way to Jerusalem. (Matthew 2:13-14; 8:20; Luke 2:34-35; John 1:9-14)

The Lord also has a purpose for each of us, to His glorious ends. We have not His omniscience, but we can have Him as priority each day and trust His guidance. We can seek His face and favor as we determine to keep divine appointments and honor Him along these days and miles He alone knows. (Psalm 32:8; Proverbs 3:5-6)

How sound is our journey, how aligned with Christ’s ways and eternal fruit-bearing? Are we purposeful or playful? Keeping focused on the Lord’s ultimate ends affords grace in suffering, and hope in rejoicing for the glory ahead. (1 Peter 4:7-14)

“Once in royal David’s city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all,
and His shelter was a stable,
and His cradle was a stall:
with the poor, and meek, and lowly,
lived on earth our Savior holy.

All through childhood and His ministry,
He would honor and obey,
to the cross He died there for us,
pierced and wrapped in grave He lay;
then He rose before dawn’s light
victory won o’er death, sin, and night.*

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
through His own redeeming love;
for that Child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heav’n above,
and He leads His children on
to the place where He is gone.” ~Cecil Frances Alexander (1848) *PEB (2023)

Lord, keep me faithful and divinely aligned step by step en route to You, for the praise of Your glory.

“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith…

“I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains..— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire…

“Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion…

“But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.., ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” Jude 3,5-7,11,17-25

It is always good among believers to unite around our common salvation, but in doing so, it is necessary to be vigilant about the dangers of slipping away. The love and mercy that Jude extends is imbued with his concern for their faithfulness and continued growth in the holy faith. What they knew fully that led them to believe in the first place was important to keep remembering to buttress their commitment.

Once we embark on any new venture, it is natural to get drawn in by new ideas and experiences, and away from original motivation. The world’s many enticements would veer us from steadfast growth in the knowledge and love of Christ. Even good things- service, productivity, family, plans- can become ultimate things, idols that detract us from pure devotion to Him.

Have we relaxed spiritual imperatives that guard our hearts and minds? Have we grown too casual in daily habits, choices of entertainment, attitudes toward others, or language, that we dishonor the Lord’s value of every person and all that is lofty? What idols have become shrines in our affections and allegiance? All that we’ve known well as we set out on our spiritual walk with Christ is a sure foundation going forward and must not be forgotten. (Proverbs 4:23; Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:6-8)

What are we actively doing to build up ourselves and others in the holy faith? How are we remembering and reminding each other of God‘s holy attributes of love, justice, purity? How will we today encourage others in God’s ability to keep us from falling? Will we trust and praise Him together?

Father, may I always remember Your grace to me, and uphold Your holiness as my highest joy.

“Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.  And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast… And the Levites took up the ark,.. the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent…  And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel… were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.  Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread out their wings over the ark… There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.  And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests had consecrated themselves,.. and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,

‘For he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever,’

the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud,  so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.” 2 Chronicles 5:2-8,10-14

King Solomon had completed everything for the house of the Lord. He constructed and arranged it not just for orderly worship and sacrifice, but for the preeminence of the presence of the Lord. The beauty, and joy in song of the leaders, welled together in magnificent praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. And the God of grace responded to this blessing and honor and praise offered Him with the favor of His glory manifest to the people.

When we abide in Christ and use what He’s entrusted to us for His purposes and reflection, or completed a specific assignment He’s anointed, the Lord fills the temple of our lives with His Spirit of wisdom and wonder. In turn, we cannot help but respond with gratitude and blessing turned back to him and toward others. The rhythm of a yielded and grateful life spins out continual glory to God. (2 Chronicles 6:1–4)

Does this describe us? Are we living for ourselves, or spending our efforts, love, and resources to raise high the name of the Lord? What aspects of our mindset, desires, attitudes need the filling of His presence today? Would we ask for Him to bless our service in such a way that a disarming, indescribable, magnificent glory from God blazes from all we do and say?

Lord Jesus, so fill my life with your Spirit and power that only Your praise is sung, Your love is expressed, and Your glory is seen.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.  You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.  No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.  Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous… The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.  No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.  By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

“For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” 1 John 3:1-7,8b-11

Looking at Jesus reveals what kind of love He embodies and exhibits, and how we are to live as His children. God gave Christ in amazing love to the end that we become and behave like His children. What we see in the generosity of the Father He expects to see in us.

But we have a pesky adversary who wants none of this kind of love to be recognized, received, or expressed. The father of lies and deception wants to convince us we are stuck in old habits and sin impulses, unable to have victory over greed, jealousy, callous attitudes, and snippy remarks. The promise of God comes with good news: we no longer belong to the devil but are God’s children, born of and kept by Him, free to love and work righteousness. (John 8:44)

Where will we choose to look? To whose message will we listen? How determined are we, as God’s children with a deposit of His character, to purify ourselves and practice love and all that is good? (John 8:36; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:13-14

“Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heav’n to earth come down,
fix in us Thy humble dwelling;
all Thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love Thou art;
visit us with Thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit,
let us find the promised rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.” ~Charles Wesley (1747)

Lord, help me behold the kind of love You are and extend, and go and do likewise in Your honor.