A Second Work of Grace

Palm 120:1-2 ESV

“In my distress I called to the Lord,

    and he answered me.

Deliver me, O Lord,

    from lying lips,

    from a deceitful tongue.”

What Lying Lips?

What lying lips, and what deceitful tongues must we, the body of Christ, his church, be delivered from today? They are those who are teaching a second work of grace, and I am not referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit here. But, I am referring to the cheap grace gospel which is permeating the church here in America, and which is conquering our nation, and which is NOT God’s grace, but a cheap substitute for the true grace of God.

What we have to know here is that this cheap grace is not isolated to just a few church congregations, or just to a handful of preachers who are proclaiming it. It has reached epidemic proportions in our nation, and it has swept across probably all church denominations. And, those who are proclaiming it are numbered in the thousands, and perhaps millions.

The other thing we need to understand about this cheap grace gospel, which is a second work of grace, but NOT of God, but of man, is that this is of Satan whose goal it is to steal, to kill and to destroy the church (See John 10). And, it is of this New World Order beast which is taking over the nations of the world, and which is bringing the world into a one world order and religion. And, the cheap grace gospel is paving the way for that, too.

What is cheap grace?

So, what is “cheap grace,” and why is it a danger? It is basically a willful half-truth gospel, and thus it is a lie, which willfully ignores most of the teachings in the New Testament on the subjects of grace, salvation from sin, the gospel of Christ, judgment, and eternal life with God. And, it dilutes God’s grace to something it is not, but which appeases human flesh.

It teaches Bible passages out of context, and then it twists them to make them say what they want them to say. It softens the message of the cross of Christ, and of our salvation from sin, and it presents God’s grace merely as a “get-out-of-jail-free-card,” and the guarantee of eternal life with God regardless of how we live our lives on this earth.

It tells its adherents that all they have to do is say some words after someone supposedly in prayer to God, or that all they have to do is just to acknowledge who Jesus is, or that all they have to do is to make some outward confession of faith, and now heaven is guaranteed them. No repentance, no obedience, and no submission to Christ as Lord required.

So, what this does is give its followers free license to continue in willful, premeditated and habitual sin against God without guilt and without remorse. No transformation of heart and mind required.

They Call it Grace

And, they call that grace. For, they claim that all their sins are now covered by the grace of God, and they are now without guilt, and without punishment, and that God can’t even see when they sin anymore, but that all he can see is Jesus when he looks at us. And, so he smiles on even those who are living in gross immorality in willful defiance to God’s commands.

Many are even going so far as to discourage repentance, obedience, and submission to the Lordship of Christ by calling these “works-based salvation,” and thus inferring that this has to do with people trying to be good enough in their own power and strength to be acceptable to God.

And, then they quote Eph. 2:8-9 where it says that God’s grace is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

But, they leave out verse 10, which says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

So, our salvation is not absent of works, but they are the works of God, which God prepared in advance that we should walk (in lifestyle) in them, as his workmanship, i.e. in his power and strength, and under his guidance and direction.

And, the gift of God’s grace is not free license to keep on in sinful practices, but it is freedom from our bondage (slavery) to sin, and it is empowerment of the Holy Spirit to walk in holiness and righteousness (Rom. 6:1-23).

For, God’s true grace, which brings salvation, instructs us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and worldly passions (fleshly lusts), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14; cf. Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Lu. 9:23-26).

Palm 120:3-4 ESV

“What shall be given to you,

    and what more shall be done to you,

    you deceitful tongue?

A warrior's sharp arrows,

    with glowing coals of the broom tree!”

God will punish these lying tongues one day. Some he may punish now, and others he may punish later when he returns to the earth to judge. They will not escape his judgment or their due punishment.

For, they are leading people astray by the thousands, and perhaps millions, which is Satan’s goal. They are leading people away from pure devotion to Christ, and they are leading them to continue in their sinful lifestyles, only without guilt, and without fear of punishment, and with a false promise of eternal life with God. And, they are leading them to a false Jesus, too.

They have turned the church, the house of the Lord, upside down. They have partnered the church with the government, with the world, and with big business (corporate America), and they have turned God’s house into a marketplace. And, his house is the body of Christ, not buildings built by human hands, and not church denominations or organizations of men.

And, they have marketed the church to the world by making it something attractive and appealing to the world. So, they have turned “worship services” into stage productions led by comedians and actors pretending to be shepherds of the people, but who are truly wolves in sheep’s clothing.

And, Bible studies have now become studies of books written by mere mortals who may not be teaching the truths of the scriptures, and who may, in fact, be bringing into the church not only worldly practices and philosophy, but also the practices and beliefs of other religions, too.

Instead of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit of God directing the affairs of the church and giving guidance and direction to the people, now it is marketing books which teach how to “grow” your “church,” i.e. your business, which are now giving guidance and direction to pastors in how to conduct the affairs of the church. And, thus, the gospel is being diluted, too.

Palm 120:5-7 ESV

“Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech,

    that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

Too long have I had my dwelling

    among those who hate peace.

I am for peace,

    but when I speak, they are for war!”

It is a very distressful situation that we are in today, particularly here in America, but this could be world-wide. And, that is that the church has largely been handed over to those who are hostile to Christ and his true gospel, who are not true servants of Christ, but who truly serve their own flesh and the devil. And, their goal is to steal, to kill and to destroy.

