Thots Section COMMUNION WITH GOD: PRAISE & THANKFULNESS
INCLUDES: Murmuring
RELATED INDEX TOPICS: Thankfulness
1. Start off with praise & thanksgiving. If you don't thank the Lord for the blessings He's already given you, He's not going to feel much like answering your prayers to give you something else you want!
2. Just like we get specific with God in the things we ask for, we should be just that specific in thanking Him for the things He gives us, & get just as enthusiastic in thanking Him as we were desperate in asking Him.
3. How often have you ever thanked God for sight? A group of visitors at a summer resort had watched the sunset from the gallery of the hotel. A fat, unromantic-looking man had lingered until the last glow faded, & had seemed thrilled through & through by the beauty of it all. One guest, more observant than the rest, wondered about this, & so at supper she said to this man, who sat next to her, "You certainly did enjoy that sunset, Mr. B. Are you an artist?" "No, Madam, I'm a plumber," he responded with a slow grin. "But I was blind for five years."
4. The head of a household at the morning meal had asked the blessing as usual, thanking God for a bountiful provision. Immediately afterward he began to grumble about the hard times, the poor quality of food he was forced to eat, & the way it was cooked.
His little daughter interrupted him. "Father," she began, "do you suppose God heard what you said a little while ago?"
"Certainly," he replied confidently.
"And did He hear what you said about the bacon & the coffee?"
"Of course"--not quite so confidently.
"Then, Father, which did God believe?"
Even when we as children of God do remember to thank Him for the blessings He pours into our lives, are we not often like this man? Do not our words & our deeds often contrast sharply with the thanks we utter?
5. Don't complain. The wheel that squeaks the loudest often gets replaced.
6. The pain in your neck you complain about may be the result of looking back too much.
7. Happiness comes when we stop wailing about the troubles we have, & offer thanks for all the troubles we don't have.
8. To be content, just think how happy you would be if you lost everything you have right now, & then got it back again!
9. Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstances.
10. A Christian general & a judge in India were on a military expedition. When they came to a Mohammendan area they were met by several ladies of a Christian mission. The Indian judge was impressed with these cultured women missionaries, & said, "I cannot understand why these ladies give up their time & risk infection working in this filthy part of town." "It is rather amazing," replied the general, "unless you realise their motive." "Ah, that's just my difficulty." "Their motive is gratitude." "Gratitude! What have our poor people ever done for them that these ladies should feel gratitude? I wish you would explain it for me." "To explain would involve the essential differences between our religions." "I'll listen to you," said the judge. The general gave him a story of a friend in greatest difficulties over money matters & his debt was paid by a kind stranger. Then he explained, "Though our debts have been paid & we are free, we owe the deepest gratitude to Jesus Christ our Saviour, who paid them for us, & that explains these missionary ladies. They have only one motive: To prove their gratitude to Him Who paid their debts."
11. O Thou whose bounty fills my cup.
With every blessing meet!
I give Thee thanks for every drop--
The bitter & the sweet.
I praise Thee for the desert road,
And for the riverside;
For all Thy goodness hath bestowed,
And all Thy grace denied.
I thank Thee for both smile & frown,
And for the gain & loss;
I praise Thee for the future crown
And for the present cross.
I thank Thee for both wings of love
Which stirred my worldly nest;
And for the stormy clouds which drove
Me, trembling, to Thy breast.
I bless Thee for the glad increase,
And for the waning joy;
And for this strange, this settled peace
Which nothing can destroy.
12. A clergyman included in his annual parochial report the item, "Nine persons lost at sea." When the congregation expressed shock & amazement, he said, "Well, eleven persons requested prayers for a safe voyage, & only two asked me to give thanks for a safe return, so I assume that the other nine were lost at sea."
13. We shouldn't count our blessings on our fingers & our miseries on an adding machine.
14. Our favourite attitude should be gratitude.
15. He who is not grateful for the good things he has would not be happy with what he wishes he had.
16. He who forgets the language of gratitude can never be on speaking terms with happiness.
17. If you can't be grateful for what you receive, be grateful for what you escape.
18. Worship, then, is not part of the Christian life; it is the Christian life.
19. Worship is the declaration by a creature of the greatness of his Creator.
20. Christ takes no more delight to dwell in a sad heart than we do to live in a dark house.
21. Dr. Alexander Whyte of Edinburgh was famous for his pulpit prayers. He always found something to thank God for, even in bad times. One stormy morning a member of his congregation thought to himself, "The preacher will have nothing to thank God on a wretched morning like this." But Whyte began his prayer, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."
