Thursday 31 July 2014

IV

I love the Father
Because the Holy Spirit
Has come forth from Him.

Wednesday 30 July 2014

III

I love the Father
For when I was a sinner
He watched over me.

Tuesday 29 July 2014

II

I love the Father
Since His love brought me into
The divine family.

Monday 28 July 2014

I LOVE THE FATHER - I




A Few Photographs of Forvie National Nature Reserve, Scotland

I love the Father
Because His love did not spare
His beloved Son.


Sunday 27 July 2014

LOVE'S TRIUMPH

O Lord, with hearts adoring,
We travel back to see
Where love divine, unmeasured,
Expressed itself in Thee.

That  dark and lonely valley,
O'er which death's shadow fell;
The cross, where, ranged against Thee,
Stood all the powers of hell.

Oh, what a shroud of darkness
O'er all the scene was thrown;
Whilst Thou, the Light effulgent,
Dwelt in the grave, alone!

But bright indeed the dawning
Of resurrection's day -
Death's power for ever broken,
Sin's thraldom done away.

Now linked with Thee for ever,
In risen life we stand;
And, loved by Thee, we enter
E'en now the heavenly land.

Beneath Thy waving banner,
We sit, secure and free;
And view, with joy and wonder,
Love's triumph, Lord, in Thee!

Hymn by Thomas Willey

Saturday 26 July 2014

BIRTHDAY VERSES

(For Julian)

Extol the Name of Christ the Lord
In whom true life begins
The One who bore Gods judgement-stroke
And took away our sins.

Explain what He has done for you
To those who do not know
That they may find His blessings, too,
And with you learn and grow.

Exploit the blessing He provides
And seek to understand;
And as His Spirit helps and leads
Enjoy His heavenly land.

Exhibit features of His grace
Wherever you may go
Till features of your heavenly place
Shine while you are below.

Exhort His people to delight
In what the Father gives
As one who walks in paths of light
Who comforts and forgives.

Exalt the Lamb and sing His praise,
Rejoice in Him each day;
Pay heed to Him in all your ways,
Wait for Him, watch, and pray.

Tuesday 22 July 2014

DELIGHT

God acted that we might
Have Christ for our delight,
And now - how glorious! -
Christ finds delight in us!

Monday 21 July 2014

HEART

What a heart is the heart of Christ!
For in love for His God He came
To this earth to fulfil all the Fathers will
And to honour the Fathers name.

What a heart is the heart of Christ!
Think of all that He would incur -
None would turn Him aside till He won His bride:
He gave all that He had for her.

What a heart is the heart of Christ!
He will heed all His peoples plaints;
Till He takes us in love to His home above
He will cherish His blood-cleansed saints.

Sunday 20 July 2014

BLESSINGS

It is a great thing for the soul
To know that it is known of Christ;
For He has given it a role
From which it cannot be enticed
It knows a shepherds love will keep
It safe from danger as His sheep.

Discovered by the Spirits light
The soul will also find it great
To be not only clear and bright
But usable to circulate,
Reflecting, through abundant grace,
The glories of the Masters face!

How great that, after Gods embrace,
It knows that He is glad to bring
It into an eternal place,
Wearing the sandals, robe and ring:
It glorifies the God who runs
To welcome souls, and call them sons.

Saturday 19 July 2014

I LOVE TO SING OF JESUS

I love to sing of Jesus,
The Man who set me free,
The Son of God who loved me
And gave Himself for me.

He gave Himself to save me
And bore my penalty
Because the Man who loved me
Desired my company.

He died because He loved me,
He died to do Gods will;
As risen and ascended
My Saviour loves me still.

Hes coming soon to take me
To be before His face
To share His love and glory,
And celebrate His grace.

Friday 18 July 2014

HOW GREAT IS OUR MASTER

Christ came to the earth to take up our condition,
To rescue us sinners from death and disaster,
Redeeming by blood from mere human tradition
Whatever it cost Him: How great is our Master!