And, it is that people are flocking to these charlatans by the thousands, and perhaps millions, and they are like sheep being led to the slaughter, only not true sheep, but false sheep being led to their deaths by false shepherds of the people, while being promised life everlasting with God.

And, although these who are proclaiming this cheap grace gospel, and who have turned God’s house into a marketplace, are proclaiming a message of “peace,” it is not peace with God which they are proclaiming, but peace with the world. It is unity with people of all faiths and all walks of life, and it is unity with Satan’s goal for the people of this earth, too, which is to bring us all into submission to him and still bound in our sin without God.

So, those of us who are still proclaiming the true gospel of Christ, which requires repentance, obedience, and submission to the Lordship of Christ, are being singled out, and we are being falsely accused of teaching “works-based” salvation, and/or of being intolerant, bigoted, hateful and unloving.

So, although we are teaching true peace, which is peace with God via faith in Jesus Christ, which requires repentance, obedience and submission to God, they with their false message of peace are at war with us, and they want to bring us down and to get us to cease from sharing the truth.

But, we must not yield to that pressure. We must not give in to intimidation to compromise with the world and to change our message. We must stand firm on the word of God and on the truth of the gospel, for it is the only hope for sin-sick souls. And, we must pray for blinded eyes to be opened to the truth of the gospel and for the lies, which are leading many astray, to be exposed for what they are, so that people will be awakened to the truth.

For, the true gospel of grace delivers from slavery to sin and it empowers us to live godly and holy lives. This is God’s gift to us. It is no gift and it is not grace if the message we hear and believe leads us to remain in sin believing a lie, for we are all going to reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Lu. 9:23-26).

Psalm 19

Song lyrics taken from Psalm 19 KJV

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul:

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever:

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hJKLfGdyYI

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A Sincere Faith

Fan It into Flame

2 Timothy 1:3-7 ESV

“I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Genuine & Honest Faith

Biblically speaking, what is a “sincere faith”? Well, for one, this implies that we can have “insincere faith,” does it not? So, it is sincere as opposed to insincere. So, what is sincere? It is genuine, honest, and unpretentious. So, insincere would be hypocritical, dishonest (a lie), and pretentious (fake).

And, what is faith? The Greek word for faith (pistis) means belief, trust, confidence, fidelity and faithfulness. It (pistis) means to be persuaded, to come to trust. And, to be persuaded means to be convinced, to convert, to change someone’s mind. And, this faith is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-10). So, this sincere faith is God’s divine persuasion, which is birthed in us by God.

So, if this faith is coming from God, and if gifted to us by God, and if we are being persuaded by God to be converted (to change from one way of thinking to the other side, i.e. to change course), then this faith is going to be in submission to God, it will leave the former way of life of sin behind, and it will walk in obedience to his commands (Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24).

The Gift of God

So, God’s grace to us is the gift of God. And, this sincere “divinely persuaded” faith is the gift of God. Thus, our salvation from slavery (bondage) to sin is the gift of God. And, the indwelling Holy Spirit is the gift of God to those who have sincere faith. And our eternal life with God, and the gifts and the fruit of the Holy Spirit, are the gift of God, too.

But, we have to apply them to our lives. We have to put them into practice, by God’s grace, and in his power and strength, and in the wisdom and counsel of the Holy Spirit. We have to leave our former lives of sin behind us, and we have to allow God to change us in heart and mind. And, we have to now walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. And, we now have to follow our Lord in walks of obedience, by his grace.

For, although God’s grace, our faith, our salvation, our eternal life with God, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit are God’s gift to us, we have to receive them. We have to take ownership of them in our lives and apply them to our lives.

For, receiving Jesus Christ into our lives is not just an escape from hell and the promise of heaven when we leave this earth, but it is a complete turn-about; it is a transformation of heart and mind away from sin to God and to his holiness (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

So, if we are to “fan into flame” the gift of God within us, this means that we fire it up. We are passionately and consistently living in this divinely persuaded faith which God gifted to us. Thus, we are walking (in lifestyle) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit, and we are not living to fulfill the sinful desires of our flesh (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24).

And, we won’t give way to fear and discouragement when we are persecuted, either. But, we will keep on in the faith, doing what our Lord says, despite all that is going on around us, even in the midst of the tears.

Share in Suffering

2 Timothy 1:8-12 ESV

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do.”

Don’t Be Ashamed

What does it mean to be ashamed of the gospel? It means to be disgraced by it – “properly, disgraced, like someone ‘singled out’ because they misplaced their confidence or support (‘believed the big lie’); to be ashamed (personally humiliated)” (1). So, it is like you feel that what you believed is a lie and so you don’t want to be identified with it. You are embarrassed by it.

This definitely comes into play when we are presented with an opportunity to share our faith, if we back down out of fear of what other people might think about us. But this embarrassment goes much deeper than just that. For, if we don’t leave our sinful lifestyles behind us, and if we continue to live in sin and for self, while claiming faith in Jesus Christ, then that says that we feel we have believed a lie. And, so we don’t want to identify ourselves with the truth of the gospel which calls for repentance and obedience to Christ.

And, that is exactly where many professing Christians are today. They have forsaken the right way of holiness and righteousness to follow after the wrong way, the way of man, the way of the flesh. They are living lives separate from God, outside of God’s boundary lines, in insincere faith which is hypocritical, dishonest and fake (a forgery).

