Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13
"If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. . . . And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love."
Hymn: "The Gift of Love," UMH 408
Hal Hopson, 1972
". . . Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control,
Our spirits long to be made whole.
Let inward love guide every deed;
By this we worship, and are freed."
Prayer:
Rework my heart and my life, O Spirit of God's love, until those qualities true of love are true of me as well.
Make me patient and kind. Make me slow to envy or boast, take away my arrogance and rudeness. Teach me to give up my insistence on my own way, remove my irritability and resentments. Show me how to rejoice in the truth, rather than in wrongdoing. By your power, help me to bear, believe, hope, and endure all things.
And when this life is over, precious Holy Spirit, and I have long since given up my childish, unloving ways, reveal to me the fullness of never-ending love, face to face with God.
Showing posts with label spiritual growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual growth. Show all posts
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Monday, December 10, 2007
Advent, Week 2: Monday
Isaiah 11:1-5 (NRSV):
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
We who are the body of Christ can take a profound lesson from this prophecy of his coming. How should we reflect the likeness of the Branch of Jesse? What spirit rests on us? How do we judge? How do we treat the poor and the meek? Are we clothed in righteousness? Is it by what we do with the might of our arms, or rather the justice of our Spirit-inspired words, that the wicked are rendered no longer wicked?
Such a comparison makes me hang my head in shame. I have so much growing up still to do, and such a shortage of time in which to do it! But if I am faithful, if I permit God full control, I will progress in this "going on to perfection" that is sanctification.
Today, Lord Jesus, just for today: I choose to be more like you. May your Holy Spirit rest on me and may I then reflect you in all that I say and do.
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
We who are the body of Christ can take a profound lesson from this prophecy of his coming. How should we reflect the likeness of the Branch of Jesse? What spirit rests on us? How do we judge? How do we treat the poor and the meek? Are we clothed in righteousness? Is it by what we do with the might of our arms, or rather the justice of our Spirit-inspired words, that the wicked are rendered no longer wicked?
Such a comparison makes me hang my head in shame. I have so much growing up still to do, and such a shortage of time in which to do it! But if I am faithful, if I permit God full control, I will progress in this "going on to perfection" that is sanctification.
Today, Lord Jesus, just for today: I choose to be more like you. May your Holy Spirit rest on me and may I then reflect you in all that I say and do.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Wrestling with Daddy Charles
I read this hymn of Charles Wesley periodically, and it's especially appropriate for me right now, though I prefer to keep the reason to myself. If you're unfamiliar with this seldom-sung hymn, I commend it to you. According to Charles' brother, John Wesley (the two much-beloved of us Methodist people), the hymn writer Isaac Watts claimed that this one hymn was worth all the verses that he (Watts) had written.
This entry at the Cyber Hymnal gives MIDI files for a number of tunes to which it can be sung. Myself, when I sing it I prefer CANDLER, a traditional Scottish melody.
"Wrestling Jacob"
Come, O thou Traveler unknown,
Whom still I hold, but cannot see!
My company before is gone,
And I am left alone with Thee;
With Thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.
I need not tell Thee who I am,
My misery and sin declare;
Thyself hast called me by my name,
Look on Thy hands, and read it there;
But who, I ask Thee, who art Thou?
Tell me Thy name, and tell me now.
In vain Thou strugglest to get free,
I never will unloose my hold!
Art Thou the Man that died for me?
The secret of Thy love unfold;
Wrestling, I will not let Thee go,
Till I Thy name, Thy nature know.
Wilt Thou not yet to me reveal
Thy new, unutterable Name?
Tell me, I still beseech Thee, tell;
To know it now resolved I am;
Wrestling, I will not let Thee go,
Till I Thy Name, Thy nature know.
’Tis all in vain to hold Thy tongue
Or touch the hollow of my thigh;
Though every sinew be unstrung,
Out of my arms Thou shalt not fly;
Wrestling I will not let Thee go
Till I Thy name, Thy nature know.
What though my shrinking flesh complain,
And murmur to contend so long?
I rise superior to my pain,
When I am weak, then I am strong
And when my all of strength shall fail,
I shall with the God-man prevail.
My strength is gone, my nature dies,
I sink beneath Thy weighty hand,
Faint to revive, and fall to rise;
I fall, and yet by faith I stand;
I stand and will not let Thee go
Till I Thy Name, Thy nature know.
Yield to me now, for I am weak,
But confident in self-despair;
Speak to my heart, in blessings speak,
Be conquered by my instant prayer;
Speak, or Thou never hence shalt move,
And tell me if Thy Name is Love.
’Tis Love! ’tis Love! Thou diedst for me!
I hear Thy whisper in my heart;
The morning breaks, the shadows flee,
Pure, universal love Thou art;
To me, to all, Thy bowels move;
Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.
My prayer hath power with God; the grace
Unspeakable I now receive;
Through faith I see Thee face to face,
I see Thee face to face, and live!
In vain I have not wept and strove;
Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.
I know Thee, Savior, who Thou art.
Jesus, the feeble sinner’s friend;
Nor wilt Thou with the night depart.
