HE LIFTED ME

        Psalm 40:1-4a "I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust."  I can't say that I have ever had the actual experience of physically being stuck in deep mud or in quicksand, but it must be a terrible experience.  And the sense of relief after being rescued must be an amazing feeling.  But if you've experienced being lifted out of the depths of sin and being given new life and hope and purpose, then you have experienced something even greater.  And I love the part of these verses that says we have been given a new song, a song of praise, and we are blessed.  What a tremendous testimony.  It may have been the personal experience of these verses that led Charles Gabriel to publish this hymn, a song of praise, in 1905. "From sinking sand He lifted me,with tender hand He lifted me; From shades of night to plains of light, oh, praise His Name, He lifted me!"  At 15, inspired by Civil War songs he had heard, young Gabriel announced that when he grew up he wanted to be a songwriter and he was encouraged to do so by his mother. He thought of melodies during the day when he was plowing and planting, and then wrote them down at night after his chores were finished.  The family had a small reed organ, and also acquired a piano when Gabriel was 14. When Gabriel was 16, his father died, and the teenager followed in his footsteps as a singing-school teacher. He left home the next year, and taught singing for the next several 10 to 15 years.  Gabriel's first hymn was published in 1873. In 1877, his songbook, "Gabriel's Sabbath School Songs," was published. His first "hit" was "Send the Light" (1890).  He is said to have written and or composed between 7,000 and 8,000 songs.  While this particular song was written over a century ago, the truth still exists in today's world.  People are caught in the miry bog of sin, in despair, with no hope.  They need to be lifted out and placed on the solid rock.  Jesus, with His tender hands, is still the only one who can do that. He is still in the business of saving the lost. If you haven't ever experienced this, then put your trust in Him today and by His grace He will lift you out and place you on the solid rock.  And if you have done that, then live each day with that song of praise He has put within your heart.  "Oh praise His Name, He lifted me."

1. In loving-kindness Jesus came,

My soul in mercy to reclaim,

And from the depths of sin and shame

Through grace He lifted me.

From sinking sand He lifted me,

With tender hand He lifted me;

From shades of night to plains of light,

Oh, praise His Name, He lifted me!

2. He called me long before I heard,

Before my sinful heart was stirred,

But when I took Him at His word,

Forgiv'n, He lifted me.

From sinking sand He lifted me,

With tender hand He lifted me;

From shades of night to plains of light,

Oh, praise His Name, He lifted me!

3. His brow was pierced with many a thorn,

His hands by cruel nails were torn,

When from my guilt and grief, forlorn,

In love He lifted me.

From sinking sand He lifted me,

With tender hand He lifted me;

From shades of night to plains of light,

Oh, praise His Name, He lifted me!

4. Now on a higher plane I dwell,

And with my soul I know 'tis well;

Yet how or why, I cannot tell,

He should have lifted me.

From sinking sand He lifted me,

With tender hand He lifted me;

From shades of night to plains of light,

Oh, praise His Name, He lifted me!

Here are two different versions of this song for your enjoyment.  Sing along!      
LISTEN 1

LISTEN 2

IS MY NAME WRITTEN THERE?