They have rejected the truth of the gospel, setting it aside, and they have created in the minds of people a condensed version of the true gospel which appeases the flesh and which does not call for death to sin or to self. It requires no suffering, for they have turned God’s grace and his gospel message into something easy and pleasant that makes no demands. In fact, they discourage people from believing in the true gospel of grace.

But, this is intentional. It has a purpose, and that design is of Satan, not of God. And, its goal is to turn everyone away from sincere faith in Jesus Christ so that they will reject holiness and righteousness, and so that they will follow after their flesh instead, while promising them heaven when they die.

Insincere Faith

So, this leads professing Christians one of two ways. Either they will proudly proclaim their “freedom” in Christ to keep on in their sinful practices without guilt, because they believe God’s grace covers it all, or they will be what I call “closet cheap grace gospel people.” Their lifestyles will support the cheap (diluted, condensed) grace, but their outward profession will be of the true gospel of grace, but it is all for show to look good to other people.

They will pretend that they are in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, but it is dishonest and fruitless. 1 John 1 speaks of this when it says that if you say that you have fellowship with God, but you walk in darkness, you are a liar who does not live by the truth. They will portend a life change, while secretly they are living in sinful rebellion against God when no one is looking. Jesus scolded the Pharisees for this type of behavior.

They will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of their lives, but self is still on the throne, and they are still being ruled by the flesh. Their foundation for their lives is not Christ and His Word and His holiness, but it is what is dishonorable, sordid, immoral, impure, faithless and dishonest. So, they just use God and their “relationship” with him as a cover-up for evil.

And, they are hurting other people by their lies, by their hypocrisies and by their immorality, too, and they are dishonoring God and are treating him as though they are ashamed of him.

So, many of those who are living in and who are spreading this cheap grace gospel, which is ashamed of Christ and his true gospel, are also persecuting those who are living in sincere faith, and who are sharing the truth of the gospel, which is the whole counsel of God – not the condensed version of the gospel, which leaves out the parts they don’t like and that they don’t want to accept.

Be Not Ashamed

2 Timothy 1:12-14 ESV

“But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”

But, even if we have many people coming against us, because we are living in and we are sharing the true gospel of grace, which is a gospel of repentance, obedience to Christ, and submission to Christ as Lord, we need to not back down. We must not be ashamed of the sincere faith gifted to us by God, which is divinely persuaded as to God’s holiness and righteousness.

Psalm 19

Song lyrics taken from Psalm 19 KJV

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul:

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever:

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hJKLfGdyYI

*Caution: This link may contain ads

(1)       https://biblehub.com/greek/1870.htm

Mostly Dead

Revelation 3:1-2 ESV

And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: “The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.”

God Knows/He Sees

God/Jesus knows our works, whether they be sinful practices, or good deeds done in the flesh, which are either to try to look righteous as a cover-up for evil, or they are human effort to try to earn our way into heaven. He also knows if our works are the works of the Spirit, which God prepared in advance that we should walk in, done in the power of the Spirit, and as part of God’s workmanship, which we were created to do (Eph. 2:10).

For, works are what we do, either in the flesh, according to the flesh, or in the Spirit, according to the Spirit.

So, if Jesus does not find our works complete in the sight of His God, then our works are obviously lacking in what is of the Spirit, which means that they would appear to be primarily or wholly of the flesh. And, this is why he said that this church was dead, but not completely dead, for something remained that was about to die that could be revived if she would repent.

Her Reputation

But, even though this church is mostly dead, she has a reputation of being spiritually alive. So, how does that work exactly?

Her reputation, i.e. this outward show of righteousness, has been going on for a long time, while in reality, she has also been mostly dead for a long while, too. And, how did she get mostly dead? By compromise with the world, and by following after the flesh rather than following after the Spirit.

She sounds a lot like the American church, at large, though not including everyone, as we will see.

One of the big reasons the American church is mostly dead, while having a reputation of being spiritually alive, is because of her partnership with the government and with big business.

She sold herself out to corporate America in order to grow the church the way human corporations grow their businesses. And, thus, she became unequally yoked together with the ungodly, and she turned God’s house, his temple, into a marketplace, both of which are forbidden by God.

A Diluted Gospel

And, thus she diluted the gospel of salvation in order to make it more palatable and acceptable to the world, which then gave its adherents free license to continue in their sinful practices without guilt and without remorse. But, she advertised this diluted half-truth gospel as though it was the real deal, and this diluted gospel has now gained wide popularity.

The way in which she diluted the gospel of Christ, from what Jesus and his NT apostles had taught, was by lowering God’s standards and his requirements, or by doing away with them altogether. She, thus, “softened” the message to make it non-offensive to human flesh, and she sugar-coated the hard truths of the gospel or she ignored them altogether.

Turning away from sin and walking in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, and surrendering our lives to him, making him Lord of our lives, are not being stressed in this diluted gospel, and in some cases, they are even discouraged. And, so we have a whole lot of people gathering together in the name of Jesus who are still largely living to the flesh, and who are not committed to following after the ways of God, only secondarily, if at all.

But, she appears alive because she entertains the world and turns her gatherings into big shows with lots of entertainment, and fun stuff is going on all the time, and children are being given lots of fun activities to do, and so the church is an exciting place to be, with continual activities which keep people occupied and entertained and coming back for more of the same.

Revelation 3:3 ESV

“Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.”