22. Matthew Henry, the famous scholar, was once accosted by thieves & robbed of his purse. He wrote these words in his diary:
"Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before; second, because, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took my all, it was not much; & fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.
23. George Matheson, the well-known blind preacher of Scotland, now with the Lord, says: "My God, I have never thanked Thee for my `thorn'! I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my `thorn'; I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross as itself a present glory. Teach me the glory of my cross; teach me the value of my `thorn'. Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow."
24. Don't complain because you have to get up early every morning. The time may come when you can't get up--period!
25. Those who complain about the way the ball bounces are often the ones who dropped it.
26. A lot of people go through life standing at the complaint counter.
27. Some of those old codgers who keep complaining that things are not what they used to be always forget to include themselves.
28. A violent thunderstorm once preserved the town of Basle from the shells of the Russians & Hungarians who were besieging the place. The pious people in gratitude to God, as a thankoffering, founded a school for the training of Christian missionaries. This was the origin of the great Basle Missionary Society which sends out hundreds of missionaries. They made their thanksgiving practical.
29. There was once a good king in Spain called Alfonso XII. Now it came to the ears of this king that the pages at his court forgot to ask God's blessing on their daily meals, & he determined to rebuke them. He invited them to a banquet which they all attended. The table was spread with every kind of good thing, & the boys ate with evident relish; but none of them remembered to ask God's blessing on the food.
During the feast a beggar entered, dirty & ill-clad. He seated himself at the royal table & ate & drank to his heart's content. at first the pages were amazed, & they expected that the king would order him away. But Alfonso said never a word. When the beggar had finished he rose & left without a word of thanks. Then the boys could keep silence no longer. "What a despicably mean fellow!" they cried.
But the king silenced them, & clear, calm tones he said, "Boys, bolder & more audacious than this beggar have you all been. Every day you sit down to a table supplied by the bounty of your Heavenly Father, yet you ask not His blessing nor express to Him your gratitude."
30. When tempted:
Forget the slander you have heard,
Forget the hasty, unkind word,
Forget the quarrel & the cause,
Forget the whole affair, because,
Forgetting is the only way.
Forget the storm of yesterday,
Forget the chapter whose sour face
Forgets to smile in any place.
Forget that you're not a millionaire,
Forget the grey streaks in your hair,
Forget the coffee when it's cold,
Forget to kick, forget to scold.
Forget the plumber's awful charge,
Forget the doctor's bill is large;
Forget the repair man & his ways,
Forget the winter's blustery days.
Forget the neighbour's wagging tongue.
But don't forget to thank the Lord when the day is done.
31. Don't pray for rain if you're going to complain about the mud.
32. There is a sense in which no gift is ours till we have thanked the giver.
33. Heaven is a state of thankfulness for having received what we did not deserve, & for not receiving what we did deserve.
34. Be grateful for what you have, not regretful for what you haven't.
35. "The Lord reigneth, let the Earth rejoice."--Psa.97:1
Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
He hath burst His bonds in twain;
Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
Cry of gladness! soar again.
For our gain He suffered loss
By Divine decree;
He hath died upon the Cross,
But our God is He.
Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
He hath burst His bonds in twain;
Christ is risen! Christ is risen! Earth & Heaven prolong the strain!
See the chains of death are broken;
Earth below & Heaven above
Joy in each amazing token
Of His rising, Lord of Love;
He for evermore shall reign
By the Father's side,
Till He comes to Earth again,
Comes to claim His Bride.
Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
He hath burst His bonds in twain;
Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
Earth & Heaven prolong the strain!
Glorious Angels downward thronging
Hail the Lord of all the skies;
Heaven, with joy & holy longing
For the Word Incarnate, cries,
"Christ is risen! Earth, rejoice!
Gleam, ye starry train!
All creation find a voice;
He o'er all shall reign."
Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
He hath burst his bonds in twain;
Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
O'er the universe to reign. Amen! Rev. A.T.Gurney, 1802
36. We adore Thee, Sinless One!
For the battle fought & won,
For the thorn-crown on Thy brow,
For the crown Thou wearest now;
For the hands nailed to the tree,
Hands that opened Heaven for me:
Sacred feet pierced through for sin,
Side that let the red spear in.
We adore Thee for the blood
Sprinkled by the Throne of God,
Blood that bathed a crimson tide--
Brow & hands & feet & side.
Blood that o'er my sins doth flow,
Making me as white as snow,
Shed for me when Jesus died.
We adore Thee, Crucified!
