PASSOVER--- SPIRITUAL SONGS #8

 Yield Not to Temptation

Horatio Palmer, 1834 -1907

Yield not to temptation, For yielding is sin; Each victory will help you Some other to win . ..

"Yield Not to Temptation" was written shortly after the Civil War. Horatio Palmer, a professional musician, said the song came to him as "an inspiration." His recollection of the day draws a stark contrast between musical theory and music.

I was at work on the dry subject of "Theory" when the complete idea flashed upon me, and I laid aside the theoretical work and hurriedly penned both words and music as fast as I could write them. I submitted them to the criticism of a friend afterward, and some changes were made in the third stanza.

In Palmer's explanation ("I laid aside the theoretical work") I see hints of a larger reality: our Christian faith will never "be music" to anyone's ears if we do not get beyond theories—the details of doctrines or traditions. But there's more.

We need to get beyond the momentary "flash" of insight or feeling and test our faith in the real world.

Palmer lived in an era when the church was willing to sing itself a real, not theoretical, challenge. A lot has changed since then, including church music. Tim Stafford noticed this recently, as he perused a section of a sixty-year-old hymnbook. He was startled at "how different these hymns are from any my church sings today. We sing praise songs and hymns, sweet words of love for God, but we have few of these bracing 'sermons in song.' "

Stafford ultimately stings his reader, concluding that we do not sing many bracing sermons because "we are too fat and too comfortable We do not want to be saints or heroes."

A life of faith involves more than hearing or singing "sweet words of love for God." Maybe we need to revive the sentiment of Palmer's musical sermon: "Yield not to temptation."

Brace yourself; Palmer starts his challenge in a commanding tone: Yield not. Fight onward. Shun the evil. Disdain the bad. Be earnest. One gets tired thinking about the effort it takes to stay the course and live by biblical restraints: "Don't grumble against each other" (James 5:9); "Put off falsehood" (Ephesians 4:25); "He who has been stealing must steal no longer" (Eph-esians 4:28); "Don't show favoritism" (James 2:1). Not to mention the baser prohibitions. The list is long, even if one reads only the New Testament epistles. Yes, sometimes I'd rather stick to the theory of restraint and not actually practice it.

Ultimately we all have to make a personal choice. Do we really want to resist temptation? Do we really want to be holy—say nothing of heroic?

For those of us who can answer yes, Palmer provides something more than a terse "buck up." Ultimately Palmer's song is reminiscent of a seventeenth-century exhortation by Penelon, who said that there are "two things that we can do against temptations. The first is to ... [avoid] all exposure to temptation." (He further clarifies that not all temptations can be avoided.) Our second defense, he continues, "is to turn our eyes to God in moments of temptation, to throw ourselves immediately upon the protection of heaven, as a child, when in danger, flies to the arms of its parent." And such heavenly help is the overriding theme of Palmer's gospel song refrain:

Look ever to Jesus, he will carry you through. Ask the Savior to help you, Comfort, strengthen, and keep you; He is willing to aid you, He will carry you through.

The choice is ours. We can live in the world of religious theory, never testing our faith.We can choose to "avoid" tempting situations. We can choose to brace ourselves and "yield not." But the sermon isn't complete without the reassurance that we are not stranded, abandoned in our resistance to the tempter. "God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Maybe being a saint isn't as formidable as we fear.

Lord, give me your strength in the face of temptation.

From the book "Spiritual Moments with the Great Hymns" by Evelyn Bence.

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Yes, that is what the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread is about, well one of the themes of the Feast for sure. Sad to say many of the large [maybe no so large] churches today are places where people go to be entertained, a theatrical show.....why most of them do not carry a Bible, and often dress as if going to a ball game or the beach, or going to do the chores on the farm or ranch. Now going to church in chore clothes is fine if you have nothing else, but the fact is 99 percent do have "something else" other than chore clothes. Sloppy outward appearance is often indicative of sloppy inside character and sloppy reading of the Bible, if anyone is reading it at all, let alone studying it.

Keith Hunt

1. Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
   Each vict’ry will help you some other to win;
   Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;
   Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.
   • Refrain:
     Ask the Savior to help you,
     Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;
     He is willing to aid you,
     He will carry you through.
2. Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,
   God’s name hold in rev’rence, nor take it in vain;
   Be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true;
   Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.
3. To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown,
   Through faith we will conquer, though often cast down;
   He who is our Savior, our strength will renew;
   Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.