So, Jesus is warning the church that is mostly dead to remember what she had received and heard, which is what Jesus had just told her regarding her works and her reputation, and of her need to wake up spiritually and to revive what is remaining so that she doesn’t become completely dead.

But, it could be also that he was referring to what she had heard and received in the beginning, when she first trusted in Jesus Christ to be her Savior and Lord, and to cleanse her of her sin.

She was to bring that back to mind, how she was taught the truth that is in Jesus “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (See: Eph. 4:17-24; cf. Rom. 6:1-23).

He is telling her to hold on to that truth and to repent, meaning to turn away from her sin and to turn back to God to follow him in obedience. But, if she will not turn from her wicked ways, and if she will not awaken spiritually, and forsake the ways of the flesh and of the world, and if she will not turn to follow her Lord in surrender to his will, then some type of judgment is to befall her, and she won’t be prepared for what is coming, either.

Revelation 3:4-6 ESV

“Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

But, like I said, the whole church wasn’t like that, and the whole church in America is not like that, either, though the vast majority appears to be. There are people in America who are truly following Jesus Christ with their lives, who love God with all their hearts, and who are serving him in obedience to his direction for their lives.

And, there most certainly must be congregations of followers of Jesus in America, too, who have not bowed the knee to the corporate world.

But, the message here is not hopeless. There is a promise and hope for those who will conquer sin and the flesh in the power of God’s Spirit, who will leave their sinful lifestyles and their compromises with the world behind them, and who will now follow Jesus in obedience to his commands.

Even if you have strayed far from God, it is never too late to return to him while there is still time. But, don’t delay, for none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. For, he says that we are going to all reap what we sow. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction. But, if we sow to please the Spirit, then we will reap eternal life with God (Gal. 6:7-8).

Footprints of Jesus

Lyrics by Mary B. Slade, pub. 1871

Music by Asa B. Everett

Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling,

Come, follow Me!

And we see where Thy footprints falling

Lead us to Thee.

Though they lead o’er the cold, dark mountains,

Seeking His sheep;

Or along by Siloam’s fountains,

Helping the weak.

If they lead through the temple holy,

Preaching the Word;

Or in homes of the poor and lowly,

Serving the Lord.

Though, dear Lord, in Thy pathway keeping,

We follow Thee;

Through the gloom of that place of weeping,

Gethsemane!

If Thy way and its sorrows bearing,

We go again,

Up the slope of the hillside, bearing

Our cross of pain.

By and by, through the shining portals,

Turning our feet,

We shall walk, with the glad immortals,

Heav’n’s golden street.

Then, at last, when on high He sees us,

Our journey done,

We will rest where the steps of Jesus

End at His throne.

Footprints of Jesus,

That make the pathway glow;

We will follow the steps of Jesus

Where’er they go.

Copyright status is public domain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug0g048Nqes

A Peculiar People

Children of God

1 John 3:1a ESV

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”

How do we become children of God? By faith in Jesus Christ. But, this faith is not human faith. It is not a feeling or an experience or an intellectual assent to who Jesus is. And, we don’t get to determine for ourselves what that faith should look like, because the faith to believe in Jesus is a gift from God.

So, what do the scriptures teach regarding who the children of God are?

In Romans 8 we read that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk (in lifestyle) not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For, if we live according to the flesh, we will die (in our sins). But, if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, then we will live (with Christ for eternity). For we are children of God, provided we suffer with Christ in order that we may also be glorified with him (Rom. 8:1-17).

And, further on down in this passage in 1 John 3 we read that whoever makes a practice (habit, lifestyle) of sinning is of the devil, but whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as God is righteous.

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:9-10).

But, this is not our own doing. This is not about us just following a set of rules, nor is it about us trying to earn our salvation by good works.

For, the only way we can become children of God is that Jesus had to first die on a cross for our sins that we might become the righteousness of God. He had to give his life up for us so that we would now become God’s possession so that we might glorify God with our lives (1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Co. 6:20; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; Tit. 2:14).

So, all this comes from him. By faith in Jesus Christ we are delivered out of our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin, and we are empowered of God to walk righteously before him, to follow him in his ways and in his truth.

We just have to yield control of our lives over to the Lord and let him be Lord of our lives. And, then we just have to do what he says in his power and strength at work within us. All glory to God! (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Lu. 9:23-26).

They Don’t Know Us

1 John 3:1b ESV

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

“The world” does not just consist of those who have made no profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said the world hated him, and yet his greatest persecutors were those who professed faith in God the Father – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. And, they were leaders within the temple of God.

So, “the world” includes all who are still of the world in how they think, act, speak and live their lives.

They don’t know us. And, it doesn’t mean that they don’t know who we are. They are acquainted with us because we are their family members, or their neighbors, or their co-workers, or their fellow attendees at gatherings of the church. So, they know us, but they don’t really know us, for they don’t get us. They don’t understand what makes us tick or why we do the things we do. The way we live our lives doesn’t make sense to them.

So, they see us as out-of-touch with the world, as oddballs, as social misfits, and as those whose behaviors seem out of place to them. They may even think we are foolish or crazy. For they don’t understand why we do the things we do, i.e. why we live separate from the world of sin and unto God. They may not realize that we are living with purpose and that it is our intent to live apart from the world of sin and unto God, to which he has called us.

But, one of the reasons that the world, including the worldly adulterous church, might see us as odd, out-of-touch with reality, and as social misfits is that they don’t really know Jesus, either. They may claim to know him. They may read their Bibles and pray. They may attend gatherings of the church and even serve in positions of ministry or leadership, and still not know Jesus intimately, personally, which is why they don’t get him, either.

