Bello, sorry for the long break

Hallo, folks! It's been a while. A lot has been going on. I'm dealing with some health issues right now that are leaving me with a fair amount of pain that comes and goes. I don't know what's going on, but GOD is faithful. I don't have much to say right now, but I covet your prayers.

If you remember to pray for me, please don't worry so much about the pain; I trust GOD's plan, and I know that HE is using this to sanctify me. Healing or comfort will come in HIS timing. More, please pray that I would be turning to HIM more and more each day, and would be daily changed into HIS image. I want to deal with this pain, whether it is short term or long term, mild or agonizing, in such a way as to honor my SAVIOR with it. It is a precious opportunity to be reminded of my daily need for HIM, and a powerful tool to sanctify me. Please pray that I submit to HIS will to be being sanctified into HIS image.

Here is a precious hymn I want to share with you all. This was written by a man in far worse circumstances than I, but he expressed a beautiful faith in GOD in 'impossible' circumstances. I hope that one day, I might have such a profound faith as well.

"Blessed Redeemer"

I was looking through one of the hymnals we have today, an older red hymnal, and I stumbled upon this fantastic hymn written by Avis Marguerite Burgeson Christiansen in 1920.

Image pulled from: "Blessed Redeemer (Christiansen)". Cyberhymnal.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 11 July 2016.

A little more research into the background of this hymn writer;
She was born in 1895, Chicago Illinois, into a home that was very much devoted to serving the LORD, and at a young age she gave her life to the LORD. At the age of 10 she was inspired by her godly grandmother and wrote her first poem, and in her teens she began seriously writing hymns. Throughout her life these poems would be inspired by her wonder of the Gospel and of Salvation, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude to GOD. She studied Scripture at Moody Evening School, and she drew from her training there to create deep theologically sound hymns.

She later met Ernest C. Christiansen, and they were married in 1917. Despite the responsibilities she had as a busy housewife, she never stopped writing her hymns. By the time of her Death in 1985 she had written thousands of hymns, many of which we still sing today.

Here are a few of her hymns;

• Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
• Jesus! Wonderful Name!
• Victory in Jesus
• What Must I Do?
• How Can It Be?

But today, we're looking at "Blessed Redeemer."
~~~

Up Calvary’s mountain, one dreadful morn,

Walked Christ my Savior, weary and worn;

Facing for sinners death on the cross,

That He might save them from endless loss.

Refrain:

Blessèd Redeemer! Precious Redeemer!

Seems now I see Him on Calvary’s tree;

Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading,

Blind and unheeding—dying for me!

“Father forgive them!” thus did He pray,

E’en while His lifeblood flowed fast away;

Praying for sinners while in such woe

No one but Jesus ever loved so.

Refrain

O how I love Him, Savior and Friend,

How can my praises ever find end!

Through years unnumbered on Heaven’s shore,

My tongue shall praise Him forevermore.

Refrain

~~~~~~~~~~

Isn't it wonderful?! I love it! It's a fantastic hymn! Here's the free sheet music for it: Blessed Redeemer Sheet music. It's a different key than the one I play, but I think you can still use it.

Anyhow, isn't that a wonderful hymn! I love finding hymns that tell the Gospel! So many hymns are about us, but this, this one is about HIM! Fantastic! It's right, too! I was blind! I was unheeding! I was a wretched sinner! But JESUS died for me! What an amazing thought! 

Why didn't we grow up with such hymns as these, that look at the cross in awe? I grew up in the church, but so few hymns that we sang portrayed the Gospel! And even in this hymn, we only see a tiny piece of what HE did. There is always more to learn of the Gospel! It's marvelous!

So, I just thought I'd share this with you! Cheerio! 

"No Not Despairingly"

Right now, I am really treasuring an old hymn, and I just wanted to share it with you all. The author of the hymn is Horatius Bonar.

Horatius Bonar was born in Scotland in 1808. He was born into a long line of ministers, who had all together, through their combined life times, served a total of 364 years as ministers. He also became a minister, and is best known for his prolific hymn writing. He wrote over 150 hymns, which include;

• I Heard the Voice of JESUS Say
• HE is Risen
• Let Us Draw Near
• Safe Across the Waters

And many many others. However, the one that is resting most heavily on my mind right now is "No, Not Despairingly." Here are its lyrics:

~~~

No, not despairingly come I to Thee;
No, not distrustingly bend I the knee:
Sin hath gone over me, yet is this still my plea,
Jesus hath died.

Ah! mine iniquity crimson hath been,
Infinite, infinite—sin upon sin:
Sin of not loving Thee, sin of not trusting Thee—
Infinite sin.

Lord, I confess to Thee sadly my sin;
All I am tell I Thee, all I have been:
Purge Thou my sin away, wash Thou my soul this day;
Lord, make me clean.

Faithful and just art Thou, forgiving all;
Loving and kind art Thou when poor ones call:
Lord, let the cleansing blood, blood of the Lamb of God,
Pass o’er my soul.

Then all is peace and light this soul within;
Thus shall I walk with Thee, the loved Unseen;
Leaning on Thee, my God, guided along the road,
Nothing between.

~~~

What a treasure this hymn has been to me. So comforting. Yes, I'm a sinner. Yes, I'm wretched beyond imagination, but this...this one thing, one blessed thing, is my plea before GOD; JESUS has died. And it's enough. HE is enough.

 Oh, I pray that I can learn to trust HIM, to wholly lean on HIM instead of myself. I'm so prideful, so focused on my ability. So many times I think, "If only I prayed more...." or "If only I read my Bible more..." then GOD would accept me and I would affirm my salvation. But NO! Nothing I can do can add to the salvation GOD has given me. No work of mine can make me any more saved. NO! Such thoughts degrade the perfect work of CHRIST. Such thoughts stem from my pride and thinking I can save myself! NO, I cannot!

All my righteous deeds are like filthy rags! All my good works are like a pig's wallow! There is nothing righteous in me! The WORD of GOD says that we are to love the LORD our GOD with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and that is the greatest commandment. And yet, wretched me, I cannot even perfectly love HIM with even one aspect of my being for a single second! How could I save myself when I cannot keep HIS command to love HIM perfectly for even a second? No!

THIS must be my one, saving plea, "Jesus has died." THAT is what my trust must be in. THAT is what my hope must be in. Why? Because there is nothing in me, no single molecule of my being that can keep the law of GOD perfectly. There is nothing perfect I can do. It all depends on HIM, and on HIS work! Entirely on HIM.

And from my gratitude for HIS great love, HIS great sacrifice, and from the new creation that HE has made me to be comes the change that we call sanctification. And daily, HE is working in me to make me reflect HIS glory to the world, and HE has promised that HE will bring this work to completion. Thus, HE is my sole sustainer, the AUTHOR and PERFECTER of my faith. It is all in HIS hands.

Because my hands are so weak. My flesh is so sinful. My desires so wicked. Yes, I try, but the victory can only come from HIM. And this I continuously forget and need to be reminded of daily.  Thanks be to GOD, HE gives me, the vile wretch that I am, mercy every day. What an amazing GOD we serve.