PASSOVER--- SPIRITUAL SONGS #7

 I Know Whom

I Have Believed

Daniel W. Whittle,     -1901

"I know not why God's wondrous grace To me he hath made known, Nor why—unworthy—Christ in love Redeemed me for his own.

But 'I know whom I have believed, And am persuaded that he is able To keep that which I've committed Unto him against that day.'"

I find two versions of the spiritual conversion of Daniel Whittle....

One conversion story claims Whittle found God during the Civil War. Captured and held in a Confederate prison, he started to read the New Testament his mother had handed him three years before when he had joined the Union army. (The other account details a pre-War rebirth in the womblike setting of a walk-in vault at a Chicago Wells Fargo Bank where he was employed.)

Major Whittle, as he came to be known after being decorated as a hero, didn't write "I Know Whom I Have Believed" until 1883, when he was a popular traveling evangelist. The song's five verses show some originality, but the repeating refrain is taken directly from the King James translation of 2 Timothy 1:12.

And that refrain makes me prefer the war-story conversion: a parent's faith and action having a direct impact on a son or daughter.

This preference is tied to the significance Whittle's song holds for one mother, named Dorotha. Her children are grown and parents, even grandparents, themselves. But, she says, "when they were teenagers and rebelling or coming home with problems, I would sing and sing 'I Know Whom I Have Believed,' especially one line.- 'and persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him....' I had committed my children to him-—-as babies and then every day-—-and I chose to believe that he would 'keep' them."

That Scripture song steadied Dorotha's perspective, kept her faith focused on what God was able to do, as she continually committed her life and offspring to him. And God was faithful. She now boasts of her youngest great-grandchild, born to missionary parents.

You see why I like the story of Mother Whittle sending her son off to war, a prayer on her lips, a Bible in his pack, a legacy that would lead to his own salvation and to a confident testimony that would encourage other parents for generations.

Writing about Whittle's song has sent me to 2 Timothy 1, to read the context of the emphatic "I am persuaded that God is able to keep." The passage continues, in somewhat circular fashion urging readers themselves to "keep" (guard) "the good thing" (KJV) committed to them: "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit."

The Scripture isn't talking about parents guarding children, but the parallel seems appropriate, and I challenge you to team up with God as you raise—and eventually release—the children entrusted to you: Commit your children to him. Be persuaded that he is able to keep them. In faith look to the Spirit for help as together you guard the younger generation— your faith being a shield to protect their journey to their eternal home.

Lord, increase my faith as I daily commit my children-—-young or grown—-to your keeping. Guide their steps. Guard their path. Draw them to yourself.

From the book "Spiritual Moments with the Great Hymns" by Evelyn Bence.

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The Passover is all about knowing whom we have believed, and that He will indeed keep that which we have committed unto Him against that day of His return and our glorification.

Keith Hunt

1. I know not why God’s wondrous grace
   To me He hath made known,
   Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
   Redeemed me for His own.
   • Refrain:
     But “I know Whom I have believed,
     And am persuaded that He is able
     To keep that which I’ve committed
     Unto Him against that day.”
2. I know not how this saving faith
   To me He did impart,
   Nor how believing in His Word
   Wrought peace within my heart.
3. I know not how the Spirit moves,
   Convincing men of sin,
   Revealing Jesus through the Word,
   Creating faith in Him.
4. I know not what of good or ill
   May be reserved for me,
   Of weary ways or golden days,
   Before His face I see.
5. I know not when my Lord may come,
   At night or noonday fair,
   Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
   Or meet Him in the air.

PASSOVER--- SPIRITUAL SONGS #6

AMAZING  GRACE

John Newton, 1725 -1807

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch-like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind but now I see.

Aging baby boomers have claimed "Amazing Grace" as their unofficial anthem. This favor is a recent phenomenon. A 1950 hymnology textbook, for instance, gave six pages to the life and work of hymn writer John Newton but never mentioned, his autobiographical "Amazing Grace." In 1975 Joan Baez urged her audience to join her as she sang the "traditional" song; to make things easy, she lined out the verses, giving the words phrase by phrase, even for the first verse. These days that's no longer necessary; on tour, Judy Collins ends her concerts with this very song—knowing full well that her audience will join in without needing cues from the stage. The hymn was even featured at President Clinton's second inaugural ceremony.