When Jesus walked the face of this earth, though at times he had large crowds following him, few really knew him intimately. Few really understood the passion of his heart, and who he truly was, and why he did things the way he did, and said things the way he did, too. For, many thought he was crazy, or of the devil, or odd, or out-of-touch with the world, too.

So, don’t be surprised, if you are truly following Jesus with your life, that you are not going to “fit” even with those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, but who are still living and thinking and behaving like the world. Don’t be surprised if they exclude you, if they shy away from you, if they think you are odd, and even if they hate and persecute you for your walk of faith with Jesus Christ, for this is what the religious, but worldly, did to Jesus, too.

He Purifies Himself

1 John 3:2-3 ESV

Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

As God’s children, we are called to be a holy people, set apart from the world and unto God, because we are being made into the likeness of Christ. Although we live in the world, and among the people of the world, we are to live separate (unlike, different) from the world.

So, we should stand out as odd. We shouldn’t blend in with everyone else. We shouldn’t be ones that people flock to, nor should we be well liked by everyone.

And, that is because we shouldn’t be walking according to the flesh anymore, but we should be walking according to the Spirit. We should be purifying ourselves as Jesus is pure, via walks of obedience to our Lord, in his power and strength at work within us.

And, the more we grow in our faith and in fellowship with the Lord, the more we should be separating ourselves from the world of sin, and the more we should be becoming like Jesus.

So, we shouldn’t be viewing junk, taking in the garbage of the world, watching movies and videos which are contrary to holy living and to purity. We shouldn’t be listening to songs which glorify the flesh and which dishonor our Lord. We shouldn’t be playing games or watching movies or reading books that wander into what is of Satan, of demons and the occult, either.

We should measure all that we take into our minds, eyes, ears and hearts against the scriptures, in prayer, seeking God’s face, listening to what our Lord says, and then do what he says regarding what needs to be cut out of our lives and what we need to do in order to purify ourselves as he is pure.

Don’t worry about appearing odd or as a social misfit. Don’t worry about losing friends or having people reject you. It is Jesus we must serve! It is Jesus we must please, not the world. As children of God we are to die to the things of this world so that we can live in purity of devotion to our Lord. For, Jesus called us out of the world.

He didn’t put us here on this earth to blend in with the world or to immerse ourselves in our culture so that the people of this world will like us. We are to be leading people to Jesus, not to us.

And, leading them to Jesus is not leading them to a Jesus who just forgives them but who makes no requirements of them regarding walks of purity and of holiness. We need to be leading them to the Jesus of scripture who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light (out of sin into walks of obedience and surrender to him).

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

copyright status is public domain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg

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When My Heart is Faint

Psalm 61:1-3 ESV

Hear my cry, O God,

    listen to my prayer;

from the end of the earth I call to you

    when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

    that is higher than I,

for you have been my refuge,

    a strong tower against the enemy.

We all have days that are better than others. Sometimes a lot of emotionally heavy stuff piles on us all at once. Some days we do better physically than others. Especially the older we get, our bodies don’t work as well as they did when we were younger. I am 70 now, and I can definitely feel my age. My brain works slower. I get tired more easily. I don’t multitask like I used to.

And, the closer we get to our Lord in our walks with him, and the more that we listen to him and follow him wherever he leads us, the more Satan is going to fight against us, too. And, he will use those times when we are tired, when we are weak, and when stuff piles on us all at once as opportunities to attack us, and to try to get us down and out.

Sometimes it can feel like a dark cloud is just hovering over our heads. Or Satan will just keep beating up on us over some minor thing that doesn’t amount to much. But, he will keep at us, to try to make us feel horrible. For, his goal is to get us to doubt God, to run away, to retreat, to crawl in a hole, and to not do what God is leading us to do.

And, it is in times like these, especially, when we need to cry out to God for help. And, we need to ask others to pray for us, too, so that we are strengthened in our spirits, and so that we don’t grow faint at heart.

We need the Lord to lead us to himself, to his strength, guidance, direction and counsel. And, we need him to lead us to us putting our absolute trust in him in and for all things, and for us not to take matters into our own hands. For, his word teaches us that when we are weak we are strong in him, for his strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Co. 12:7-10).

I just know that when I am feeling under attack from the enemy, and when I am feeling emotionally or physically weak, and I call on God in prayer, and I ask others to pray for me, too, that God answers my/their prayers.

But, I still have to obey him. I still have to step out in faith and do what he asks me to do even when I don’t feel like it, and even sometimes when I have a headache, too. For, he has performed many miracles in my life when I chose to walk by faith and to not give into letting emotional or physical weakness get me down.

Psalm 61:4-5 ESV

Let me dwell in your tent forever!

    Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah

For you, O God, have heard my vows;

    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

What are our vows to the Lord? They are our faith in him, our repentance, our submission to his Lordship, and our walks of obedience to his commands. In them is our dying with Christ to sin that we might live to him and to his righteousness. And, in them is our forsaking of our former sinful lifestyles in order that we might be in Christ, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. But, all this is from God and it is of God.

But, not everyone has this. Not everyone is “in Christ” – not even all who profess to believe in Jesus Christ. Our heritage (eternal life) in Christ is for those who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways, who do not deny him, who surrender their lives to him, and who honor, value, respect and obey him. This is what it means to fear the Lord.