37. Be not afraid of saying too much in the praises of God; all the danger is of saying too little.
38. What we win by prayer we must wear with praise.
39. If Christians praised God more, the World would doubt Him less.
40. A drop of praise is an unsuitable acknowledgement for an ocean of mercy.
41. The concealment of praise is tantamount to depriving the Lord of half His glory.
42. Thou Who hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more--a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart, whose pulse may be Thy praise!
--George Herbert
43. A bit of praise is one of the best ways of dispelling a dark mood. I knew a man who lost his speech during the war. It was a case of shell shock. One Sunday evening he was at a religious service in which the 100th Psalm--a Psalm of Praise--was quoted. Forgetting his loss of speech, the veteran began to praise God for His goodness. His speech had come back!
44. Flowers rejoice when night is done,
Lift their heads to greet the sun;
Sweetest looks & odours raise,
In a silent hymn of praise.
So my heart would turn away
From the darkness to the day;
Lying open in God's sight
Like a flower in the light. Henry van Dyke
45. A doctor visiting a leper colony heard an aged sufferer singing cheerily; yet he knew that her condition was serious.
"Well, Mother," he remarked to her, "you must be feeling pretty well today--you're singing to happily."
She turned a face full of suffering towards him & answered, "Oh Doctor, my sores hurt so badly I must sing!"
46. After one of the terrible battles of the Civil War, a dying Confederate soldier asked to see the chaplain. When the chaplain arrived, he supposed the young man would wish him to beseech God for his recovery; but it was very different. First the soldier asked him to cut off a lock of his hair for his mother, & then he asked him to kneel down & thank God. "What for?" asked the surprised chaplain. "For giving me such a mother. Thank God that I am a Christian. And thank God for giving me grace to die with. And thank God for the Home He has promised me Over There." And so the chaplain knelt down by the dying man, & in his prayer he had not a single petition to offer, but only praise & gratitude.
47. The best atmosphere for prayer is praise.
48. We should be always wearing the garment of praise, not just waving a palm branch now & then.
49. Worship is that to which we give our interest, our enthusiasm & our devotion.
50. Bless God heartily though He afflict you heavily.
51. God listens for nothing more tenderly as when His children help each other by their testimonies to His goodness & the way in which He has brought them deliverance.
52. Praise Him when the sun is shining,
When the winds of trouble blow,
When you see no silver lining
On the clouds that hang so low.
Praise illumines clouds of sorrow,
Turns the gray skies into gold
Giving promise of a morrow
Bright with blessings manifold.
Praise Him when your load is heavy
And the day no comfort brings,
Then your burden God will carry,
Bear you as on eagles' wings.
God delights to have us praise Him,
And believe His Holy Word;
And He knoweth them that trust Him,
For they always praise the Lord.
--Ida A. Guirey
53. Be careful for nothing;
Be prayerful for everything;
Be thankful for anything.
--D.L. Moody
54. Don't count your blessings without praising the Blesser.
55. No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.
56. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him, all creatures here below,
Praise Him above, ye Heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son & Holy Ghost.
57. Glory be to Him Who loved us,
Wash'd us from each sinful stain;
Glory be to Him Who made us
Priests & kings with Him to reign;
Glory, worship, laud & blessing
To the Lamb Who once was slain.
"Glory, worship, laud & blessing,"
Thus the choir triumphant sings;
"Honour, riches, pow'r, dominion,"
Thus its praise Creation brings;
Thou art worthy, Thou art worthy,
Lord of lords, & King of kings.
Glory to the King of Angels,
Glory to the church's King,
Glory to the King of nations,
Heav'n & Earth His praises sing:
Glory ever & forever
To the King of Glory bring.
Glory be to Thee, O Father,
Glory be to Thee, O Son,
Glory be to Thee, O Spirit,
Glory be to God alone,
As it was, is now, & shall be
While the endless ages run.
--Rev. Dr. H. Bonar
58. Praise is the best of all sacrifices & the true evidence of godliness.
59. It is a bad sign when a newborn babe has not lungs enough to make itself heard over the whole house. It is equally a bad symptom when the new convert is born dumb & cannot find his voice to praise God audibly.
60. No duty almost is more stressed in both Testaments than this, of rejoicing in the Lord. It is no less a sin not to rejoice than not to repent.
61. O Jesus, Jesus, dearest Lord!
Forgive me if I say,
For very love,
Thy sacred name
A thousand times a day.
O Jesus, Lord, with me abide;
I rest in Thee, whate'er betide;
Thy gracious smile is my reward;
I love, I love Thee, Lord!