Why has a song about the conversion of a "wretch soul like me"—about being lost then found, blind then sighted—-captured the heart of a generation that deems itself too enlightened to use the word sin? (One congregation asks God to forgive them their "negativity")

Part of the song's enchantment is its oft-told history.Folksingers, Christian musicians, evangelists, even Bill Moyers on public television—all have sketched Newton's dramatic spiritual transformation: God plucked a young degenerate slave-ship captain from a profane profession and set him on an exemplary path.

In midlife Newton was ordained an Anglican priest; he was an acclaimed hymn writer, and in his older years he influenced the political movement that would abolish the slave trade in the British Empire. It's the story cryptically told in "Amazing Grace," published when Newton was fifty-four:

'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.'

Newton's testimony kindles promise in aging idealists. If Newton could be transformed, there's hope for us. Not that we see ourselves, as wretched as he (few of us admit the depths of our own depravity), but then we haven't ever been able to locate and "get ourselves back to the garden." On the whole, the negativity remains. At middle age we can see that even our best intentions have caused harm, been skewed, gone awry. We're in trouble-—still-—-and we need help.

As a generational group we sense our need for grace-— sustaining if not saving-—-and yet we are very grateful for the lot of it we've preveniently received. "We never really believed that crawling under a school desk would protect us from any manner of missile. We hardly dared hope we'd ever be grandparents. But here we are, survivors—thanks to the amazing grace that has seen us through these many dangers, toils, and snares.

Previous generations have claimed other hymns as period anthems, notably songs challenging people to fight for a cause: "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" for Union sympathizers in the Civil War; "Onward Christian Soldiers" for Theodore Roosevelt campaign supporters and Allied soldiers in World War I.

And today, with a tentative truce in a long Cold War, a generation looks for a spiritual truce, a grace and peace that will carry them across a millennial divide. As they sing for grace, may they find John Newton's life-changing God.

At age eighty-two, facing life's greatest transition, Newton was still singing his graceful theme; just months before he died, he said, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savlor."

And maybe in time—who knows?—baby boomers will grasp these same two things.

He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.

Lord, make me aware of my sin. Make me equally aware of your amazing grace—the everyday graces of life and the grace of salvation.

From  the  book  "Spiritual Moments with the Great Hymns" by Evelyn Bence.

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If you have never seen the movie "Amazing Grace" about THE man and the men [including John Newton] behind the abolition of the British slave trade.....you need to see it, buy it, have it as part of your home library. It was made in 2006 - A Bristol Bay Production - 2007  Twentieth Century Fox - Should be able to find it on the Internet. Amazon.com surely will have it. 

As I read about John Newton and this wonderful spiritual  song, I can't get through without tears in my eyes. No matter how many or how few, how large or small, be our sins, we are sinners; but Jesus is a great savior who lived and died, so our sins could be washed away.

Keith Hunt

Amazing Grace Lyrics 

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound 
That saved a wretch like me. 
I once was lost, but now am found, 
Was blind, but now I see.  

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, 
And grace my fears relieved. 
How precious did that grace appear 
The hour I first believed.  

Through many dangers, toils and snares 
I have already come; 
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far 
And grace will lead me home.  

The Lord has promised good to me 
His word my hope secures; 
He will my shield and portion be, 
As long as life endures.  

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, 
and mortal life shall cease, 
I shall possess within the veil
A life of joy and peace.  

When we've been there ten thousand years 
Bright shining as the sun, 
We've no less days to sing God's praise 
Than when we've first begun.  

--John Newton, 1725-1807

PASSOVER--- SPIRITUAL SONGS #5

 A Wonderful Savior Is Jesus My Lord

Fanny Crosby, 1820-1915

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock That shadows a dry, thirsty land; He hideth my life in the depths of his love, And covers me there with his hand.

This summer my brother drove across the Rockies, 

taking time to enjoy the scenery. He says the sight of 

a deep cleft in a huge rock reminded him of this song 

written by Fanny Crosby.

