How Awesome is That Day to Me

How awesome is that day to me-
O day of hallowed history!
Set time in God’s determined plan
To sacrifice the Son of Man.
What famous work that day was done
By Jesus Christ, His Perfect Son!
The Second Adam, sent to save,
Humbly obeying to the grave!

How savage is that day to me-
O day of pure brutality!
When Christ, the Son of God Most High,
Was fiercely whipped and hung to die.
And O the horror of my sin,
Seen there in His appalling skin!
For God struck down- as meant for me-
The sinless One, at Calvary.

How precious is that day to me-
O day of purchased liberty!
In Him, a freeman now I live;
My sins, through death, did God forgive.
No wrath at length looms o’er my head,
But lovingkindness there instead.
His righteousness, my guilt replaced,
And Love, this ransomed soul embraced!

O awesome, savage, precious day-
‘Tis God the Savior on display!
What peerless, holy, gracious Mind
Would fashion such a Grand Design?

By Kevin Hartnett, September 2001

I know it’s a few days late, but Happy New Year to all of you! I pray that it is a fruitful year for you – spiritually, emotionally, athletically, hypothetically, salvifically, and superfluously. Here is a great passage of scripture that I’ve been meditating on, and it is fitting for all of us as we start the year off. It’s the first chapter of the Psalms, and it should be the first chapter of our lives in 2010:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1:1-6

May Christ richly dwell in you in 2010… God bless.

Hat Tip: LosWhit (RagamuffinSoul.com)

Recently, we began reading Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. This book was written years ago, and both myself and Tim had already read it in the past. But we thought that it could be helpful to go through it once again, together as a team.

The book tells the story about the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a church in New York City. This church has been incredibly influential in the community, and God has used its music to make a difference globally. It has grown to become one of the largest churches in the US. The amazing thing about the story of success how simple they kept things.

Jim Cymbala, founding pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle and author of the book, discusses many things that worked in getting the ministry going. But it all came back to one simple element: prayer. It seems that almost on every page, prayer is mentioned or highlighted again and again.

The church prayed. The pastors prayed. The choir prayed. Everyone was praying! And God blessed those prayers in an incredible way.

He talked about the effectiveness of prayer and how it was one of Satan’s key targets against our spiritual life:

Satan’s main strategy with God’s people has always been to whisper, “Don’t call on God to do great things. You’ll get along fine if you just rely on your own cleverness and energy.”

Pin drop. Drip, drip, drip…

That silence was my response when I read that paragraph. Why? Because I am guilty of this FAR TOO OFTEN.

He goes on further:

The truth of the matter is that the devil is not terribly frightened of our human efforts and credentials. But he knows his kingdom will be damaged when we lift up our hearts to God.

This book really caused some introspection. I pray, but do I really pray? Am I regularly on my face before God lifting up the needs of my family, my friends, our people? I need to be. It isn’t an option – it is an essential.

Every pastor wants his church to be a praying church, but it must start with him. If prayer is an essential to the pastor – something that fuels him and gives him passion and perspective – it will be contagious to the congregation. If pastors don’t pray, churches won’t pray. If our churches aren’t praying, we’re in serious trouble.

Check out this zinger by Cymbala on the subject:

If our churches don’t pray, and if people don’t have an appetite for God, what does it matter how many are attending the services? How would that impress God? Can you imagine the angels saying, “Oh your pews! We can’t believe how beautiful they are! Up here in heaven, we’ve been talking about them for years. Your sanctuary lighting – it’s so clever…” I don’t think so.

As I read this book again, God has challenged my heart in this area – big time. I hope I can be the type of pastor that leads out in this area in such a way that those around me catch a unwavering passion for it as well. After all, what is more important to a human soul than communication with God?

Get a copy of the book by clicking here.

Read a bio on Jim and Carol Cymbala here.

You would have thought him to be a god.

But a recent Wall Street Journal article says that his popularity is “falling to earth.”

WSJ writers Douglas Schoen and Scott Rasmussen wrote an intriguing piece on the subject of presidential approval ratings, and the findings from their research would surprise many:

Polling data show that Mr. Obama’s approval rating is dropping and is below where George W. Bush was in an analogous period in 2001. Rasmussen Reports data shows that Mr. Obama’s net presidential approval rating — which is calculated by subtracting the number who strongly disapprove from the number who strongly approve — is just six, his lowest rating to date.

In addition, the research revealed that he is losing any support that he promised to attain through a presidency of bipartisanship:

Overall, Rasmussen Reports shows a 56%-43% approval, with a third strongly disapproving of the president’s performance. This is a substantial degree of polarization so early in the administration. Mr. Obama has lost virtually all of his Republican support and a good part of his Independent support, and the trend is decidedly negative.

Now I am not one who desires for our president to fail, but I am glad that he is losing his immortality. Nebuchadnezzar, David, Ahab, Ahasuerus, and many other kings in the Bible had to learn this lesson the hard way. There was and is only one King who has proven Himself to be Messiah, and I have a hunch that it is going to stay that way.

There’s something for all of us to learn here, though, and not just our president. The reason why we have any positions of authority is not because we deserve it. It is because the Lord has allowed us the privilege of having them. I am reminded of a passage in Daniel (interpreting the king’s dream) that puts this all in perspective:

It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. Daniel 4:24-25

You can get to the original article from the WSJ here.

Hat tip to Peter D’Souza for finding it.

But this shows the audacity of the human race. In our fallen state, we have somehow landed in an era in which we think it is okay to play God. God alone gives life, and it is a shame that we have allowed ANY society to make even an attempt at His role as Life-Giver.

We’ve allowed our selfish ambitions to throw ethics out the window.

In Genesis, God gave man the opportunity to be “fruitful and multiply and fill the earth”, but I really don’t think He meant that cloning was the way to do this.

Nehemiah 9:6 tells us: You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

God help us… We are a foolish generation.

You can see the original article here.