So, if we want to dwell in the tent of the Lord forever, and to take refuge under the shelter of his wings, we have to walk in the fear of the Lord. We have to die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. We have to love, honor, respect and obey him, not in absolute perfection, but in consistent walks of faith in our Lord, dying daily with him to sin and daily putting on his armor so we can fight off Satan’s evil schemes against us.

Psalm 61:8 ESV

So will I ever sing praises to your name,

    as I perform my vows day after day.

To perform our vows to the Lord is not a “performance.” We are not acting, putting on a show, or trying to look good while we are still living in sin. To perform is to do the work the Lord has called us to do. It is to work the works that he prepared for us in advance that we should walk in them, but as his workmanship, not as our own (Eph. 2:10; Tit. 2:14).

To perform our vows to the Lord day after day just means we walk in obedience to our Lord day after day, doing what he says, going where he sends us, and saying what he gives us to say. And, we do all this under his guidance, direction and counsel, and by his empowerment and in his strength. This is him working his will and purposes in our lives and out through our lives as we cooperate with that work of grace he is doing in us.

So, all the praise and all the glory goes to God for the work that he does in and through our lives. We take no credit. We should take no credit. For, the credit belongs to him. For, we are not saved in our own power and strength, but only by God’s grace through faith, which is a gift of God, not of our own fleshly works lest we should boast that somehow we did it (Eph. 2:8-9).

So, when God leads us to do something, and he empowers us to do it, and so we do it in his strength and empowerment, then if we are praised, we need to give that praise back to God. For, the credit belongs to him.

And, while we are working for him, we should be praising him and thanking him, too, in song, in prayer, in thanksgiving, or in whatever ways he gives us to express our gratitude to him and our praise to him for who he is and for all that he has done in and through our lives, and yet will do.

For, He is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in times of trouble.

God is With Us

An Original Work / June 11, 2019

Based off Psalm 46

God’s our refuge. He is our strength,

A present help to us when in pain.

Therefore, we will not be afraid,

Although the earth beneath us gives way.

Though the mountains be moved to the sea,

Roaring waters abound so free,

And the mountains now tremble so,

We will not fear, God is near, we know.

God is with us and He makes glad

The hearts of all who to Christ have fled.

Christ is in us, so we’ll not fall

When on our Savior our hearts do call.

God will help us, as mornings arise,

To be faithful to His design.

Nations raging, and tempers flare.

Our God is with us. We know He cares.

Come and see the works of the Lord.

He’s armed for battle with His great sword.

He’s the Word, and He is the Life.

He gives us strength in all of our strife.

Be still and know that He is our God.

He’s exalted where’er He trods.

The Lord Almighty, with us still;

The God of Jacob, our citadel.

https://vimeo.com/341717561

Living Through Him

That We Might Live

1 John 4:9 ESV

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”

Why did Jesus come to the earth? Why did he die on that cross? What was the purpose? It was that we might live through him. Yet, it isn’t just that we might live for eternity with him, but that we might live. And, this living is more than just breathing in and breathing out, and having our physical hearts beat. It has to do with how we live, too, i.e. with how we walk.

For, how we live has to do with our thinking, our believing, our attitudes, our values, and our conduct (behavior). And, living “through” Jesus has to do with him being the source, the support, and the foundation for what we think, believe, and do, from beginning to end, and all throughout our lives. It means our lives are wrapped up in him, and they are in him and he in us.

But, it is more than just that. It is that he is our life. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20). My life is no longer my own to be lived however I want, but the life of Christ is now within me living his life out through me. And, the purpose of my life now is to live for the Lord, to submit my life to his purposes, and to walk in obedience to his commands.

In This is Love

1 John 4:10 ESV

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

But, we can’t live for the Lord in our own strength and via our own resources. It isn’t about us just “doing” things for God that we think he wants us to do. It is about us giving up full reign of our lives over to him, to yield to his control and his purposes, and to allow his Holy Spirit to work in our lives and through our lives according to his purposes for our lives.

For, Jesus wasn’t our sacrifice for our sins just so he could forgive us our sins, and just so we could go to heaven when we die. For, he shed his blood for us on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live with him to righteousness. And, it was to buy us back for God so that we would now be God’s possession, and so that we would now honor God with our lives (See: 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Co. 6:20; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; Tit. 2:11-14; Eph. 4:17-24).

If We Love One Another

1 John 4:11-12 ESV

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

This relationship we now have with Jesus Christ, though, is not just about us. It isn’t just about Jesus saving us from our sins so that we are free from the punishment of sin, and so we can go to heaven when we die. Jesus didn’t die for us so that we could live for ourselves. He died that we might live for (and through) him, and so that we might love others with his love.

For, God uses us as his instruments in the world to demonstrate his love and his grace to others. But, this love is not human love. It is not based on our feelings. It isn’t some mushy-gushy warm and cozy feeling. And, it isn’t about making other people feel all warm and fuzzy, either.

This is God-like love which prefers what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, godly, pure, upright, moral and faithful. And, it is about the welfare of others, too, which has to do with their peace, healing, soundness and completeness in Christ Jesus, our Lord. So, this love is about what is best for others, which has to do with their relationships with Christ.

So, if we are loving others with Christ’s love, we are not going to lie to, cheat, steal from, gossip about, lust after, or commit adultery against them, etc. But, we are going to do and say what would reflect Christ and his love toward them, and which would care more about their freedom from slavery to sin than we care about whether or not they like or reject us.