Having seen at least the Front Range-—-and awesome nature film footage—I could appreciate his description. And then I stopped short, realizing the song had been written by a woman who had been blind from infancy. What was her understanding of being hidden in the cleft of a rock?

Actually, we know virtually nothing about the circumstances of the writing of these lyrics. Crosby churned out some nine thousand songs, many commissioned to fit a particular tune, many deservedly forgotten.

But this one remains in hymnals and in hearts. Providing assurance ... even building bridges over deep ravines.

Robert McIntyre of Marion, Indiana, tells of pastoring a church as a young man. His denomination valued the voice of the laity—to the point that once a year a congregation voted by ballot: do we want to retain or release the current pastor? Majority ruled—-though many thin-skinned pastors resigned, disgraced by just a hint of discontent.

Having pastored the slowly growing church for several years, Robert received the disconcerting news that he'd received a "call to stay"-—-but by a slim margin. Thin-skinned or not, he says, "a vote like that is not a good base for continuing constructive ministry." But "as I considered my response, I learned what had happened." The chair of the committee overseeing the vote had canvassed the membership, urging everyone to vote for change. Her reason? In Robert's words: "'Our pastor has too much education.We need someone like —-—-. Whereupon she would name a minister with virtually the same education as mine."

Robert sought the counsel of his district supervisor, who advised him not to resign. "That kind of activity should not be permitted to succeed."

Easy for him to say.

But Robert girded up his loins and stayed another year.

That summer, he admits, "I could not help but feel a tension toward the sister who had attempted, the coup."

Then, ... he led the congregation as they sang a song that had no obvious connection to the political discord. Nothing about church unity or forgiveness or being truehearted. Just the refreshing words of "He Hideth My Soul."

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

He taketh my burden away;

He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,

He giveth me strength as my day.

He hideth my soul in the clef of the rock

That shadows a dry, thirsty land;

He hideth my life in the depths of his love,

And covers me there with his hand.

But the Spirit used the song—this particular verse—to build the bridge that spanned the gulf between pastor and parishioner.

Buttressed by and enfolded in the love of God, Robert felt compelled "to step down from the platform and shake hands with members of the congregation, including 'the sister' in the second pew. (This was before the days of hugging in church.) Tears flowed freely. The tension (at least on my part) was gone."

Robert had several options in this difficult time. He could have carried gruff resentment on his shoulder. He could have ducked behind cars and into closets to avoid awkward encounters. But gracious community was restored—not as Robert vindicated himself or as he ran away but as he allowed himself to seek the refreshing shelter of the Savior, who gives strength, who upholds those who turn to him.

There was no human engineering behind this transformation of heart. Just God at work as someone was willing to let him.

I expect that's the way it was with Fanny Crosby—writing a song about a mountain crag when she'd never seen one. God at work, whispering to a heart.

In Unspoken Sermons George Macdonald poses a parishioner's question that might be Robert's or Fannys or yours: "But how can God bring this about in me?"

Macdonalds response speaks still: "Let him do it, and perhaps you will know how."

Lord, sometimes I'm aware only of the things I should do for you. Today open my eyes to things I've never seen before. Give me new insight regarding the innumerable things you do for me—-the ways you crown my moments with blessing. Being my Savior. Taking my burdens away. Holding me up. Giving me strength. Transforming my heart.

From the book "Spiritual Moments with the Great Hymns" by Evelyn Bence

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A Wonderful Savior Is Jesus My Lord,
A Wonderful Savior To Me;
He Hideth My Soul In The Cleft Of The Rock,
Where Rivers Of Pleasure I See.

He Hideth My Soul In The Cleft Of The Rock,
That Shadows A Dry, Thirsty Land;
He Hideth My Life In The Depths Of His Love,
And Covers Me There With His Hand,
And Covers Me There With His Hand.

A Wonderful Savior Is Jesus My Lord,
He Taketh My Burden Away,
He Holdeth Me Up And I Shall Not Be Moved,
He Giveth Me Strength As My Day.

He Hideth My Soul In The Cleft Of The Rock,
That Shadows A Dry, Thirsty Land;
He Hideth My Life In The Depths Of His Love,
And Covers Me There With His Hand,
And Covers Me There With His Hand.

With Numberless Blessings Each Moment He Crowns,
And Filled With His Fullness Divine,
I Sing In My Rapture, Oh, Glory To God!
For Such A Redeemer As Mine.