        Recently I heard Dr. David Jeremiah in his series on heaven tell the story of a gifted soloist who was asked to sing at the wedding of a very wealthy couple.  She was thrilled and honored to be part of this special day.  She was especially excited because she and her husband were invited to the reception at one of the most elaborate locations in the city.  It was a place that she would never have been able to afford to attend otherwise. Following the wedding, with great expectations, she and her husband came to the reception location, a restaurant high above the city skyline.  When they arrived at the door the receptionist asked for their names.  But their names weren't on the list.  She replied, but I was the soloist.  The receptionist said that made no difference, their names weren't on the list.  Then they were ushered to a freight elevator which took them back down to the main floor.  On the way down the soloist remembered that the invitation included an RSVP which she had forgotten to return.  Her name wasn't in the book, so she wasn't allowed to enter the reception gala. No exceptions. There is one book whose contents should concern us above all others. It is called "The Book of Life." That book is mentioned eight times in the New Testament. Once, it is called "the Lamb's Book of Life" - the book belonging to the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 21:27).   Jesus speaks of the importance of having our names being "written in heaven" (Lk. 10:20). Paul speaks of "fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life" (Phil. 4:3). That it lists those who qualify to enter into the heavenly kingdom is made clear by the warning in Revelation: "Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 21:15). And, "There shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life" (Rev. 21:27).  This issue concerned Mary Kidder years ago. Born Mary Ann Pepper (1820-1905), it is said she was blinded in her teens, but slowly recovered her sight. We know little more about her, except that she had a gift for writing poetry. Mrs. Kidder penned about a thousand hymns, but only this one has remained in common use. In this song published in 1878, she asks the penetrating question, "Is My Name Written There?", meaning in the Book of Life.  Being denied access to heaven is a much worse fate than not being admitted to a gala reception.  But it will be the fate of many. The Apostle Paul states it succinctly, "I declare to you the gospel …. That Christ died for our sins" (I Cor. 15:1, 3). When the Philippian jailer asked, "What must I do to be saved?" Paul answered without hesitation, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." (Acts 16:30-31).  Is your name written there?  Don't put off making that crucial decision.  Tomorrow might be too late.  Now I do personally have a minor problem with the words of this song.  The question it asks is one that every person needs to answer.  But for those who can answer "yes", I prefer the response "Yes, my name's written there."  I trust that this is your response.

1.     Lord, I care not for riches, neither silver nor gold;

I would make sure of Heaven, I would enter the fold.

In the book of Thy kingdom, with its pages so fair,

Tell me, Jesus, my Savior, is my name written there?

Is my name written there,

On the page white and fair?

In the book of Thy kingdom,

Is my name written there?

2.     Lord, my sins they are many, like the sands of the sea,

But Thy blood, O my Savior, is sufficient for me;

For Thy promise is written, in bright letters that glow,

"Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them like snow."

Is my name written there,

On the page white and fair?

In the book of Thy kingdom,

Is my name written there?

3.     Oh! that beautiful city, with its mansions of light,

With its glorified beings, in pure garments of white;

Where no evil thing cometh to despoil what is fair;

Where the angels are watching, yes, my name's written there.

Yes my name's written there,

On the page white and fair?

In the book of Thy kingdom,

Yes my name's written there?

Listen to it here.   LISTEN

HOW TEDIOUS AND TASTELESS THE DAYS

One of the things that I appreciate about living in Pennsylvania is that we have four distinct seasons.  However, I wouldn't mind if spring and fall were a little longer and winter much shorter.  Winter can be such a dismal time, especially if you have much snow and ice.  While the snow can be beautiful, shoveling it can be a real chore.  Driving can be so dangerous.  The nights can be so long especially when you are confined to home. Cabin fever is so easy to develop.  I don't know if John Newton experienced hard winters, but he appeared to understand how difficult they can sometimes be.  And he understood how much the seasons can model the attitudes and moods that we face in our lives.  He knew that there are times that our attitudes "darken and gray" like the season.  Our spirits can become bitter and cold as the winter days.  But he also knew that "When I am happy in Him, December's as pleasant as May."  We can, with the Lord's help and closeness, endure those times that seem both "tedious" (long and tiresome) and "tasteless" (dull and without proper season).  This hymn written by Newton is not very well known, but the illustrations he uses are those which many of us can relate to as we compare them to our lives. "And prisons would palaces prove, If Jesus would dwell with me there."  How does a prison cell become a palace?  That's easy, the King shows up.  "Why do I languish and pine?"  This question is one that I am sure all of us have asked at some point in our Christian walk, especially after the Lord has brought us through a tough situation.  Why do we worry?  Why do we fret?  Why do we lose hope when we know deep in our hearts that the Lord's promises are true?   While it's now winter outside, is it winter in your life and heart today?  Does life with its cares seem tedious and overbearing?  If so, then remember the words that Newton has penned, "His presence disperses my gloom,  And makes all within me rejoice. I should, were He always thus nigh, Have nothing to wish or to fear; No mortal so happy as I; My summer would last all the year."  Is it summer in your heart and life today?  If not, it can be.

1     How tedious and tasteless the hours

When Jesus no longer I see!

Sweet prospects, sweet birds and sweet flow'rs,

Have all lost their sweetness to me.

