Seize the Moment – Day 907

Today’s hymn focus will be

Wonderful Peace

Hymn 111

 Philippians 4:7 (NASB95)            

“ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

This hymn expressing several thoughts about the peace of God was written ‘by accident’ in 1889 at a camp meeting in West Bend, Wisconsin. Rev. Warren D Cornell was seated in the tent, and after a time of deep introspection, began writing the words reflecting the thoughts in his heart. Unknowingly, he left the paper in the tent when he left.

An hour or so later, Rev. William Cooper came to the tent and discovered the paper. Fascinated by the theme of the chorus and the accompanying verses as they reflected some of his own current thoughts, he finished the poem and sat down at the organ and composed the melody that we sing today.

            Peace! Peace! Wonderful peace, coming down from the Father above

            Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray, in fathomless billows of love.

We need to wake up to the fact that He is the giver of peace. It is not something that we strive for, but rather surrender complete control to…to God as He leads and directs our paths each and every day.

YOUTUBE:

If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:

Wonderful Peace

Seize the Moment – Day 900

Today’s modern-day hymn focus will be

Cornerstone

Many Christian songwriters have turned to the classic hymns for inspirations for worship songs that are sung in our churches today. As an example, Chris Tomlin created a version of Amazing Grace by adding the chorus “My Chains are gone…” The same could be said of this modern-day hymn written by Reuben Morgan, Edward Mote, Eric Lilijero, Jonas Myrin and Wm Batchelder Bradbury.

Christ alone, cornerstone.

Weak made strong in the Savior’s love

Through the storm He is Lord, Lord of all.

We need to wake up each morning and remind ourselves on Whom our lives, our hopes, and our dreams are built on…JESUS. He is the One who will help us to stand strong no matter what we face each and every day.

YOUTUBE:

If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:

Cornerstone

Seize the Moment – Day 893

Today’s song focus will be

I’m Listening

 Hymn 109

“But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Chris McClarney accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior at an early age. He grew up as the son of a youth pastor and began leading worship for a small group at the age of fourteen. He went on the go into full time ministry in local churches and inner-city ministry across Nashville, TN.

Much like the hymn writers of old, this song was birthed out of the Holy Spirit speaking to Chris and his friends, Josh Bronleewe & Benji Cowart, as they wanted to lead the congregation to a place of listening to and for the voice of God.

            I don’t wanna miss one word You speak

            ‘Cause everything You say is life to me

            I don’t wanna miss one word You speak

            (So) Quiet my heart I’m listening

YOUTUBE:

Seize the Moment – Day 886

Today’s hymn focus will be

“Nearer, My God, to Thee”

 Genesis 28:12 (NLT)

“ As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.”

Growing up in Harlow, England , Sarah Flower Adams was the daughter of newspaper editor and man of prominence, so she enjoyed the spotlight. She married William Bridges Adams in 1834 and moved to London to help fulfill her dreams of becoming an actress and be near the great theaters. Sadly, her frail health hampered that career, so she focused on her literary giftings, one of which was writing hymns of praise to the Lord.

Her pastor paid her a visit and shared with her his difficulty in finding a hymn to go along with his upcoming message. She reflected on the above passage, and the following Sunday, they sang this song that God had given Sarah.

We need to wake up and make this song a cry of our hearts, that no matter what we face, we want to be near the One who will strengthen us.

YOUTUBE:

Nearer, My God, to Thee,

O That Will Be Glory

Romans 8:18   (NLT)                     

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Charles Gabriel was a self-taught musician who grew up in Wilton, Iowa. After moving to California for two years, he moved back to Chicago, IL, where he became friends with Ed Card, a minister with the Sunshine Rescue Mission. Card always had a smile on his face and would often say during a sermon “GLORY” instead of ‘amen’ like most folks. Thus, he had the nickname “Old Glory Face.”

Card would also close his prayers with a reference to heaven, saying “And that will be glory for me.”

This is where Gabriel got the inspiration for today’s hymn. It went on to be used in Billy Sunday’s revival services and translated into many languages and dialects, becoming one of the most popular hymns sung during those meetings.

            O that will be glory for me, glory for me, glory for me.

            When by His grace I shall look on His face.

