The Thrill of Life in my Father’s World

“Your enjoyment of the world is never right, till every morning you awake in Heaven; see yourself in your Father’s Palace; and look upon the skies, the earth and the air as Celestial Joys: having such a reverend esteem of all, as if you were among the Angels. The bride of a monarch, in her husband’s chamber, hath no such causes of delight as you.”

Thomas Traherne

Courage

Of the seven virtures Courage is often one I lack most often. This poem by Tennyson has always inspired me to buck up and be a man.

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred

“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Someone had blunder’d
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them,
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Fash’d all their sabers bare,
Flash’d as they turn’d in air
Sab’ring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel’d from the saber stroke
Shatter’d and sunder’d
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d:
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of death
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them –
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
Oh, the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade –
Noble six hundred!

Everlasting Arms – A meditation

Lord hold me
in your everlasting arms
enfold me
in your everlasting arms
let striving cease
that I may come to rest
in perfect peace
renewed and truly blessed

Lord bathe me
In your everlasting light
Lord raise me
In your everlasting light
awake my mind
that I may understand
and come to find
the truth of who I am

Above the silvery bay
A bird rose on the breeze
Then swooped as if to say
you too may fly
with ease

Lord lift me
In your everlasting love
home swiftly
in your everlasting love
I’ll go to where
A temple stands upon a hill
In silence there
I’ll wait upon your will
Lord lift me
In your everlasting arms
In your everlasting arms

Mike Scott

Daily Reminder – Wisdom

The longer I live the more I am reminded of my own lack of prudence. Proverbs 24:3-7 instructs on the value of gaining wisdom.

“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;
By Knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory. Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.”

Daily Reminder

The larger catechism of the Westminster Confession states that our chief and highest end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him fully for ever. Well, I am ashamed to say that over the last couple of weeks I have been entirely convicted and fallen short of this goal. I am reminded in the words of Colossians 3:12-17, that I am to put on these virtues;

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all else put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

The Nature of True Greatness

Luke 9:46 – 48,

An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

Improving our Leadership

According to missionary Hudson Taylor leaders should always strive to improve his or her leadership. He gave us six suggestions on how this is done:

1. Improve the character of the work.
2. Deepen the piety, devotion and success of the workers.
3. Remove stones of stumbling, if possible.
4. Oil the wheels where they stick.
5. Amend whatever is defective.
6. Supplement, as far as may be, what is lacking.

As always, easier said than done.

Fatigue, Hard Work, and Leadership

“The spirit of the welfare state does not produce leaders. If a Christian is not willing to rise early and work late, to expend greater effort in diligent study and faithful work, that person will not change a generation. Fatigue is the price of leadership. Mediocrity is the result of never getting tired.”

J. Oswald Chambers

QUOTABLE

“An drop of grace is better than a sea of gifts”

John Flavel

My Comfort in Life and Death

That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ, who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

Heidelberg Catechism I – 3