The midsummer sun shines but dim,

The fields strive in vain to look gay;

But when I am happy in Him

December's as pleasant as May.

2     His name yields the richest perfume,

And sweeter than music His voice;

His presence disperses my gloom,

And makes all within me rejoice.

I should, were He always thus nigh,

Have nothing to wish or to fear;

No mortal so happy as I;

My summer would last all the year.

3     Content with beholding His face,

My all to His pleasure resigned;

No changes of season or place,

Would make any change in my mind.

While blessed with a sense of His love,

A palace a toy would appear;

And prisons would palaces prove,

If Jesus would dwell with me there.

4     My Lord, if indeed I am Thine,

If Thou art my sun and my song,

Say, why do I languish and pine?

And why are my winters so long?

Oh, drive these dark clouds from the sky,

Thy soul-cheering presence restore;

Or take me to Thee up on high,

Where winter and clouds are no more.

You can listen to this old hymn here.   LISTEN

NEVER GROW OLD

A new year affects us in various ways.  But there is one thing we do have in common. For each of us a new year at least means that we are going to become a year older.  And being a year older also affects us in various ways.  For a teenager it might mean getting a year closer to being able to drive a car or begin college.  To a middle age adult it might mean being a year closer to retirement.  For a senior it might mean the reality of facing new physical challenges and being a year closer to the end of one's journey here on earth.  At times growing older can be a real challenge.  And it also can be very hard to watch loved ones grow older and reach their senior years.  Physical and even mental changes bring them to a point where they no longer have the ability or the energy to function as they have for most of their lives.  Even if they are sharp mentally, all become slower and gradually need more help. The body just wears out.  Parents often then become the children and the children become the parents.  Like many of you, I've watched my parents and my in-laws go through these years and it was often so very hard to watch and deal with these life changing events.  This is what James C. Moore (1888-1962) experienced.  While a seminary student, in 1914, he visited his hometown church.  While there he noticed his aging father who had led the singing for many years with a beautiful, strong voice was now singing with a faltering voice.  Moore said that he knew that he would not be hearing his father sing much longer and certainly never again with the strong singing voice he had shown all of his life.  Back at seminary, with the incident fresh in his mind, he composed the words to this week's hymn choice.  Lovingly he wrote, "Dedicated to my father and mother"  For unknown reasons the song was not published until 1930.  Then it became a very popular number and for almost the next 70 years it would be sung at funerals in America probably as much or more than any other gospel song.  Moore penned over 500 songs but this one certainly has been the most popular.  Jim Reeves and Johnny Cash helped make this song popular over the years, as have the Gather Homecoming videos in recent years.  At present we can't control the aging process as we move through the various seasons of life, but this gospel song reminds us of that coming time in the life of a believer where we will have new bodies that won't age or wear out in a new home that is being prepared with us.  What a joy and hope that it is to know, with certainty, that when our work here is done that we will be with Jesus in that beautiful home being built by Him.  Are the gradual changes brought on my aging affecting you yet?  If not, that time is approaching.  But rejoice in the knowledge that God is in control and a day is coming soon when we'll be relieved of these challenges.  We will receive new bodies and aging and its effects will be gone forever.  May that knowledge and hope flood your soul in the days ahead.

1. I have heard of a land on the faraway strand,

'Tis a beautiful home of the soul;

Built by Jesus on high, where we never shall die,

'Tis a land where we never grow old.

Never grow old, never grow old,

In a land where we'll never grow old;

Never grow old, never grow old,

In a land where we'll never grow old.

2. In that beautiful home where we'll never more roam,

We shall be in the sweet by and by;

Happy praise to the King through eternity sing,

'Tis a land where we never shall die.

Never grow old, never grow old,

In a land where we'll never grow old;

Never grow old, never grow old,

In a land where we'll never grow old.

3. When our work here is done and the life-crown is won,

And our troubles and trials are o'er;

All our sorrow will end, and our voices will blend,

With the loved ones who've gone on before.

Never grow old, never grow old,

In a land where we'll never grow old;

Never grow old, never grow old,

In a land where we'll never grow old.

You can listen to  part of this gospel song being sung here.  LISTEN1

You can here the entire song here.   LISTEN2