            That will be glory, be glory for me.

We need to wake up and sing this song with the same faith, hope and joy that moved the author to write this hymn. Look forward to the day when we shall see Him face to face and join with the angels as we sing and bring glory and honor to God.

YOUTUBE:

O That Will Be Glory

H E A R T: T is for Truth!

In order to serve properly, you have to put your heart into it!

Ephesians 4:15 (NLT)           

“ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

In a courtroom, the witnesses are sworn in to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” When someone is in the doctor’s office awaiting test results, they ask the doctor to ‘give me the truth. Tell it to me straight.” There may have even been a time in your own life when you have asked for the truth, and the person responded, “You couldn’t handle the truth.” Let’s face it, hearing the truth can be difficult. How we receive it is determined by how it is delivered.

Paul was writing to the church in Ephesus to remind them that they are no longer ‘infants’, weak in their faith, quick to follow or imitate whatever is right in front of them and possibly leading them astray. He was correcting them, ‘speaking to them in (agape) love’ (love of God) in order for them to recognize their growth in their faith and the need to continue to mature, becoming the body of Christ they had been called to be.

Seize the day and purpose in your heart to stop and think before you speak, even if you are speaking the truth. We need to ALWAYS speak the truth in God’s love so that people can see that it is His Love that is in our hearts, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks!

YOUTUBE:

H E A R _: R is for Restore!

Psalm 51:12-13(NLT)           

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you.”

Tina and I enjoy finding old furniture and restoring it back to what it used to be. That means that we must know what it looked like before in order to accomplish that task. The best way to do that is to look for pictures published by the one who originally created it.

When God originally created man, it was for us to be in communion with Him. When man sinned, it broke that relationship. While this broke God’s heart, He immediately began working out a plan to restore us to Him. He sent His Son as the ultimate sacrifice to bring us back into that original relationship. His desire was and is to restore His children. And we have been given the privilege and honor to share this message and help restore others so they can return to the Father.

Seize the moment today by asking God how you can be used, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you and give you the words to share. When you do this, you are both serving God and serving others by helping them find their way back to Him.

YOUTUBE:

H E A _ _: A is for Actions!

The next letter for the acrostic is A for Actions.

1 John 3:18-19  (NLT)       

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. ¹⁹ Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.”

When someone repeats something, they are usually trying to make a point and assure that you have been listening to what they are saying. The same is true here in John the Apostle’s first letter. He uses the phrase “Dear children” or “Dear friends” thirteen times in its five short chapters! Much like a teacher might say “Listen up! This is important”, John was emphasizing the need to point out that our actions carry just as much weight as our words.

From the Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament @2004, it states: “ John admonishes with the tone of a spiritual father pleading for the heartfelt response of his children. Love requires more than idle talk or exalted theology. It demands simple acts, which anyone can see, in order to meet the needs of brothers and sisters in distress.”

Seize the moment today and look for opportunities where you can be the hands and feet of Jesus and serve someone in love. You will find that it will not only bless them, but bring your own heart joy!

YOUTUBE:

H E _ _ _: E is for Energy!

The next letter for the acrostic is E for Energy.

1 Peter 4:11

“Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”

Energy! That source of power that drives every living thing. And this morning, I felt like I had none! The sound of the thunder and rain made me just want to curl up and stay in bed. But I knew I had to get up and get going, so I said my daily prayer of “Good morning, Lord. As I start this day, I ask you for the energy I need to accomplish all that You would have me to do. And keep my spiritual ears open to the Holy Spirit as He leads and guides me.”

As Peter told us in today’s scriptures, we are to do all things with the strength and power that He gives us. If we only rely on our own strength to ‘git ‘er done’, we will find ourselves tired and weary and not able to finish well.

Seize the moment today and plug in to the true power source of our lives. Stop right now and take a moment to reflect, refresh and restore your heart and mind by tapping into that never ending source of strength and energy that comes from God, knowing that He is working all things together for your good.

YOUTUBE:

H _ _ _ _: H is for Hope!

“Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.”

One of my favorite hymns has the line “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” Hope is more than just wishful thinking. It is a demonstration of our faith and trust  that it will be done. Doubt and fear are the nemesis of hope and are the tools that the devil uses to cause us to stumble or even waiver in in our Christian faith.