But stay and love me to the end,
Thy mercies never shall remove;
Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.
The Sun of righteousness on me
Hath rose with healing in His wings,
Withered my nature’s strength; from Thee
My soul its life and succor brings;
My help is all laid up above;
Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.
Contented now upon my thigh
I halt, till life’s short journey end;
All helplessness, all weakness I
On Thee alone for strength depend;
Nor have I power from Thee to move:
Thy nature, and Thy name is Love.
Lame as I am, I take the prey,
Hell, earth, and sin, with ease o’ercome;
I leap for joy, pursue my way,
And as a bounding hart fly home,
Through all eternity to prove
Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.
This entry at the Cyber Hymnal gives MIDI files for a number of tunes to which it can be sung. Myself, when I sing it I prefer CANDLER, a traditional Scottish melody.
"Wrestling Jacob"
Come, O thou Traveler unknown,
Whom still I hold, but cannot see!
My company before is gone,
And I am left alone with Thee;
With Thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.
I need not tell Thee who I am,
My misery and sin declare;
Thyself hast called me by my name,
Look on Thy hands, and read it there;
But who, I ask Thee, who art Thou?
Tell me Thy name, and tell me now.
In vain Thou strugglest to get free,
I never will unloose my hold!
Art Thou the Man that died for me?
The secret of Thy love unfold;
Wrestling, I will not let Thee go,
Till I Thy name, Thy nature know.
Wilt Thou not yet to me reveal
Thy new, unutterable Name?
Tell me, I still beseech Thee, tell;
To know it now resolved I am;
Wrestling, I will not let Thee go,
Till I Thy Name, Thy nature know.
’Tis all in vain to hold Thy tongue
Or touch the hollow of my thigh;
Though every sinew be unstrung,
Out of my arms Thou shalt not fly;
Wrestling I will not let Thee go
Till I Thy name, Thy nature know.
What though my shrinking flesh complain,
And murmur to contend so long?
I rise superior to my pain,
When I am weak, then I am strong
And when my all of strength shall fail,
I shall with the God-man prevail.
My strength is gone, my nature dies,
I sink beneath Thy weighty hand,
Faint to revive, and fall to rise;
I fall, and yet by faith I stand;
I stand and will not let Thee go
Till I Thy Name, Thy nature know.
Yield to me now, for I am weak,
But confident in self-despair;
Speak to my heart, in blessings speak,
Be conquered by my instant prayer;
Speak, or Thou never hence shalt move,
And tell me if Thy Name is Love.
’Tis Love! ’tis Love! Thou diedst for me!
I hear Thy whisper in my heart;
The morning breaks, the shadows flee,
Pure, universal love Thou art;
To me, to all, Thy bowels move;
Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.
My prayer hath power with God; the grace
Unspeakable I now receive;
Through faith I see Thee face to face,
I see Thee face to face, and live!
In vain I have not wept and strove;
Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.
I know Thee, Savior, who Thou art.
Jesus, the feeble sinner’s friend;
Nor wilt Thou with the night depart.
But stay and love me to the end,
Thy mercies never shall remove;
Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.
The Sun of righteousness on me
Hath rose with healing in His wings,
Withered my nature’s strength; from Thee
My soul its life and succor brings;
My help is all laid up above;
Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.
Contented now upon my thigh
I halt, till life’s short journey end;
All helplessness, all weakness I
On Thee alone for strength depend;
Nor have I power from Thee to move:
Thy nature, and Thy name is Love.
Lame as I am, I take the prey,
Hell, earth, and sin, with ease o’ercome;
I leap for joy, pursue my way,
And as a bounding hart fly home,
Through all eternity to prove
Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Lent: Day 28
"Refiner's Fire"
Text and music: Brian Doerksen
I appreciate this simple song from the contemporary worship tradition. You can read the full lyrics and listen to it (and buy the Vineyard album) here.
Refiner's Fire, my heart's one desire
Is to be holy, set apart for You, Lord.
I choose to be holy...
Text and music: Brian Doerksen
I appreciate this simple song from the contemporary worship tradition. You can read the full lyrics and listen to it (and buy the Vineyard album) here.
Refiner's Fire, my heart's one desire
Is to be holy, set apart for You, Lord.
I choose to be holy...
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Lent: Day 22
"O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee"
Text: Washington Gladden, 1879
Tune: MARYTON, H. Percy Smith, 1874
O Master, let me walk with Thee,
In lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret; help me bear
The strain of toil, the fret of care.
Help me the slow of heart to move
By some clear, winning word of love;
Teach me the wayward feet to stay,
And guide them in the homeward way.
O Master, let me walk with Thee,
Before the taunting Pharisee;
Help me to bear the sting of spite,
The hate of men who hide Thy light.
The sore distrust of souls sincere
Who cannot read Thy judgments clear,
The dullness of the multitude,
Who dimly guess that Thou art good.
Teach me Thy patience; still with Thee
In closer, dearer, company,
In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
In trust that triumphs over wrong.
In hope that sends a shining ray
Far down the future’s broadening way,
In peace that only Thou canst give,
With Thee, O Master, let me live.