I love Thee so I know not how
My transports to control;
Thy Love is like a burning fire
Within my very soul.
For Thou to me art all in all;
My honour & my wealth;
My heart's desire, my body's strength,
My soul's eternal heath.
Burn, burn, O Love, within my heart,
Burn fiercely night & day,
Till all the dross of earthly loves
Is burned, & burned away.
O light in darkness, joy in grief,
O Heav'n begun on Earth;
Jesus my Love, my Treasure, who
Can tell what Thou art worth?
What limit is there to this Love?
Thy flight, where wilt Thou stay?
On, on! our Lord is sweeter far
Today than yesterday.
--Rev. F.W. Faber
62. Haydn, the great musician, was once asked why his church music was so cheerful, & he replied: "When I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance & leap, as it were, from my pen, & since God has given me a cheerful heart it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit."
63. "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been."
64. Be not hot in prayer & cold in praise.
65. Contentment is what makes poor men rich. Discontentment is what makes rich men poor.
66. Home is the place where we are treated the best & grumble the most.
67. Pessimist: One who feels bad when he feels good for fare he'll feel worse when he feels better.
68. Be content with what you have but not with what you are.
69. What a Year!
What a God!
What a Prophet!
What a Rod!
What a Maiden!
What a Queen!
What a Family!
What a Dream!
What a Work!
What a Way!
What a Wonder!
What a Day!
What a Future!
What a Plan!
What a Saviour!
What a Man!
What a Harvest!
What a Vine!
What a Fruit!
What a Time!
What a Heaven!
What an Earth!
What a Body!
What a Birth!
What a Love!
What a Life!
What a Husband!
What a Wife!
What a Wedding!
What a Feast!
What a City!
What a Release!
What a Vision!
What a Friend!
What a Mission!
What an End!
What a Conquest!
What a View!
What a Father!
What a Crew!
--Cephas
70. He who is thankful for little enjoys much.
71. O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God & King,
The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master & my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the Earth abroad,
The honours of Thy name.
Jesus! the Name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
'Tis music in the sinner's ears,
'Tis life, & health, & peace.
He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the pris'ner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood availed for me. Charles Wesley
72. As the bridegroom to his chosen, as the king unto the realm,
As the keep unto the castle, as the pilot to the helm,
So, O Lord, art Thou to me.
As the fountain in the garden, as the candle in the dark,
As the treasure in the coffer, as the manna in the ark,
So, O Lord, art Thou to me.
As the music at the banquet, as the stamp upon the seal,
As the medicine to the fainting, as the wine-cup at the meal,
So, o Lord, art Thou to me.
As the ruby in the setting, as the honey in the comb,
As the light within the lantern, as the father in the home,
So, o Lord, art Thou to me.
As the sunshine to the heavens, as the image to the glass,
As the fruit unto the fig-tree, as the dew upon the grass,
So, O Lord, art Thou to me.
--J.Tauler (Psa.45:2; Song of Songs 2:3; Col.2:9.)
73. "I find in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content." This would not mean so much were it not for the fact that it was uttered by a man who was unfairly treated, unjustly jailed, & finally was a victim to the executioner's axe.
--The Apostle Paul!
74. Satan is a chronic grumbler. The Christian ought to be a living doxology.
75. My Swedish Grandpa always thanked the Lord for the food after the meal. Isn't that when you usually thank people for doing things for you? I don't think the Lord cares whether you thank Him before or after, as long as you thank Him.--Dad
76. Thanksgiving is good, thanksliving is better.
77. Dr. Park Tucker, former chaplain of the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, told of walking down the street in a certain city, feeling low & depressed & worried about life in general. As he walked along, he lifted his eyes for a moment to the window of a funeral home across the street. He blinked his eyes a couple of times, wondering whether his eyes were deceiving him.
But sure enough, he saw in the window of that funeral home was this sing, in large, bold words: "Why walk around half-dead? We can bury you for $69.50 P.S. We also give green stamps." Dr. Tucker said the humour of it was good medicine for his soul. Many people are walking around half-dead because worry has built a mountain of problem over which there is no path, & they have surrendered to fate.
78. "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, & the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, & there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my Salvation."--Hab.3:17,18
79. The thankfulness of the receiver ought to answer to the benefit of the bestower as the echo answers to the voice.
80. Start off with praise & thanksgiving. If you don't thank the Lord for the blessings He's already given you, He's not going to feel much like answering your prayers to give you something else you want!
