Here's a hymn that has touched me as I face a big decision in my life,
1 He leadeth me: O blessed thought! O words with heavenly comfort fraught! Whate'er I do, where'er I be, still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
Refrain: He leadeth me, he leadeth me; by his own hand he leadeth me: his faithful follower I would be, for by his hand he leadeth me.
2 Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom, sometimes where Eden's flowers bloom, by waters calm, o'er troubled sea, still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
3 Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine, nor ever murmur nor repine; content, whatever lot I see, since 'tis my God that leadeth me.
4 And when my task on earth is done, when, by thy grace, the victory's won, e'en death's cold wave I will not flee, since God through Jordan leadeth me.
Happy New Year everyone!!! Here's a good hymn that we sang at church this morning,
1 Another year is dawning! Dear Father, let it be, in working or in waiting, another year with thee; another year of leaning upon thy loving breast, another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.
2 Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace; another year of gladness in the shining of thy face; another year of progress, another year of praise, another year of proving thy presence all the days.
3 Another year of service, of witness for thy love; another year of training for holier work above. Another year is dawning! Dear Father, let it be on earth, or else in heaven, another year for thee.
Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a good hymn to start the day,
1 In this our happy Christmastide The joyful bells are ringing; To praise be all our pow'rs applied, God's grace and mercy singing; In Him by whom the world was made, Now in the lowly manger laid, Rejoice we in the spirit; Thy praise, O Savior, we will sound Unto the earth's remotest bound, That all the world shall hear it.
2 A little Son, the Virgin-born, True God from everlasting To rescue us who were forlorn, His lot with us is casting; It moved His tender heart to see This world of sin and misery In condemnation lying; Therefore He came from realms above Down to our earth, drawn by His love, To sooth our grief and sighing.
3 Our thanks we offer Him today, Although a poor oblation, Alleluia! our joyful lay, Shall sound through ev'ry nation; Now in our camp the Ark we see, Therefore we shout the victory With joyful hearts unfearing; We sing of peace, the peace profound, That hell shall tremble at the sound, Our Christmas anthem hearing.
4 That God has laid His anger by, He by His gift hath shown us; He gives His Son for us to die, In Him He now doth own us; These joyful tidings tell abroad, That Jesus Christ, the Son of God, From sin doth us deliver; Who then should not be glad today When Christ is born, the sinners' stay, Who is of grace the giver?
5 As darkest night must fade and die Before the sun's appearing, So fades my grief away, when I Think on these tidings cheering, That God from all eternity Hath loved the world, and hath on me Bestowed His grace and favor; I'll ne'er forget the angels' strain: Peace--peace on earth, good will to men, To you is born a Savior!
6 Although my joyful Christmas lay Is mingled with my sighing, The cross shall never take away My joy and praise undying; For when the heart is most opprest, The harp of joy is tuned the best, The better strains are ringing, The cross itself, at Jesus' will, Must aid my soul, that I may still In grief His praise be singing.
7 Alleluia! our strife is o'er, Who, then, should pine in sadness? Who now should grieve in anguish sore In these our days of gladness? Thou Church of God, O sing this morn: To us is Christ the Savior born, O joy that none can sever! Alleluia! sing thou my heart, Now Christ is mine, I can depart To be with Him forever.
My pastor friend put sanitary hot air hand dryers in the rest rooms at his church and after two weeks took them out. I asked him why and he confessed that they worked fine but when he went in there he saw a sign that read,
"For a sample of this week's sermon, push the button."
A man went on a nature walk. A bear began to chase him, so he climbed a tree. As he was climbing he slipped down into the bear's arms. He prayed, "Lord let this be a Christian bear." The bear said, "Lord, thank you for this food."
1 O Jesus, I have promised To serve thee to the end; Be thou forever near me, My Master and my friend; I shall not fear the battle If thou art by my side, Nor wander from the pathway If thou wilt be my guide.
2 O let me feel thee near me! The world is ever near: I see the sights that dazzle, The tempting sounds I hear. My foes are ever near me, Around me and within; But, Jesus, draw thou nearer, And shield my soul from sin.
3 O let me hear thee speaking In accents clear and still, Above the storms of passion, The murmurs of self-will. O speak to reassure me, To hasten or control; O speak, and make me listen, Thou guardian of my soul.
4 O Jesus, thou hast promised To all who follow thee That where thou art in glory There shall thy servant be. And, Jesus, I have promised To serve thee to the end; O give me grace to follow, My Master and my friend.
TheMoviegoer I'm not too sure... There are several factors. My parents own a small manufacturing business (I work there) and I have the opportunity to take it over as the company grows. I'd also like to try some other jobs before I skedaddle to college. If I were to go to Cedarville, I would go for a Master of Divinity. Another five years of school seems daunting to me, plus the money (even with my scholarship), plus I have friends near home that I would rather not part with. I know Cedarville is a great place, I have no problem with it, but I just don't know if that's what I should do. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Any of your wisdom would be much appreciated!
Is there a group called 'Biblical Wisdom/Advice"? I feel this conversation would be more appropriate there. :-)
@Jappel I'm technically not supposed to be in this group, but I'm just wondering where you're going to college. Both of my older brothers have gone to Cedarville University, a very solid Christian college. I've been having a really hard time lately with whether or not I should go too. I have a pretty good scholarship to go there, but I don't really know if that's what the Lord wants me to do this fall. If I may ask, how did you make the decision? What solidified your choice?
Very nice! Keep up the great work! I pray that God is working through your memorization of His Word to bring you ever closer to Him, as He has done for me.
Maybe changing the subject will help... Another question. If the apostles and early believers received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, what is the purpose of John 20:22? Some commentaries say Jesus was promising the Holy Spirit when He said this, others say it was a 'taste' or small 'sprinkling' of the Holy Spirit on His disciples. You all are a lot smarter than I am, what do you think?
I'm love reading all this stuff! I also agree with you, Onfire. We cannot stay seated in our pews and not reach out to the lost. We cannot reach out to the lost without entering into their world and experiencing the wickedness of this world. At the same time, we cannot stomp around in the mud or reach into the fire of this world without the risk of falling in. We need to be Christ's light, but we must be very careful in the darkest of places. It is not that His strength isn't enough to keep us from falling, but that the desires of our flesh have a way of deceiving us into sin. Just as a very experienced and hardened surgeon is needed to perform a complicated surgery, so is a strong and experienced Christian needed to pull a person out of mire of sin. This job is for someone who has put on Christ's strength and armor, not for a babe in the Word. I just wanted to add that. Kind of what Saintman said, but my own version.
What is the purpose of the Song of Solomon? Is it a guide or celebration of love, or an analogy of Christ and the Church? I'm curious what y'all think.