How vast was the muster of all thats unholy
To challenge the Saviour, but His power was vaster;
Amidst their deployment His conduct was lowly,
Yet love overthrew them: How great is our Master!

If mans power was evil and Satan vexatious,
Most sore was Gods sword stroke against Christ, our Pastor,
He bore it entirely because He is gracious:
His ransomed saints praise Him - How great is our Master!

Thursday 17 July 2014

MAN

Before the time when man fell into sin
God had another kind of Man in mind,
Suited in acts to what Gods loved designed
Because His mind conformed to Gods within.

Before mans reign of sinfulness and pride
God had another kind of Man in mind -
A lowly Man, unselfish, always kind,
On whom the Holy Spirit could abide.

Before my sinful nature showed its force
God had another kind of man in mind,
Who gave power to the lame, sight to the blind,
And in Himself answered my sinful course.

And now I learn - before the world began
Gods love and wisdom chose me in that Man.

Wednesday 16 July 2014

60th BIRTHDAY SONNET

The Centre holds: things do not fall apart
Because the Centre is the ascended Man
Whose work and worthiness secure our heart,
Who works all things to God's eternal plan.
If God confided everything to Him
Because He loves Him, we have confidence
Although the moment's outlook may seem dim,
The end will demonstrate His excellence.

Here He displayed the way we ought to go;
There He sustains in interceding love;
His Spirit guides us on the paths below
And soon we shall be with our Lord above.

So, as the wonder of God's ways unfolds
We trust in Jesus Christ: the Centre holds.



Written early today - my 60th birthday; 16 July 2014

Tuesday 15 July 2014

THE SAVIOUR

Oh praise the Saviour for His love
Which made Him take on blood and flesh
As come from realms which are above
To bring men back to God afresh.

Love brought Him to a world of sin
Which held men in captivity;
He worked in grace to bring men in
To righteousness and liberty.

Love led the Saviour to the tree
To bear sins judgement and atone
That sinners might be just and free,
Secured by Christ to be His own.

Victorious through all He endured
He sits upon the throne above:
We sing, as those He has secured,
Oh praise the Saviour for His love!

Monday 14 July 2014

PURPOSE

Gods purpose is that He should bless -
He blessed before the assault of sin
And blessed still though the fall came in:
But once sins challenge had begun
God showed the heart He would express
By blessing only in the Son.

Gods purpose is that He should dwell -
He intervened thus to reverse
Mans state since he had proved perverse;
He sent His Son to draw us near,
To cleanse our hearts, and to dispel
Mans need to hide from God in fear.

Gods purpose is that He should rule -
With all conforming to His will.
And in the time of faith, until
Christ intervenes as Judge and King
He rules among the people wholl
Share His reign over everything.

Sunday 13 July 2014

A PLACE BY ME

“Behold, there is a place by Me:
There shalt thou stand upon the rock”
For Jesus suffered to unlock
The blessings in God’s heart for thee.

To answer thy desire to see
God’s glory, now revealed in grace
Effulgently in Jesus’ face -
“Behold there is a place by Me!”

A scion of a noble stock
Of those who are the sons of light
Enter God’s realm for His delight,
“There shalt thou stand upon the rock”.

Saturday 12 July 2014

FORMATION


To Judas, sat among the twelve
To hear the Lords sublime narration
The word, because it dig not delve
Into him, was just information.

It delved in Peter, found the rock,
Establishing a fresh creation,
Staunchly withstanding Satans shock
Since what it built was Gods formation

Be as I am! Paul could exclaim
Because the Lord in exaltation
Had filled his sight till he could claim
He was like Christ by conformation.

Friday 11 July 2014

QUESTIONS

How shall this be? the virgin asked
When told of how she had been tasked.
The Spirit Gabriel said, shall be
On thee, and power will shadow thee.

Where is the King? the magi said,
Expecting some soft royal bed;
His star led to the Lord of all
Laid in a manger in a stall.

Who then is this? whispering in awe
Those on the sea with Jesus saw
The calm His speaking spread abroad
And recognised the Son of God.

When shall He die? the world replied,
Only content when Jesus died;
Yet we can gladly understand
The time, and death, were in Gods hand.

Why dost thou weep? The risen Man
In care that was not other than
Care shown before - while now He could
Bring saints into new realms of good.

What shall I do? the jailed called,
Fearing as one whom sin enthralled;
No longer fearful and depraved,
Through faith in Jesus he was saved.

Thursday 10 July 2014

WHEREWITHAL

God gives His saints the wherewithal
To answer to the heavenly call.

Wednesday 9 July 2014

ASCENDED

Like someone who has fought and won
So that peace reigns for all his own
Christ, with His work for sinners done,
Sits now upon the Father’s throne.

As the sun’s warmth and vigour beam
From its pavilion in the sky
The Father had the Spirit stream
From Christ as glorified on high.

As Israelites could hear the bells
On Aaron in the holiest place
So, as the Holy Spirit tells,
We know Christ acts as Priest through grace.

As a rich king delights to give
Favour and grace where he resides
The Lord is glad that we should live
In blessings from where He abides.

Here on the earth from which His life
Was taken, and men thought Him dead,
The Lord now has His faithful wife
Linked to Him as her heavenly Head.

The Bridegroom waits to take His Bride
Who with the Spirit lifts her voice,
“Lord Jesus, come”; and at His side
In love’s delight they will rejoice.

He will come out as Conqueror
With all His saints, establish peace,
Heal nations, and abolish war,
Giving this groaning earth release.


Tuesday 8 July 2014

WONDERS

A long dispensation of mercy and grace
Which comes from a Man in a heavenly place,
Where all of God’s glory is seen in His face -
What wonders have come from the death of the Lord!

The sinners secured from sins, dwelling in night,
And given a place in the kingdom of light,
Who will through eternity be God’s delight -
What wonders have come from the death of the Lord!

The saints where the Spirit of God can abide,
Conjoined by His presence and work as Christ’s bride,
One fit to continually be at His side -
What wonders have come from the death of the Lord!

The Name of the Father has now been revealed
To sons, whom the Spirit of God thus has sealed,
Who give to the Father one-hundred-fold yield -
What wonders have come from the death of the Lord!

Monday 7 July 2014

CENTRED

Around the holiest place where all was dark
And seen by the high priest just once a year
God had a system centred in the ark.

But now since light has shone to cast out fear
God has a system centred in one Man
Through whom His grace and love to men appear.

According to His past eternal plan
God has a system centred in His Christ
Whose worth was known before the worlds began.

Since against sin Christ’s sacrifice sufficed
God has a system centred in His Son,
Whose value before God cannot be priced.

Thus God delights that all He has begun
Centres in Him by whom the work was done.

Sunday 6 July 2014

RELATIONSHIPS

He could have been the Healer of His saints
And that relationship would have been fine
When they found grace and power that were divine
Removed their ills and answered their complaints;
He could have been the One who cleansed the taints
Of sin, and used His chastening to refine
Reluctant souls; holding them to His line
He could have been One binding by constraints.

And He is all of these; and many more
Relationships of blessing or of claim
Direct our hearts to worship and adore,
Conscious of His transcendent, holy Name;
Yet how much grander that He chose to gather
Us as His sons, and took the place of Father.

Saturday 5 July 2014

VOYAGE

God is working in the Son
And the Son is His ideal;
Through the one who set the keel
He has made the vessel run.

He through whom the voyage begun
Will unlade the laden creel:
God is working in the Son
And the Son is His ideal.

Soon the journey will be done
And the morning will reveal
Christ’s eternal fresh appeal;
Till that verdant shore is won
God is working in the Son.