Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Hymn 559 Red Trinity Hymnal

Father, I know that all my life Is portioned out for me, And the changes that are sure to come I do not fear to see; But I ask Thee for a present mind Intent on pleasing Thee. I would not have the restless will That hurries to and fro, Seeking for some great thing to do Or secret thing to know; I would be treated as a child, And guided where I go. So I ask Thee for daily strength, To none that ask denied, And a mind to blend with outward life While keeping at Thy side; Content to fill a little space, If Thou be glorified.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Valley of Vision excerpts

"O God, I bless thee for the happy moment when I first saw thy law fulfilled in Christ, wrath appeased, death destroyed, sin forgiven, my soul saved. Ever since, Thou hast been faithful to me, daily I have proved the power of Jesus' blood, daily I have known the strength of the Spirit, my teacher, director, sanctifier." -from "The Life Look" (page 54) "In Jesus, my brother, I have my new birth, every restraining power, every renewing grace. It is by thy Spirit I call thee Father, believe in thee, love thee; strengthen me inwardly for every purpose of my Christian life." -from "A Convert's First Prayer" (page 53) "My Father, I could never have sought my happiness in thy love, unless thou had'st first loved me. Thy Spirit has encouraged me by grace to seek thee, has made known to me thy reconciliation in Jesus, has taught me to believe it, has helped me to take thee for my God and portion. May he grant me to grow in the knowledge and experience of thy love, and walk in it all the way to glory." -from "A Convert's First Prayer" (page 53)

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Sabbath Summary

The Sabbath. Sabbath (from whence we get the word sabbatical) means rest, and the rest for the people of God under the Mosaic Law was a day of the week, namely, the last day, or Saturday, because of our Creator’s rest on the seventh day of creation. (There was also a Sabbath year.) In keeping with its meaning, this day (along with the Sabbath year) was designated for national Israel (as a sign of the covenant) not as a day for worship per se, but for rest. I believe that rest was a shadow of, and completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ Who, in the New and better Covenant, is Himself the Rest (the Christian’s Sabbath) for the souls of those who have ceased from their religious efforts to obtain right standing with God, to rely on Christ’s finished work in their stead. Our Sabbath is not a day but a Person. With Jesus and not a day as my Sabbath, I do not “keep” any day of the week, but I do faithfully assemble with the local fellowship of Believers on Sundays and other appointed times, not because of the Fourth Commandment, but because of the example set by the Apostles, and because of the significance of Christ’s resurrection which He chose to execute on the first day of the week. Our Lord declared “Man was not made for the Sabbath.” To the Christian, there are no special holy days. Resting in God’s provision—not worshipping on Sunday (as good as that is)—is that eternal, moral, principle foreshadowed in the Fourth Commandment. http://www.migliacci.com/Statement_of_Faith-extended-09-11-15.pdf