81. Our forefathers did without sugar until the 13th century; without coal fires until the 14th century; without buttered bread until the 15th century; without potatoes until the 16th century; without coffee, tea, & soup until the 17th century; without pudding until the 18th century; without eggs, matches, & electricity until the 19th century; without canned goods until the 20th century. Now, what was it we were complaining about?
82. Sometimes when you are feeling jaded or blase, you can revive your sense of wonder by merely saying to yourself:
Suppose this were the only time. Suppose this sunset, this moonrise, this symphony, this buttered toast, this sleeping child, this flag against the sky...suppose I would never experience these things again!
Few things are commonplace in themselves. It's our reaction to them that grows dull, we move forward through the years.
83. There is a story told of a king who was suffering from unhappiness, whose astrologer told him that the only cure for him was to find a happy man, get his shirt, & wear it night & day. So messengers were sent through the king's realm in search of such a man, with orders to bring back his shirt.
Months passed, & after a thorough search of the country the messengers returned, but without the shirt.
"Did you find a truly happy man in all my realm?" the king asked.
"Yes, O king, we found one, just one in all thy realm," they replied.
"Then why did you not bring back his shirt?" the king demanded.
"Master, the man had no shirt," was the answer.
84. Christians should have a gratitude attitude.
85. I have known Harold Abbott for years. He lives at 820 South Madison Avenue, Webb City, Missouri. He used to be my lecture manager. One day he & I met in Kansas City & he drove me down to my farm at Belton, Missouri. During that drive, I asked him how he kept from worrying; & he told me an inspiring story that I shall never forget.
"I used to worry a lot," he said, "but one Spring day in 1934, I was walking down West Dougherty Street in Webb City when I saw a sight that banished all my worries. It all happened in ten seconds, but during those ten seconds I learned more about how to live than I had learned in the previous ten years. For two years I had been running a grocery store in Webb City," Harold Abbott said, as he told me the story. "I had not only lost all my savings, but I had incurred debts that took me seven years to pay back. My grocery store had been closed the previous Saturday; & now I was going to the Merchants & Miners Bank to borrow money so I could go to Kansas City to look for a job.
"I walked like a beaten man. I had lost all my fight & faith. Then suddenly I saw coming down the street a man who had no legs. He was sitting on a little wooden platform equipped with wheels from roller skates. He propelled himself along the street with a block of wood in each hand. I met him just after he had crossed the street & was starting to lift himself up a few inches over the curb to the sidewalk. As he tilted his little wooden platform to an angle, his eyes met mine. He greeted me with a grand smile, `Good morning, Sir. It is a fine morning, isn't it?' he said with spirit.
"As I stood looking at him, I realised how rich I was. I had two legs. I could walk. I felt ashamed of my self-pity. I said to myself, `if he can be happy, cheerful, & confident without legs, I certain can with legs.' I could already feel my chest lifting. I had intended to ask the Merchants & Miners Bank for only one hundred dollars. But now I had courage to ask for TWO hundred. I had intended to say that I wanted to go to Kansas City to TRY to get a job. But now I announced confidently that I wanted to go to Kansas City to GET a job. I got the loan; & I got the job.
"I now have the following words pasted on my bathroom mirror, & I read them every morning as I shave: I had the blues because I had no shoes,
Until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet."
86. They said to Mrs. Billy Graham: "How can you stand to be married to a man who's gone most of the time?" She said, "I'd rather have a little bit of Billy Graham than a whole lot of somebody else!" Amen? Maybe you'd better be thankful for what little God gives you, or He may take it all back!--Dad
87. Don't grumble because you don't have what you want...rather be exceedingly grateful you don't get what you deserve!
88. It is not the greatness of my trials but the littleness of my faith that causes me to complain.
89. If you don't enjoy what you have now, how can you be happier with more?
90. Oftentimes we don't appreciate life until it's time for it to end.
91. It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.
92. I've been countin' up my blessings,
I've been summin' up my woes,
But I ain't got the conclusion
Some would naturally suppose.
Why I quit accounting troubles,
For I had half a score,
While the more I count my blessings,
I keep a finding more & more!
There've been things that weren't exactly
As I thought they oughtta be,
And I often growled at problems
For not a peppin' me.
But I hadn't stopped to reason
What the other side had been,
How much of good & blessing
Had been thickly crowded in.
For there'd been a rift of sunshine
After every shower of tears,
And I found a load of laughter
Scattered all along the years.
If the thorns had pricked me sometimes,
I've good reason to suppose,
Love has hid them often from me
`Neath the shadow of the rose.