By This We Know

1 John 4:13-16 ESV

“By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

We have to read scripture in context. We can’t just pull out one verse and make it say what we want it to say. So, we can’t just quote, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” as the totality of our doctrinal statement regarding our salvation from sin.

For, many people “confess” that Jesus is the Son of God who never submit to him as Lord, and who never walk in obedience to his commands. For, that is what “wolves in sheep’s clothing” do, and so do hypocrites. And, James said that even the demons believe and they shudder, but they are not saved. So, a mere verbal confession of faith doesn’t equal true faith.

Nonetheless, these words, God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him, summarize well for us the theme of 1 John. But, even here we have to understand what this word “love” means, and what it means to abide in that love.

It is the kind of selfless love which Jesus demonstrated when he was on this earth, both in his ministry and in his death. And, to abide in this love means to walk in it, to live in love, to stay, to remain, and to continue in love, which is God’s love, which prefers what God prefers, and which considers what is truly in the best interest of others.

And, too, it is a love which submits to Christ as Lord and which walks in obedience to his commands (See: Jn. 8:51; Jn. 14:23-24; Rom. 6:16; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; 1 Jn. 3:24; 1 Jn. 5:3; 2 Jn. 1:6).

So Also Are We

1 John 4:17 ESV

“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.”

If we want to have confidence on the day of judgment that we are in Christ, and that he is in us, and that we are saved from our sins, and that heaven is our eternal destiny, then we need to abide in God’s love. We need to live in his love by walking in obedience to his commands, doing what he says to do.

But, this is not about just following a set of rules. This is about letting Christ’s life be lived out through us for his praise, honor and glory.

For, this continues by saying, “because as he is so also are we in this world.” We are to be like Jesus. And, we can only be like Jesus if we are allowing his life to be lived out through us by yielding control of our lives over to him, and by surrendering our wills to him. And, we can only be like Jesus in the world if we are living the kind of life which he lived.

Yet, Jesus never sinned, but this is not because he was not capable of sin, for he lived in a flesh body when he lived on the earth. He was tempted to sin in all the many ways in which we are tempted, but he did not yield to sin. He had to resist Satan, too. He had to flee temptation. And, He had to call on the Father and yield to and submit to the Father’s will, too.

But, I will say here that theologians are divided on this subject of whether or not Jesus could have sinned. But, the scriptures teach that Jesus was tempted in all the same ways in which we are tempted, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). So, to be tempted like we are tempted would seem to indicate that he could have sinned, but that he chose not to. But, I won’t debate this.

My point here is that, although we are not perfect, as Jesus was perfect, and we were born with sin natures, which Jesus was not, we can now walk in holiness, and we can walk according to the Spirit, and not according to our flesh, because Christ lives within us empowering us to live righteously. We can walk as Jesus walked when he was on the earth.

And, this is because our salvation is not just freedom from the punishment of sin, so that we can go to heaven when we die, but it is freedom from slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin. And, it is empowerment to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to God.

So, as Jesus was in the world, so can we be also, perhaps not in sinless perfection, as he was, but in walks of obedience to our Lord, daily dying to sin and self and daily living for our Lord, according to his will and purpose.

He Gave Me a Song

Songwriter: Alton Howard

He took my burdens all away, up to a brighter day…

Brighter the way grows ev’ry day, walking the heav’nly way…

I am redeemed no more to die, never to say goodbye…

He gave me a song, to sing about

He lifted me from sin and doubt

O, praise His name, He is my King

A wonderful song He is to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzNfCetTYQI

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Loving Like Jesus

Matthew 22:34-40 ESV

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus, Our Model

Jesus is our model for how to love others with God’s love, which we can only do if we are in true relationship with Jesus Christ, by God’s grace, through God-given faith in him. So, how did Jesus love people when he walked the face of this earth?

Many people have this idea that Jesus just accepted everyone right where they were, the way they were, that he hung out with those living in sin, like they were best buddies, that he “stayed in his own lane,” and that he just went around making everyone feel good about themselves right where they were, no matter how they were living at the time.

But, is that true? Is that what the scriptures teach us? Is that a true picture of God’s love for humanity? Is that the kind of “love” that Jesus modeled?

Jesus’ Preaching

Let’s begin with Matthew 5. Jesus said that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. He said if you lust after someone else (not your spouse), you have committed adultery in your heart. His solution? If a body part of yours causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Why? Because it is better to lose an eye or a hand than to have your whole body go into hell. Pretty strong words there, wouldn’t you say?

Yet, I don’t believe he meant to literally cut off your hand, but he may have, but he was definitely demonstrating the seriousness of sin and of the need to get rid of whatever causes us to sin. He made no excuses for anyone.

In Matthew 6 he warned about being like the hypocrites. He warned against doing things to put on a show (a performance) so that we appear righteous before others. And, he warned about having “light” in us that is really darkness. He went on to say that we can’t serve two masters, for either we will hate the one and love the other, or we will be devoted to the one and despise the other. We can’t have one foot in hell and one in heaven, in other words. Either God is our Lord (owner-master) or he isn’t (cf. Rom. 6:16).

And, in Matthew 7 we learn that we are to enter into God’s eternal kingdom by the narrow (restricted) gate, which few enter. We are not to try to enter via the broad road and gate that many follow, for the broad way that many follow leads to death. But the narrow (restricted) way leads to life.

