February 18, 2018

HYMN OF THE DAY
My Gospel

Thy mercy, My God, is the theme of my song
The joy of my heart, the boast of my tongue
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last
Hath won my affection and bound my heart fast.

For unworthy sinners my Lord bowed His head
For unworthy sinners He suffered and bled
My spirit rejoices, the work it is done
My soul is redeemed, and salvation is won!

Great God of mercies, Thy goodness I own
And the covenant of love of Thy glorified Son
All praise to the Saviour whose blood so divine
Sealed pardon and mercy and righteousness mine.

Great God of glory, how rich is Thy grace!
What wonderful love is revealed in Thy face!
Lord Jesus, Beloved, we’re washed in Thy blood
With hope we shall stand at the throne of our God.

Tune: “How Firm a Foundation” pg. 268

O WHAT A WRETCHED THING THIS FLESH IS!

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. – Romans 7:24, 25
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. – Galatians 5:17
Oh what a wretched thing this flesh is! It is the residence of corruption, unbelief, hate, deceit, and every other evil known to man. Who would want such neighbors living next to them. Yet, these vile tenants are not mere neighbors to the believer. No, they are much closer than mere neighbors: they occupy the same duplex. The believer is of two natures joined into one person: flesh and spirit. Spiritually, he is a new man, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. But he still possesses the same flesh he was born with, and the same "people" live there. These occupants of the fleshly side of our "duplex" are not considerate at all, having no respect whatsoever for the occupants of the spiritual side of the duplex. No sooner does the spirit mow the grass and weed the flower bed than the flesh dumps a bag of stinking garbage on the lawn. No sooner does the spirit sit down for an evening of quiet reflection and prayer than the flesh will throw a party, turning up the stereo of vile thoughts. Neither side of the duplex will ever find full satisfaction, nor there be any compromise. It will be a constant state of war for as long as the believer lives in this flesh. No wonder Paul wrote, "O, wretched man that I am." Thanks to God through Christ, He shall someday throw out the occupants on the other side, knock down the wall that separates the two sides, and the fruit of the Spirit, the occupants of the believer's soul, shall reside in BOTH sides, in one harmonious household! - Joe Terrell

He Is Not Ashamed To Call Them Brethren

This has to be one of the most blessed verses that a sorry, saved sinner can hear; that the Lord of Glory is not ashamed to call us brethren. O’ how ashamed we are of ourselves. As the Lord said through Ezekiel, after hearing of all that the Lord has and will do for us, “ye shall remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations” (Ezek.36:31). And yet, the Lord God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is not ashamed of those He died for; not ashamed of them, though they have shamefully sinned against Him and will do so again; nevertheless, He is not ashamed of them, for He knows their frame; He knows their hearts; He knows their spirits are willing but their flesh is weak. He knows they believe Him (He gave them the faith) though they often act and speak like they don’t. He knows they love Him (He gave them that love) though they sometimes act and speak like they don’t. He knows them, like a Father knows His child, like a brother knows His kin, like a husband knows His wife. He knows them better than they know themselves and so He is not ashamed to call them brethren. We can’t help but think of Joseph, when He revealed himself to his brethren; those sorry brothers who hated him, sold him, and forgot about him. But Joseph never forgot about them, and when the Lord brought them into Joseph’s hands, to do with them as he pleased, Joseph (a type of Christ), was not ashamed to own them as his brethren. Some of his first words to them were, “I am Joseph your brother”. . . And the fame thereof (Joseph was famous for love and mercy) was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brethren are come” (Gen.45:4,16).