So I'm gonna still be thankful
For the sunshine & the rain,
For the joy that's made me happy,
For the purgin' done by pain.
For the love of little children
For the friends that have been true,
For the Guiding Hand that's led me
Every threatenin' danger through!
93. Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands little gold head.
Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.
God bless Mummy. I know that's right.
Wasn't it fun in the bath tonight?
The cold's so cold, & the hot's so hot.
Oh! God bless Daddy--I quite forgot.
If I open my fingers a little bit more,
I can see Nanny's dressing-gown on the door.
It's a beautiful blue, but it hasn't a hood.
Oh! God bless Nanny & make her good.
Mine has a hood, & I lie in bed,
And pull the hood right over my head,
And I shut my eyes, & I curl up small,
And nobody knows that I'm there at all.
Oh! Thank You, God, for a lovely day.
And what was the other I had to say?
I said `Bless Daddy', so what can it be?
Oh! Now I remember it. God bless me.
Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands little gold head.
Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.
--A.A. Milne
94. Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His Throne;
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own:
Awake, my soul, & sing
Of Him Who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all Eternity.
Crown Him the Lord of Love:
Behold His hands & side,
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified:
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye
At mysteries so bright.
Crown Him the Lord of peace;
Whose power a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease,
And all be prayer & praise:
His reign shall know no end;
And round His pierced feed
Fair flowers of Paradise extend
Their fragrance ever sweet.
Crown Him the Lord of years,
The Potentate of time;
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime:
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For Thou hast died for me:
Thy praise shall n ever, never fail
Throughout Eternity. Matthew Bridges
95. Of all the gifts God gives for free,
The greatest (so it seems to me),
Aside from lasting soul-salvation
Is the gift of inspiration.
I've only pity for the soul
That takes the credit, part or whole
For all the good within his mind.
He is not clever, simply blind
If he cannot to some degree
Perceive the truth so plain to see:
That any gift that he has got
Is simply that--a GIFT--& not
Some special power he alone
Created, & can call his own.
For all good things come from Above
They're given from the Lord in Love.
Yet artists seem to still resent
The thought that "their" ideas were "sent".
(Usually people blessed from birth
Are much more trouble than they're worth!)
It's a sight quite sad to see,
And legally it's plagiary!
So here's to those, who when they get
Those good ideas, do not forget
To give the credit to the Lord
And try not for themselves to hoard
All glory for their inspiration.
But call it Godly Revelation.
--Anthony
96. We aren't what we ought to be, & we aren't what we want to be, & we aren't what we're going to be. But thank God--we aren't what we was.
97. Try to be satisfied with your lot, even if you don't have a lot.
98. Hail to the Lord's Anointed,
Great David's greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed,
His reign on Earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free,
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.
He comes with succour speedy
To those who suffer wrong,
To help the poor & needy,
And bid the weak be strong,
To give them songs for sighing,
Their darkness turn to light
Whose souls, condemned & dying,
Were precious in His sight.
He shall come down like showers
Upon the fruitful Earth;
And love, joy, hope, like flowers
Spring in His path to birth.
Before Him, on the mountains,
Shall peace, the herald, go;
And righteousness, in fountains,
From hill to valley flow.
Kings shall fall down before Him,
And gold & incense bring;
All nations shall adore Him,
His praise all people sing:
For He shall have dominion
O'er river, sea, & shore,
Far as the eagle's pinion
Or dove's light wing can soar.
For Him shall prayer unceasing
And daily vows ascend;
His Kingdom still increasing,
A Kingdom without end:
The mountain dews shall nourish
A seed in weakness sown,
Whose fruit shall spread & flourish,
And shake like Lebanon.
O'er every foe victorious,
He on His Throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious,
All blessing & all-blest.
The tide of time shall never
His covenant remove;
His Name shall stand for ever;
That Name to us is Love.
--James Montgomery
99. God's giving deserves our thanksgiving.
100. How strange that the Lord must plead with those whom He has saved from the pit to show gratitude to Him!
101. Just like we get specific with God in the things we ask for, we should be just that specific in thanking Him for the things He gives us, & get just as enthusiastic in thanking Him as we were desperate in asking Him.
102. Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee: Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful & Mighty!
God in THREE Persons, Blessed TRINITY!
Holy, Holy, Holy! all the Saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim & Seraphim falling down before Thee,
Which wert, & art, & evermore shalt be.
Holy, Holy, Holy! thought the darkness hide Thee,
though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see,
Only Thou art Holy, there is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love, & purity.
