HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW

         Looking out our kitchen window I enjoy watching dozens of birds who daily come to feast at our bird feeders.  And I am often reminded how the Lord cares for these small members of his creation. "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26).  "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29–31).  The birds are a daily reminder to me of my Father's care for me.  Often I need that reminder when facing the toils, discouragements and cares of daily living.  These scriptures were the inspiration for this week's song which has encouraged listeners for over a century.  According to Civilla Martin, writer of the lyrics, "Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle - true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle's reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" was the outcome of that experience." The next day she mailed the poem to Charles Gabriel, who supplied the music. Singer Ethel Waters helped make this song popular and she so loved this song that she used its name as the title for her autobiography.  Of course I don't know what is going on in your life right now, but I am sure that you, too, often face times of frustration, challenge and discouragement.  In those times be reminded that if you are a child of God, He will take care of you.  Your heart need not be troubled.  He is your constant friend and will put a song in your heart as you experience His care, comfort and leading.  If He can see and care for the sparrow, certainly He will see and care for you.  "For His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me!"

(1)     Why should I feel discouraged, 

why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

(2)     "Let not your heart be troubled," His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

(3)     Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Listen to it being sung here.    LISTEN

O THAT WILL BE, GLORY FOR ME

Dad on his
90th birthday

          Today, on Father's Day I have decided to honor my father by repeating, in his memory, a blog that I wrote just after his death in 2009.  My father was a godly man who had a profound influence on my life and I still miss him greatly.  He had great wisdom and a deep faith in the Lord that I observed throughout his life.  In addition to Father's Day, today would have been his 98th birthday.  But instead of celebrating it with us, he is celebrating with mother and his Lord Jesus Christ in a much better place.  This hymn was one of his very favorites and it speaks of an experience which my father has now had.  His labors and trials are over and he is safe on that beautiful shore, near the Lord that he adored and served throughout his life.  What a thrill it is to know that this is his experience and someday it will also be mine.

March 3, 2009 blog:

When my father recently passed away some of the grandchildren told us that Grandpa wanted to have this song sung at his funeral.  So we honored his request by having the family sing it at his Memorial Service.  We had never sung together before in public as a family and it went well considering that we didn't have time to practice as a group and many of the grandchildren and great grandchildren had never heard the song before.  The words certainly reflect dad's desire and hope and most likely his present experience.   The song itself has an interesting history.   When it first appeared in 1900, a musical expert predicted, "It will never go; it has too many quarter notes."  In other words, 'the rhythm is too monotonous." But in a few years, it was the most popular hymn Homer Rodeheaver led in the Billy Sunday campaigns.  It was affectionately called the "Glory Song." It was inspired, not by an experience, but by a personality!  The author, C. H. Gabriel, was perhaps the best known and most prolific gospel song writer of the early twentieth century.  One of his good friends was Ed Card, superintendent of the Sunshine Rescue Mission of St. Louis, Missouri.  Ed was a radiant believer who always seemed to be "bubbling over" with Christian joy. During a sermon or a prayer he would often explode with "Glory" just like some people say "Amen!" or "Hallelujah!"  His beaming smile earned him the nickname "old glory face."  It was his custom to close his fervent prayers with a reference to heaven, usually ending with the phrase "and that will be glory for me"   What a fitting song for the believer who has the assurance that he will someday be reunited with loved ones, and with the Lord, in heaven.

When all my labors and trials are over,

And I am safe on that beautiful shore,

Just to be near the dear Lord I adore,

Will through the ages be glory for me.

O that will be glory for me,

Glory for me, glory for me,

When by His grace I shall look on His face,

That will be glory, be glory for me.

When, by the gift of His infinite grace,

I am accorded in heaven a place,

Just to be there and to look on His face,

Will through the ages be glory for me.

O that will be glory for me,

Glory for me, glory for me,

When by His grace I shall look on His face,

That will be glory, be glory for me.

Friends will be there I have loved long ago;

Joy like a river around me will flow;

Yet just a smile from my Savior, I know,

Will through the ages be glory for me.

O that will be glory for me,

Glory for me, glory for me,

When by His grace I shall look on His face,

That will be glory, be glory for me.