And, then he went on to say that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of the Father in heaven. That sounds pretty narrow, doesn’t it? That doesn’t sound like Jesus just hanging out with sinners eating, drinking and merry-making. That doesn’t sound like Jesus just accepting everyone for who they are, where they are, and not expecting people to change.

In fact, to those who give lip service only, but who don’t walk in obedience to his commands, one day they will hear, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” That sounds pretty severe, doesn’t it?

And, then he talked about the wise and the foolish. The wise are those who hear his words and who put them into practice. But, the foolish are those who hear the truth, but they don’t put it into practice. The wise will survive the judgment. They will stand in the judgment. But the foolish will not.

The People’s Response

Jesus did a lot of preaching, and he wasn’t voted most popular for what he preached, either. He didn’t have people following him by the thousands. His true followers were few in number. The crowds mainly followed him because of the miracles he performed, or because he fed their bellies.

But, the majority deserted him when his teaching became “too hard,” i.e. when he started talking about having to “eat his flesh and drink his blood,” which were symbolic of his death and suffering on the cross for us, and of our participation with him in death to sin and in suffering for righteousness.

Nonetheless, his ministry was not confined just to preaching. He performed many miracles. He healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, delivered people from demons, comforted the sorrowful, fed the hungry, and he ministered to the truly needy.

And, we need to follow his example in doing likewise, even if it is more on an emotional or spiritual level rather than physical sometimes, depending on the needs, and depending on whether or not our ministry is mainly in person or on the internet, for example.

But, another aspect of Jesus’ ministry that we must realize is that he wasn’t well loved for the things he taught and for some of the things that he did, too. Today he would be accused of teaching “works-based salvation” and “legalism-moralism.”

Today he would be accused of being “hyper-religious,” or of being “narrow minded,” or of being “too serious” and of “not loving” because he told it like it is, i.e. he spoke the truth, but in love. He would be invited out of church gatherings, too, because they are being warned about people like him, i.e. “people with strong convictions.”

And, another thing about Jesus that a lot of people tend to forget is that he wasn’t put to death on that cross for being a “nice guy” who everyone loved and admired and flocked after. He wasn’t killed because he went around just making everyone feel good about themselves, and because he accepted everyone for who they are, the way they are.

The people hated Jesus, he said, because he told them the truth about their sin. The Pharisees hated him on multiple accounts: 1. He didn’t do the things they did, 2. He didn’t follow all their rules, 3. He confronted them in their sins, 4. He publicly chastised them for their hypocrisy, and 5. He claimed to be God, which is who he was/is.

Oh, and they were jealous of him, too, and they were threatened by him and his popularity among the people, for a time. And, they called him crazy and of the devil. Even his own family thought he was crazy, and they attempted to remove him from ministry, but unsuccessfully. His own brothers mocked him. And, eventually the masses turned against him when they shouted “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Loving God and Others

So, this describes the life of one who loved like God loves, because he was God. But, he said if we follow him, and we love like he did, that we, too, will be hated, persecuted, rejected and perhaps even martyred for our faith and for our testimonies for Jesus Christ. So, don’t be surprised if the world hates you, mocks you, thinks you are crazy and wants to put you away or to put you to death.

For, if you love like Jesus, you will be an offense to those who are perishing, including to those who say they love Jesus, but who are not following the Jesus of the scriptures, but one they have created in their own minds and imaginations to make them feel better about themselves.

For, to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, is to love God with your entire being – in all your thinking, believing, emotions, passion, and in your conduct. And, it is to surrender our lives to him, making him truly Lord (owner-master) of our lives. It is to leave our lifestyles of sin behind us, and it is to follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands.

And, it is daily dying to sin and self, and daily putting on Christ and his spiritual armor in order to fight off Satan, and in order that we walk by the Spirit in Christ’s righteousness and holiness (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Jn. 2:3-6).

And, to love others as we love ourselves, because we have the love of God living within us, it is to walk the walk that Jesus walked, and to love others like he did, like he modeled for us.

For love does no harm to its neighbor, but only what is beneficial for them and what will lead them to Christ and to purity of devotion to him. For we are, thus, looking out for the welfare of others, which is their wholeness, their peace, and their healing that can only be found in Christ, in submission to him, and in obedience to his commands.

Footprints of Jesus

Lyrics by Mary B. Slade, pub. 1871

Music by Asa B. Everett

Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling,

Come, follow Me!

And we see where Thy footprints falling

Lead us to Thee.

Though they lead o’er the cold, dark mountains,

Seeking His sheep;

Or along by Siloam’s fountains,

Helping the weak.

If they lead through the temple holy,

Preaching the Word;

Or in homes of the poor and lowly,

Serving the Lord.

Though, dear Lord, in Thy pathway keeping,

We follow Thee;

Through the gloom of that place of weeping,

Gethsemane!

If Thy way and its sorrows bearing,

We go again,

Up the slope of the hillside, bearing

Our cross of pain.

By and by, through the shining portals,

Turning our feet,

We shall walk, with the glad immortals,

Heav’n’s golden street.

Then, at last, when on high He sees us,

Our journey done,

We will rest where the steps of Jesus

End at His throne.

Footprints of Jesus,

That make the pathway glow;

We will follow the steps of Jesus

Where’er they go.

Copyright status is public domain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug0g048Nqes