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in Earth, & sky, & sea;
Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful & Mighty!
God in THREE Persons, Blessed TRINITY!
--Regina Heber
103. Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely girl with golden hair;
I envied her--she seemed so gay--& wished I were as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle;
She had one foot & wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two feet-t world is mine!
And then I stopped to buy some sweets. The lad who sold them had such charm,
I talked with him--he said to me; "It's nice to talk with folks like you.
You see," he said, "I'm blind."
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two eyes--the world is mine!
Then, walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue.
He stood & watched the others play; It seemed he knew not what to do.
I stopped for a moment, then I said: "Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word, & then I knew he could not hear.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I have two ears--the world is mine!
With feet to take me where I'd go
With eyes to see the sunset's glow,
With ears to hear what I would know,
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine;
I'm blessed, indeed! The World is mine.
104. All hair the Power of Jesus' Name!
Let Angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Crown Him, ye martyrs of our God,
Who from His altar call;
Extol the stem of Jesse's rod,
And crown Him Lord of all.
ye seed of Israel's chosen race,
Ye ransomed from the Fall,
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Let every kindred, every tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Oh that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall,
Join in the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!--Edward Perronet
105. Grandmother once took a four-day, four-night train trip from Miami to Los Angeles via Chicago, during WW2, & the train was so crowded that people were sleeping in the aisles & up in the luggage racks overhead! She couldn't lie down to sleep because all the Couchette-cars were full.--And on top of it, she had to sit there with one of her grandchildren on her lap almost the whole trip! She was so uncomfortable that she complained to the Negro Porter one night telling him she was unable to sleep. He said, "Ma'am, I tells you what to do! You jes' close your eyes & you think about those boys out yonder trying to sleep knee-deep in the mud & the water & blood in some shell-hole, with war going all around them, wondering if any minute a shell is going to hit them. You jes' think about what THEY'RE going through & sit back & rest, & you'll sleep like a baby." She took his advice & did that, & she was so thankful for what she had that she went sound asleep!--Dad
106. There was once an old lady who was always going around groaning & moaning & sighing & complaining & murmuring. She was so negative & pessimistic that people hated to even greet her with the common courtesy, "How are you?"--Because she'd immediately start pouring out all her complaints & troubles! So finally someone asked her one day, "Well, don't you EVER feel good?" She sourly replied, "Yes, sometimes. But even when I feel good, I feel bad, because I know it won't be very long before things will all be bad again!" How sad! Don't YOU be like her!--Dad
107. To praise God for our miseries--ends them. To praise God for our blessings--extends them.
108. Our praise for mercy granted should be as earnest as our prayer for mercy needed.
109. The Christian should be a Hallelujah! from head to foot.--Saint Augustine
110. Thank God for life!
There! A meadowlark sings! Do you hear it?
For the sigh of the heart,
The contagion of laughter,
For the longing apart,
For the joy that comes after,
For the things that we feel
When we clasp, when we kneel--
Thank God for the sharing,
The caring, the giving,
For the things of Life's living.
Thank God for the riches
Of flowers in the ditches,
For the roof from the weather,
The fireside together,
For the step at the portal,
For the love we have treasured,
For something unmeasured,
For something immortal,
For our grief, for our mirth,
For heavens on earth,
For the things of the Spirit!
There! A meadowlark sings! Do you h ear it?--Douglas Malloch, 1877-1938
111. It ought to be as habitual to us to thank as to ask.
112. God made us to be worshippers. That was the purpose of God in bringing us into the World.
113. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hearts to Heaven & voices raise;
Sing to God a hymn of gladness,
Sing to God a hymn of praise;
He Who on the Cross a victim
For the World's Salvation bled,
Jesus Christ, the King of glory,
Now is risen from the dead.
Now the iron bars are broken,
Christ from death to life is born,
Glorious life, & life immortal,
On this holy Easter morn;
Christ has triumphed, & we conquer
We with Him to life eternal
By His resurrection rise.
Christ is risen, Christ the first-fruits
Of the holy harvest field
Which will all its full abundance
At His Second Coming yield;
Then the golden ears of harvest
Will their heads before Him wave,
Ripened by His glorious sunshine
From the furrows of the grave.
Christ is risen, we are risen;
Shed upon his heavenly grace,
Rain & dew & gleams of glory
From the brightness of Thy face;
that, with hearts in Heaven dwelling,
We on Earth may fruitful be,
And by Angel hands be gathered,
And be ever, Lord, with Thee.