But hope has a name, and that name is Jesus. As I told the church yesterday in the message, we are to cast all those cares, doubts and fears at Jesus’ feet and KNOW that He will be taking care of it. When we pray, we ask and place our hope, faith and trust in the God who is able to all things.

YOUTUBE:

I Will Serve Thee

I Will Serve Thee

S E R V E: E is for Encourage

YOUTUBE:

S E R V _ : V is for Vow!

Is this a contradiction? NO! The concept of the vow, a solemn promise, had been stretched, muddied, modified so much that it had become a contradiction to itself. When someone makes you a promise to do something, then they should show up. When they don’t, the response you normally will hear is “Oh, sorry. I forgot” or “Something else came up and I couldn’t make it.” This is not who we are to be as Christians.

YOUTUBE:

S E R _ _ : R is for Respect!

“Respect everyone, and love the family of believers.

Fear God, and respect the king.”

WHAT?!? Have you seen the way they treated me or heard what they said to me? I know it doesn’t sound fair, but look at what Peter went on to say…

“You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment.” (vs 18-19).

As a believer, we are called to be servants of the Lord. If we measure everything with love and respect before we speak, we may find that our world will be a place filled with joy and peace.

Seize the moment today by looking for opportunities to show respect…for God in how you live your life; through your love for you family, both flesh and blood and the church, as you care for them; and others as you love them as God first loved you, even when they don’t deserve it. This is what keeps the joy of the Lord flowing in your lives.

YOUTUBE:

S E — — —: E is for Effort

The Christian walk requires an effort on our behalf. While there is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation, we must make the effort to do our best to be our best by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our lives. We make the choice to accept or reject His leading, thus it demonstrates our level of effort.

Effort is defined as the “the conscious exertion of power; a serious attempt; the total work done to achieve a particular end.”* We make the choice and the effort to surrender. We make the choice and the effort to follow God. We know that love is an action verb, and we are told to “Love the Lord with all our heart, mind and strength, and to Love our neighbors as ourselves.” So we must make the choice and apply the effort to love God and others, even those that make it difficult for us to do so. And Peter reminds us that we are to make every effort to be right with God.

YOUTUBE:

S _ _ _ _ : “S” is for Surrender

But for a Christian, it carries a positive connotation. When we surrender our lives to Christ, we trade in all the strife, cares and worries of how we are going to make it, to find the promise of peace, joy and contentment in this life, knowing that He is taking care of everything.

We are not promised that we will not be faced with difficult times, but He did promise that He would be with us every step of the way. This past year has had some difficult situations in my life, but I found that when I fully surrendered those things into His very capable hands, that the joy came through the tears, knowing that He was at work.

YOUTUBE:

Are You Washed in the Blood?

First published in 1878, this hymn was written by Elisha Hoffman. He was a minister in the Evangelical Church. He is also known for writing “I Must Tell Jesus”, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”, and “Glory to His Name”. It is both a call for salvation and a song that enumerates some of the many blessings of being washed in the blood.

​Are you washed in the blood, in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb

​Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow

​Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb

Are You Washed in the Blood?

YOUTUBE:

Today’s modern day hymn focus will be

Hymn of Heaven

 Philippians 2:10-11(NASV95)    

“so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 This modern-day hymn was written by Phil Wickham. We sing other songs he has written such as: “House of the Lord”, “Living Hope”, “This is Amazing Grace” just to name a few. During the recent global pandemic, Phil wanted to help the church overcome the unprecedented obstacles that it created by separating people from each other and from them gathering at the church building. He wanted people to realize that worship should be happening in our homes and in our hearts.

There will be a day when all will bow before Him

There will be a day when death shall be no more

Standing face to face with Him who died and rose again

Holy, holy is the Lord.

We need to wake up and realize that this song is full of praise and thankfulness to God. By lifting up the name of Jesus and speaking what we know will be a reality even though we cannot see it, we are creating moments where people can encounter the presence of God. We don’t have to wait for Sunday to sing this song of praise. Let it begin in your hearts today.

YOUTUBE:

Hymn of Heaven

Where He Leads I’ll Follow

 Matthew 4:19-20(NLT)

“Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.”

