Memory Verse

Psalm 23

Hymns

Live Out Thy Life Within Me

1.
Live out Thy life within me, O Jesus, King of kings!
Be Thou Thyself the answer to all my questionings;
Live out Thy life within me, in all things have Thy way!
I, the transparent medium, Thy glory to display.

2.
The temple has been yielded, and purified of sin,
Let Thy Shekinah glory now shine forth from within,
And all the earth keep silence, the body henceforth be
Thy silent, gentle servant, moved only as by Thee.

3.
Its members every moment held subject to Thy call,
Ready to have Thee use them, or not be used at all,
Held without restless longing, or strain, or stress, or fret,
Or chafings at Thy dealings, or thoughts of vain regret.

4.
But restful, calm and pliant, from bend and bias free,
Awaiting Thy decision, when Thou hast need of me;
Live out Thy life within me, O Jesus, King of kings!
Be Thou the glorious answer to all my questionings.

This week’s featured hymn is “Live Out Thy Life Within Me” by Frances Havergal. This beautiful hymn takes the position that our life is entirely for the Lord to live through and leads us to a place of full surrender in all things to the Lord.

In the first verse, we beseech Jesus, the King of Kings, whose worth far surpasses any earthly glory, to live out His life within us. There is a recognition that only a life that is lived for the Lord is worth living. The statement, “Be Thou Thyself the answer to all my questionings”, shows us that every whisper of doubt within or questioning of our circumstances can find its answer in the Lord Himself. Eyes that are set on the King of Kings can never be disappointed. I am reminded of Psalm 123, where the eyes of the psalmist are lifted up to the Lord, just as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, until He has mercy upon him.

The rest of the hymn paints a touching picture of a life that is yielded to the Lord. We are His “silent, gentle servant, moved only as by Thee.” It is easy to talk a lot and move ahead of the Lord, assuming that we know what is best in serving Him. May we never move ahead of the Lord, but may we wait silently and gently, until He shows us His way. In verse 3, Havergal furthers this thought that we are ready to be used by the Lord – or not be used at all. Only a life that is absolutely yielded to Him could say this: we don’t know if the Lord will choose to use us in a certain time or place, but we can be ready as willing vessels, satisfied to let Him have His perfect way.

This is true rest and peace, when our life is just for Jesus. The end of verse 3 and beginning of verse 4 show us that we have no more restless longings, but are instead restful, calm, and pliant. I treasure the thought that we can each have lives such as this, turning constantly to Him as the glorious answer to all our questionings.

As you sing this hymn (and I encourage you to sing it), may the words and tune lead you more and more deeply into the presence of the Lord. I pray that as we abide in His presence, our offering of our lives would send such a sweet fragrance up to our King of Kings.

— Shulamite Konopinski

Therefore With Joy

1.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water
Out of the wells of salvation.
And in that day shall ye say,
Praise the Lord. (x2)

Chorus 1
Call Upon His name,
Declare His doings among the people,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion:
For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee!

2.
And in that day, O thou shalt say,
O Lord, I will praise Thee:
For all Thine anger is turned,
You comfort me.
Behold, my God is my salvation;
And I will trust, and not be fearful:
For the Lord is my strength and my song;
And He also is become my salvation.

Chorus 2
Sing unto the Lord; for He hath done excellent things:
And yes, this is known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion:
For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee!

I was inspired by last week’s message about Isaac and his digging of wells. It is so good that we also can be those in the midst of the promised land who dig for wells and find a rich enjoyment of Christ and His refreshing Spirit.

Many of us are probably familiar with the song ‘Therefore With Joy’ (and I also have found that there is a number of different ways that people sing it, so please do not be disgruntled with the way I chose!). But maybe you are not aware that the lyrics are directly quoting Isaiah 12 word for word from the KJV! So not only is the song very enjoyable and Scriptural, but it is also a great way to memorize the Bible!

I have enjoyed this song for years, and I always wanted to set the other verses of Isaiah 12 to the same melody. One of the benefits of lockdown is that we have our time available to us in a different way, so I finally got around to doing it this week. So I hope you can also enjoy the new addition to this old classic. I do want to note that the additions are not quite as word-for-word like the first half of the song, but I tried to find the balance between singability and accuracy, so it will hopefully still be an enjoyable way to get into the Word.

Praise the Lord! We can draw water from the wells of salvation! WITH JOY!!! Praise the Lord that all His anger has turned away, and now He comforts us with His love, mercy, presence, and salvation. Cry out and shout! For GREAT is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!

— Ian Konopinski

There is a Fountain (for the Lord’s Table)

1.
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.

2.
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.

3.
E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.

4.
When this poor lisping, stamm’ring tongue
Lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save.

Children’s Content

Song

Coloring Page

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Message

Choosing God Who Chose Us

Romans 9:10-13
¹⁰ And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, ¹¹ though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— ¹² she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

Genesis 25:21-34
²¹ And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²² The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. ²³ And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the older shall serve the younger.”

²⁴ When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. ²⁶ Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

²⁷ When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. ²⁸ Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

²⁹ Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. ³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) ³¹ Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” ³² Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” ³³ Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Hebrews 12:16-17
¹⁶ that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷ For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

Deuteronomy 21:17
¹⁷ but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.

Prayer

Lord thank you for the church’s testimony to the world through these dark days. Make the testimony of the church shine brighter! May the saints love one another and be more firm in their stand for your purpose.  May the saints display your wisdom to the world in establishing your church. Keep us all safe and bless those who are serving the sick of the world.

A message for your enrichment throughout the week

visions and revelations: message 5
The Shepherds in the Field