(Christopher Wordsworth--1807-85.) "Death is swallowed up in victory." 1Cor.15:54
114. Come, see the place where Jesus lay,
And hear Angelic watchers say--
"He lives, Who once was slain,
Why seek the living 'midst the dead?
Remember how the Saviour said
That He would rise again."
O joyful sound! O glorious hour,
When by His own Almighty power
He rose, & left the grave!
Now let our songs His triumph tells,
Who burst the bands of death & hell,
And ever lives to save.
The First-begotten of the dead,
For us He rose, our glorious Head,
Immortal life to bring:
What though the saints like Him shall die,
They share their Leader's victory,
And triumph with their King.
No more they tremble at the grave.
115. Those blessings are sweetest that are won with prayers & worn with thanks.
116. The Christian is suspended between blessings received & blessings hoped for, so he should always give thanks.
117. As the Lord loves a cheerful giver, so likewise a cheerful thanksgiver.
118. We should spend as much time in thanking God for His benefits as we do in asking Him for them.
119. The strife is o'er, the battle done;
Now is the Victor's triumph won;
O let the song of praise be sung: Hallelujah!
Death's mightiest powers have done their worst,
And Jesus hath His foes dispersed;
Let shouts of praise & joy outburst:
On the third morn He rose again
Glorious in majesty to reign;
O let us swell the joyful strain:
He broke the age-bound chains of hell;
The bars from Heaven's high portals fell;
Let hymns of praise His triumph tell:
120. Public worship will not excuse us from secret worship.
121. I say that the greatest tragedy in the World today is that God has made man in His image & made him to worship Him, made him to play the harp of worship before the face of God day & night, but he has failed God & dropped the harp. It lies voiceless at his feet.
122. Be grateful for the kindly friends that walk along your way;
Be grateful for the skies of blue that smile from day to day;
Be grateful for the health you own, the work you find to do,
For round about you there are less fortunate than you.
Be grateful for the growing trees, the roses soon to bloom,
The tenderness of kindly hearts that shared your days of gloom;
Be grateful for the morning dew, the grass beneath your feet,
The soft caresses of your babes & all their laughter sweet.
Acquire the grateful habit, learn to see how blest you are,
How much there is to gladden life, how little life to mar!
And what if rain shall fall today & you with grief are sad;
Be grateful that you can recall the joys that you have had.--Edgar Guest
123. The finest test of character is seen in the amount & the power of gratitude we have.
124. Where God becomes a donor man becomes a debtor.
125. Look, ye saints! the sight is glorious;
See the Man of Sorrows now,
From the fight returned victorious,
Every knee to Him shall bow:
Crown Him! crown Him!
Crowns become the Victor's brow.
Crown the Saviour! Angels, crown Him!
Rich the trophies Jesus brings;
In the seat of power enthrone Him,
While the vault of Heaven rings:
Crown Him! crown Him!
Crown the Saviour King of kings!
Sinners in derision crowned Him,
Mocking thus the Saviour's claim;
Saints & Angels crowd around Him,
Own His title, praise His name:
Crown Him! crown Him!
Spread abroad the Victor's fame.
Hark, those bursts of acclamation!
Hark, those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station:
O what joy the sight affords!
Crown Him! crown Him!
King of kings, & Lord of lords! (Thomas Kelly--1769-1854.)
126. Murmuring often ends in cursing.--Thomas Watson
127. When opportunity knocks, some people object to the noise!
128. If we could forget our troubles as easily as we forget our blessings, how different things would be.
129. The joy of the Lord is the strength of His people,
the sunshine that scatters their sadness & gloom;
The fountain that bursts in the desert of sorrow,
And sheds o'er the wilderness, gladness & bloom.
The joy of the Lord is our strength for life's burdens,
And gives to each duty a heavenly zest;
It sets to sweet music the task of the toiler,
And softens the couch of the labourer's rest.
The joy of the Lord is our strength for life's trials,
And lifts the crushed heart above sorrow & care;
Like the nightingale's notes, it can sing in the darkness,
And rejoice when the fig tree is fruitless & bare.
The joy of the Lord is the hope of our calling,
And oh, for His coming, how fondly we pray!
When we shall return with rejoicing to Zion,
And sorrow & sighing shall vanish away. A.B. Simpson
130. When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, ev'ry doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
When you look at others with their lands & gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings, wealth can never buy,
Your reward in Heaven, nor your Home on High.
So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, Angels will attend,
Help & comfort give you to your journey's end.
--Rev.J. Oatman