He Hideth My Soul In The Cleft Of The Rock,
That Shadows A Dry, Thirsty Land;
He Hideth My Life In The Depths Of His Love,
And Covers Me There With His Hand,
And Covers Me There With His Hand.

When Clothed With His Brightness Transported I Rise
To Meet Him In Clouds Of The Sky,
His Perfect Salvation, His Wonderful Love,
I’ll Shout With The Millions On High.

He Hideth My Soul In The Cleft Of The Rock,
That Shadows A Dry, Thirsty Land;
He Hideth My Life In The Depths Of His Love,
And Covers Me There With His Hand,
And Covers Me There With His Hand.

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PASSOVER--- SPIRITUAL SONGS #4

 Softly and Tenderly, Jesus Is Calling

Will L. Thompson, 1847-1909

Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling for you and for me; See on the portals he's waiting and watching, Watching for you and for me.

Come home.

Our hymnbooks are full of invitations.

Sometimes the songs request that God come to us. Sometimes they bid us to come home to him.

Written in 1880 by Will Thompson, an Ohio music-store owner and music publisher, this soft and tender invitation became a favorite at the turn-of-the-century revivals.

Nineteen years after the song's publication, Thompson visited a dying Dwight L. Moody-—-the premiere, nationally renowned evangelist of his day. Though visitors were restricted, Moody insisted that Thompson be allowed to come in. A reflective Moody, looking back over his persuasive ministry, his crowd-drawing preaching, gave Thompson the ultimate compliment:

"I would rather have written 'Softly and Tenderly,' than anything I have been able to do in my whole life." Thompson's song tugs at the heart.

Come home, come home, Ye who are weary, come home. Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling, O sinner, come home.

Another notable in Moody's circle of friends, gospel songwriter Fanny Crosby, once nudged a New York "Bowery bum" toward the Kingdom, piquing his interest by noting that "the sweetest words in our language or any other are mother, home, and heaven."

Come home. The invitation works for the dying: The choir of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church sang Thompson's classic at Martin Luther King's memorial service.

Time is now fleeting; the moments are passing . . . Shadows are gathering; deathbeds are coming, Coming for you and for me. Come home. Come home.

It works for the homesick. Cynthia Clawson's interpretation of the song winds hauntingly through the 1985 movie Trip to Bountiful, the story of an old woman's obsession: to escape Houston and her ditzy daughter-in-law and get back to her homestead in Bountiful, Texas. (I think of the William Wordsworth lines: "Homeless near a thousand homes I stood, And near a thousand tables pined and wanted food."

It works for the wayfaring. My colleague Peggy says she came to Christ, being drawn by Thompson's music as rendered in the Bountiful movie, which is ultimately a woman's journey to freedom. Not freedom from a daughter-in-law but freedom of spirit. Peggy recalls watching the movie when it was broadcast on TV.

"It was one of those serendipitous events. I turned on the TV and there were two women riding on a bus, talking. Believe it or not, the scene was compelling. Then came the song: 'Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, See on the portals he's waiting and watching,  Watching for you and for me.' The image flashed into my mind of Jesus standing on a rock beckoning me with soft and loving eyes. He was motioning to me with his right arm to come to him. He could not understand why I would not come and accept this love that was waiting, just for me. For weeks afterward I sang that song and tried to learn the words. I sang and cried while I did the dishes. I sang and cried while I folded the clothes. One day my husband started singing along. Startled, I asked him how he knew the words. He said it was an old hymn they sang in all the Baptist churches. (I had never heard it in a Catholic church.) I was amazed—right here in my own home was someone who could teach the words to me. 'How could you know this song and not sing it or share it?' I demanded. To him it was just another hymn among many. To me it evoked a personal call from Jesus to me to open my heart to him. It was the most beautiful music in the world:

O for the wonderful love he has promised . . . Though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon, Pardon for you and for me. Come home. Come home.

Fanny Crosby placed home among the most beautiful words in any language. And poet Wordsworth pictured God as being "our home."

Home, where the porch light is always on, beckoning. Not understanding why any homesick child would not come all the way in.