You can listen to it here.   LISTEN 

TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY

         It is obvious that we live in an age when advances in technology have changed almost everything we do.  Various appliances and machines now relieve us of much of our labor.  Smart phones keep us in constant contact with everything in the world.  We can text and call others at any time.  GPS's get us to our destinations quickly.  And computers and the internet make tedious jobs much simpler and faster.  And we can even save the time it used to take shopping by ordering online and having it delivered directly to us.  And with all of these advances we should have so much extra time available to spend with family and in leisure.  But we don't!  We are busier than ever.  Our calendars are packed full and we live life at a hectic pace.  And what often suffers the most are relationships.  And healthy ones do take time. That is true for husband and wife, for parents and children, and for friends. We need "quality time" with others - time to get to know them, time to share, time to help, time to listen. Relationships need nurturing and the time we give them suggests what priority, or lack of priority, we place on such things. But a more penetrating question is how is our relationship with Jesus Christ? Do we have time left for Him or does He get anything left over?  Does the urgency of other things keep us from "quality time" with Him?  It is in our fellowship with Him that our desires and ambitions are turned toward heavenly things. In turn, it is from these fundamental attitudes that our daily choices and decisions come.  When Peter and John were hauled into court for preaching the gospel, their conduct and their speech revealed they had long been in the company of Christ. The Bible says the members of the Sanhedrin "realized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Is that true of us? The Apostle Paul says believers "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory" (II Cor. 3:18). In the words of William Longstaff (1822-1894), "By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be; Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see." When others observe our behavior, or hear our conversation, will they realize that we have been with Him? Longstaff was a Christian layman in England, and a great supporter of the work of Dwight L. Moody. He was also for a time an associate of William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. Born into a wealthy family, he used his resources in various causes, helping others in many ways. On one occasion, Mr. Longstaff heard a sermon on First Peter 1:16, where the Lord says, "Be holy, for I am holy." It impressed him deeply. After that, he set himself the goal of living a truly godly life. He wrote this week's hymn, in 1882, based on insights God was giving him. It reminds us to "Take Time to Be Holy."   May that be our challenge, desire and priority, not only this week, but everyday of our lives.

(1)     Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;

Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.

Make friends of God's children, help those who are weak,

Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

(2)      Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

(3)     Take time to be holy, let Him be thy guide;

And run not before Him, whatever betide.

In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,

And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

(4)       Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,

Each thought and each motive beneath His control.

Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,

Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Listen ti it here.   LISTEN

WHAT IF IT WERE TODAY?

        As children we often could not wait for special events to come ... a birthday ... Christmas ... summer ... a family vacation.  We would often wake up wishing that this would now be the day that we were so eagerly anticipating.  And I guess even as adults we've often felt the same kind of excitement and anticipation about coming special events.  But do we wake up each day with the anticipation that this could be the day that Jesus comes to take us home?  What a difference this might make in our daily lives if we really believed this.  But it is a fact that Jesus promised that He would return for us although He hasn't revealed when that actual day might be.  It could be today and it is a possibility worth considering. The Apostle Paul commended the Thessalonian Christians for living expectantly. He says, "You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven" (I Thess. 1:9-10). He himself lived in hope of that event in his own lifetime, assuring his readers, "We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them [the dead in Christ] ...to meet the Lord in the air" (I Thess. 4:17).  For centuries many believers have lived with that hope but did not experience it.  And there have always been skeptics.  Peter writes of skeptics who say, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation" (II Pet. 3:4).  But Jesus promised to return for us and it could be today that He takes His bride home. Lelia Naylor Morris (1862-1929) believed this and shared this hope and anticipation in this week's hymn. A homemaker, Mrs. Morris operated a ladies' hat shop for a number of years. The Lord also used her to write poetry and compose gospel music. Her accomplishments are all the more remarkable considering that for most of her adult life Lelia Morris was blind.  It is said that she authored more than 1,000 Gospel songs.  When her eyes began to fail, in 1913, her son built a 28-foot blackboard with oversized staff lines so that she could continue composing.  In this hymn she asks the penetrating question,"What if it, the rapture, were today?". The rapture of saints could come any day, when He claims His chosen bride.  But, in addition to the rapture, she also talks about a future second coming when Jesus will return to set up His kingdom here on earth - a time when He returns to earth to reign in power. Both events are intermingled in her writings and this can be confusing and maybe even a little misleading. Hopefully He will soon call us home - the rapture.  Then later He will return to reign as King and bind Satan - the second coming. Both are events to anticipate and long for. But her question about the timing of the rapture is a penetrating question because the possibility of the rapture today should make us question our priorities, activities and even our plans for today.  Are we really ready should this be the day?  But it is also an encouraging question, reminding us that at any time we believers could be taken out of this sinful world with its challenges and disappointments to be forever with Jesus.   Are we ready?

(1)     Jesus is coming to earth again; what if it were today?

Coming in power and love to reign; what if it were today?

Coming to claim His chosen bride, all the redeemed and purified,

Over this whole earth scattered wide; what if it were today?

Glory, glory! Joy to my heart 'twill bring.

Glory, glory! When we shall crown Him king.

Glory, glory! Haste to prepare the way;

Glory, glory! Jesus will come some day.

(2)     Satan's dominion will then be o'er, O that it were today!

Sorrow and sighing shall be no more, O that it were today!

Then shall the dead in Christ arise, caught up to meet Him in the skies,

When shall these glories meet our eyes? What if it were today?

Glory, glory! Joy to my heart 'twill bring.

Glory, glory! When we shall crown Him king.

Glory, glory! Haste to prepare the way;

Glory, glory! Jesus will come some day.

(3)    Faithful and true would He find us here if He should come today?

Watching in gladness and not in fear, if He should come today?

Signs of His coming multiply; morning light breaks in eastern sky.

Watch, for the time is drawing nigh; what if it were today?

Glory, glory! Joy to my heart 'twill bring.

Glory, glory! When we shall crown Him king.

Glory, glory! Haste to prepare the way;

Glory, glory! Jesus will come some day.

Listen to it here.     LISTEN