William Ogden was a gifted musician and songwriter. By the age of 10 he was able to read music and listen to a song and write out the melody, and at the age of 18, he became the choir director for his church. When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted and then organized a male choir that was known throughout the Army of the Cumberlands.

After the war, he resumed his study of music under some of the most prominent musicians of the day. He would go on to teach in the US and in Canada. He wrote and published this hymn in 1885.

            Where He leads I’ll follow, follow all the way.

            Where He leads I’ll follow, follow Jesus every day.

We need to wake up with this mindset, declaring our confidence in the One who saved us! His promises are sweet, and His message is one of hope, grace and love. So follow Jesus with everything you’ve got.

YOUTUBE:

Where He Leads I’ll Follow

Today’s hymn focus will be

He Hideth My Soul

Psalms 27:5(NLT)                          

“For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.”

Today we have another beautiful hymn written by Fanny Crosby. She grew up to be a teacher at a school for the blind, but did not start writing gospel texts until her mid-forties. Once she began, the words of inspiration seemed to flow from her heart, making her “the happiest creature in all the land.”

On this occasion, her friend William Kirkpatrick stopped by to play a new melody that he had composed that he felt could become a singable hymn. As he was playing, her face lit up! She knelt in prayer and then wrote the words to this wonderful hymn of faith and hope.

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows a dry thirsty land

He hideth my life in the depths of His love, and covers me there

with His hand, and covers me there with His hand,

YOUTUBE:

He Hideth My Soul

Today’s hymn focus will be

Victory Ahead

1 Corinthians 15:57(NLT)           

“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The son of a confectionary, William Grum was born in Camden, NJ in 1878. He grew up to become a letter carrier until he retired in 1920 to begin full time ministry as the pastor of Kaighn Ave. Methodist Episcopal Church in Camden, NJ and also at First Methodist Episcopal Church in Gloucester City, NJ. He was also a talented musician, singer and writer of gospel hymns and songs and is best known for this hymn that was published in 1905.

Victory ahead! Victory ahead! Through the blood of Jesus, victory ahead.

Trusting in the Lord, I hear the conqueror’s tread.

By faith I see the victory ahead.

YOUTUBE:

Seize the Moment – Day 830

Today’s hymn focus will be 

He Keeps Me Singing

John 15:10-11(NLT)

“When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.  I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

Luther B. Bridges wrote this hymn in 1910. He was asked to be the guest speaker at a revival conference in Kentucky. He had wife and three sons stay with his father-in-law while he was away. The services lasted for two weeks with a wonderful time of ministry.  The last service closed with great joy and he couldn’t wait to share his excitement and all the blessings with his family. 

So he called his wife. But it wasn’t his wife’s voice on the long distance line. He was told the news that his wife and three boys had perished in a fire that  had destroyed the  farmhouse. Leaning heavily on His Savior and expressing his faith in God, he penned the words to this hymn:

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know

          Fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go

YOUTUBE:

He Keeps Me Singing

There’s within my heart a melody;
Jesus whispers sweet and low,
“Fear not, I am with you, peace, be still,”
in all of life’s ebb and flow.

Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
sweetest name I know,
fills my every longing,
keeps me singing as I go.

Seize the Moment – Day 823

Today’s hymn focus will be

When We All Get To Heaven

YOUTUBE:

When We All Get To Heaven

Seize the Moment – Day 816

Today’s hymn focus will be

Rock of Ages

Psalm 18:2 (NLT)               

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.

He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

Augustus Toplady first published this hymn in 1775 in an article entitled “Life a Journey”, stating: “if you fall, be humbled and do not despair. Pray afresh to God who is able to raise you up, and set you on your feet again.” He wanted people to realize that no matter how big the debt of our sin account, it is only the blood of Jesus that could pay that debt in full.  He rejoiced in the fact that Jesus is our place of safety and the rock to which we can anchor the ship of our life.

            Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee,

            Let the water and the blood, from Thy wounded side which flowed

            Be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure.

We need to wake up and realize the truth of this ancient hymn that reminds us there is no one like our God. He is our Rock, our Hope and our Salvation. When in doubt, sing this song to remind your heart and mind Who our Rock is!

YOUTUBE: