January 2016 – Gospel Progress

2016-01-30

Not our own worst enemy

O God, my Savior, my hope is in you all the day long. Sustain me this day, until the last rays of the sun, until every task is done, until the head lies upon the pillow and the mind gives up its last waking thought.

Keep me from giving any occasion for taking offense in anything as we seek to reconcile everyone to you, to receive your saving grace. Let no fault be found in our service, no reason for rejection within us, no impurity of heart, no lack of love, no willfulness or stubbornness, no aversion to suffering for the kingdom, no selfishness or impatience in the task at hand.

Let our efforts not be destroyed by the enemy. Keep him far from us. Preserve us and through us produce fruit that remains. Work in us so that we are not our own worst enemy.

Keep us from entanglements with the world, partnerships with unbelievers, or any sort of fellowship with the darkness. Let us not be tempted to use the tools of unrighteousness to accomplish spiritual and heavenly goals. Help us refrain from bending biblical principles, sacrificing the truth of the gospel, or accepting less than holy practices.

Remind us that we are working with you and under your guidance, by your truth and power, expressing your love and mercy. Your goals are ours, your desires our motivation, your mission our task, your time our urgency.

Psa 25; 2 Cor 6

2016-01-29

We Confess the Armies’ Leader

God Almighty, only true and living
God, the Lord above all lords, forgiving,
Loving, moving sea and earth and heaven,
Power on high, restores the Garden of Eden.

Praising, we confess the armies’ Leader,
Angels marching, serving the believer,
Forces pressing, ever are they winning,
Spiritual strength to keep the saints from sinning.

Throne of glory, hear our supplication:
Rally to your people, save your nation;
Make us stand with firmest perseverance,
Faithful, waiting for the Son’s appearance.

2016-01-28

As I Shall Wish at the End I’d Done

Based on a prayer by Thomas a Kempis

What a day brings forth, who can tell?
So let me live as it were my last,
Indeed, might toll the grieving bell
Before this sun is gone and past.

Cause me now to live this day,
As I shall wish at the end I’d done;
When comes my time to steal away,
Let my regrets be few — or none! Continue reading “As I Shall Wish at the End I’d Done”

2016-01-27

The true value of guilt

Lord, help us to put feelings of guilt away, now that you have forgiven us in Christ.

When we sin, make us feel the weight of that guilt, and give us the desire to do what we must to have it forgiven, whether it be initial obedience of repentance and baptism, or the confession of sin and prayer. Continue reading “The true value of guilt”

2016-01-25

Tossed on the Sea as Froth

Psalm 44

In spite of what befalls us,
We don’t forget the Lord,
We’re true to him who calls us,
Not false to his covenant word.

Our hearts have kept the faith,
Our feet strayed not from the path,
Though tossed on the sea as froth,
Though we have felt his wrath.

Rouse yourself from sleep,
O Lord, we sink in the dust;
Raise us up from the deep,
In you, our King, we trust.

—JRMatheny

2016-01-24

Swallowed Pain

Lord, hear our inner groans,
our unseen suffering, silent
affliction, swallowed pain.

We see your cross of blood,
betrayal, dark and craven,
in agony, utterly alone.

We speak to One who knows
the depth of anguish, finding
in Him our meaning of peace.

2016-01-22

Embedded in Grace

Only two ways from which to choose,
The righteous way, which God approved,
The way of the wicked, to finally lose —
One swept away, the other unmoved.

My sole desire, to serve and walk
In the light of God, to praise and please,
To refuse the seat of those who mock,
Who seek the couch of selfish ease. Continue reading “Embedded in Grace”

2016-01-21

The World Is Rightly Ordered

The world is rightly ordered, the heavens and earth
Are not a random system. Man, from birth
To death, is gladly given sequential seasons.
We know (but often ignore) your sovereign reasons.

We thank you, God, for structured existence,
For measured time and space and distance,
For worship in Spirit and truth, for piety
That shutters doubt, for faith with certainty. Continue reading “The World Is Rightly Ordered”

2016-01-20

If left up to us

Left up to us, we’d have the Lord Jesus return today, O God. We want to go home. This life hold little interest to us. The glories of heaven are what we desire. To be with you is all we want. To go where there are no tears, no suffering, no death, no darkness — this is our keenest hope.

But we know you have a purpose for our time here, both for our salvation and perfection and for the salvation of others. You are preparing us for that eternal habitation with you. Continue reading “If left up to us”

2016-01-19

To pray as Jesus prayed

Father, let us live as Jesus lived, including his prayer life. He was consistent during his whole life, and finished as he began — in prayer:

at the table, giving thanks;
interceding for others, that their faith not fail;
placing his desires in the Father’s hand, but seeking above all his Father’s will;
praying for the forgiveness of others, in the midst of his own pain and suffering.

Continue reading “To pray as Jesus prayed”