If you make the Most High your dwelling ...

then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

Psalm 91:9 -10

Lord, I have come to you as my home. And yet I know that you are always beckoning me further in. I open myself to you today. I hear your call to come home, past the parlor, into the kitchen to sit at your table.

From the book: "Spiritual Moments with the Great Hymns" by Evelyn Bence.

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Ah yes, the Passover is the time to draw close to Christ, to meditate on His love and mercy; a time to deeply think about sin, yes to remember we are sinners,  but also to be lifted up in praise and wonderment that Jesus gave His life so we could live forever in the Father's Kingdom. We are indeed saved by grace. If you have never studied my study called "Saved by Grace" on my website, then you need to do so. I feel it is one of the best and most important studies I was inspired to write.

I have posted that study above as I enter all this in April 2023.

Keith Hunt

JESUS  I  HAVE  PROMISED

John Ernest Bode, 1816 - 74

O Jesus, I have promised To serve thee to the end; Be thou forever near me, My Master and my Friend.

An Anglican clergyman, John Bode wrote this testimony of intent for the confirmation service of his daughter and two sons—the original poem (titled "A Hymn for the Newly Confirmed") reading "O Jesus, we have promised."

The bold beginning of this hymn reminds me of a camp-meeting testimony one never hears anymore: "I'm going to go all the way with Jesus." I'm going to be faithful to the end, till I die; God and you all can count on me, come hail or high water.

It also draws me to the gospel story of Peter's brash claim that he would never deny his Lord: "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will" (Matthew 26:33).

But as I take a closer look at Bode's pledge of fidelity, it does seem less rash than Peter's. Only four of Bode's original forty-eight lines describe "my promise" as opposed to God's provision. Its bravado is tamed by its humble request for help. God, I promise to serve you—to the end. And you—be at my side; be my guide and guardian; let me feel you; let me hear you.

Two "let me see you" verses are consistently deleted from our hymnals. One of these refers to Jesus' response to Peters broken promise.

O let me see . . .

The look that beamed on Peter

When he thy name denied;

The look that draws thy loved ones

Close to thy pierced side.

Lord, if I stumble, if I'm not faithful on some count, gently tug me back to and through repentance.

Peter didn't keep his rash promise. But his fall didn't keep him from making a more reasonable claim a week later, after Christ's resurrection. As the disciples finished a seaside breakfast, Jesus fired a question direcdy at a humbled Peter: "Do you truly love me?"

"Yes, Lord."

Then "take care of my sheep" (John 21:16). 

Then get up. We're going to keep walking—to the end. Follow me; serve me. In this conversation Jesus even gave Peter a hint of what his "end" was to be-—-a martyr's murder.

And empowered by the Spirit, Peter remained faithful. He saw his service through. For his children—and for us-—-Bode explains how:

My hope to follow duly Is in thy strength alone.

As I first looked at "O Jesus, I Have Promised," I saw it as a presumptuous testimony of intent. Oh, be careful little tongue what you promise. But I have softened my view. Thanks to Jesus' redemptive response to a humbling Peter. Thanks to Bode's graceful lines. I can see why it has been ranked high in polls of "favorite hymns." I can see why it was recendy sung at a funeral, as a testimony to the life of a generous, committed woman. She had made and by grace kept the promise.

And Jesus I have promised To serve thee to the end; O give me grace to follow, My Master and my Friend.

And in the end, she had staked a claim:

O Jesus, thou hast promised To all who follow thee That where thou art in glory There shall thy servant be.

O guide me, call me, draw me, Uphold me to the end; And then in heaven receive me, My Savior and my Friend.

Bode wrote a testimony to live by and die by. A prayer for the young and old. For tomorrow and today. For you and me.

Lord, make this testimony of intent the theme of my life.

From the book "Spiritual Moments with the Great Hymns" by Evelyn Bence.

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Jesus said, "He that shall endure to the end shall be saved." We must start on the road to salvation with Christ as our Passover sacrifice. And we must keep on the straight and narrow road to eternal life, with Jesus and the Father IN us ..... John 14:23; Gal.2:20. And yes in the last part we can change to "And when you come receive me, My Savior and my Friend."  If you didn't know it, to be correct with Scripture, we do not go to heaven, anytime, but heaven is coming to us, at the resurrection when Jesus returns. All that theological truth is on my website in many studies.

Keith Hunt