I've included a couple of interior verses that aren't sung anymore, because they spoke to me as someone who participates online. Internet communication emboldens some of us to "taunting Phariseeism" at times, I'm afraid. Good advice on how to look to the Master for help in responding to them and to those who disagree with us, as Christ himself would respond.
Text: Washington Gladden, 1879
Tune: MARYTON, H. Percy Smith, 1874
O Master, let me walk with Thee,
In lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret; help me bear
The strain of toil, the fret of care.
Help me the slow of heart to move
By some clear, winning word of love;
Teach me the wayward feet to stay,
And guide them in the homeward way.
O Master, let me walk with Thee,
Before the taunting Pharisee;
Help me to bear the sting of spite,
The hate of men who hide Thy light.
The sore distrust of souls sincere
Who cannot read Thy judgments clear,
The dullness of the multitude,
Who dimly guess that Thou art good.
Teach me Thy patience; still with Thee
In closer, dearer, company,
In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
In trust that triumphs over wrong.
In hope that sends a shining ray
Far down the future’s broadening way,
In peace that only Thou canst give,
With Thee, O Master, let me live.
I've included a couple of interior verses that aren't sung anymore, because they spoke to me as someone who participates online. Internet communication emboldens some of us to "taunting Phariseeism" at times, I'm afraid. Good advice on how to look to the Master for help in responding to them and to those who disagree with us, as Christ himself would respond.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Lent: Day 21
Make Me a Captive, Lord
Text: George Matheson, 1890
Tune: DIADEMATA, George J. Elvey, 1868 (most common tune)
Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free.
Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conqueror be.
I sink in life’s alarms when by myself I stand;
Imprison me within Thine arms, and strong shall be my hand.
My heart is weak and poor until it master find;
It has no spring of action sure, it varies with the wind.
It cannot freely move till Thou has wrought its chain;
Enslave it with Thy matchless love, and deathless it shall reign.
My power is faint and low till I have learned to serve;
It lacks the needed fire to glow, it lacks the breeze to nerve.
It cannot drive the world until itself be driven;
Its flag can only be unfurled when Thou shalt breathe from heaven.
My will is not my own till Thou hast made it Thine;
If it would reach a monarch’s throne, it must its crown resign.
It only stands unbent amid the clashing strife,
When on Thy bosom it has leant, and found in Thee its life.
Text: George Matheson, 1890
Tune: DIADEMATA, George J. Elvey, 1868 (most common tune)
Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free.
Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conqueror be.
I sink in life’s alarms when by myself I stand;
Imprison me within Thine arms, and strong shall be my hand.
My heart is weak and poor until it master find;
It has no spring of action sure, it varies with the wind.
It cannot freely move till Thou has wrought its chain;
Enslave it with Thy matchless love, and deathless it shall reign.
My power is faint and low till I have learned to serve;
It lacks the needed fire to glow, it lacks the breeze to nerve.
It cannot drive the world until itself be driven;
Its flag can only be unfurled when Thou shalt breathe from heaven.
My will is not my own till Thou hast made it Thine;
If it would reach a monarch’s throne, it must its crown resign.
It only stands unbent amid the clashing strife,
When on Thy bosom it has leant, and found in Thee its life.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Advent, Week 1: Wednesday
Recommended readings from the first Sunday of Advent (from the Revised Common Lectionary):
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:1-10
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 21:25-36
"And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you." (1 Thess. 3:12, NRSV)
What a key summary verse for us as Christians! May the Source of our love, the Lord Jesus Christ, grow love within us for one another and for everyone! Oh, yes, cries my soul!
But wait! If love increases, what must decrease?
Envy. Boasting. Arrogance. Rudeness. Insisting on my own way. Being irritable. Being resentful. Finding satisfaction in wrongdoing. Refusing to bear difficulties. Doubt. Despair. Refusing to endure whatever comes my way for the sake of love. (1 Cor. 13: 4-7)
If I am really serious about wanting to grow in love (or, in Wesleyan terms, "go onto perfection in love"), I've got to cooperate with God in removing that which kills love in my life.
It hurts, God. Some of these things have wrapped themselves around my heart and soul, binding them in sinful, unloving ways. Nevertheless, I choose love over self. This day, this moment. Make me more like my Savior.
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:1-10
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 21:25-36
"And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you." (1 Thess. 3:12, NRSV)
What a key summary verse for us as Christians! May the Source of our love, the Lord Jesus Christ, grow love within us for one another and for everyone! Oh, yes, cries my soul!
But wait! If love increases, what must decrease?
Envy. Boasting. Arrogance. Rudeness. Insisting on my own way. Being irritable. Being resentful. Finding satisfaction in wrongdoing. Refusing to bear difficulties. Doubt. Despair. Refusing to endure whatever comes my way for the sake of love. (1 Cor. 13: 4-7)
If I am really serious about wanting to grow in love (or, in Wesleyan terms, "go onto perfection in love"), I've got to cooperate with God in removing that which kills love in my life.
It hurts, God. Some of these things have wrapped themselves around my heart and soul, binding them in sinful, unloving ways. Nevertheless, I choose love over self. This day, this moment. Make me more like my Savior.
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