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He Maketh No Mistake | Do You Love Me? |
| A Soldier's Prayer | Paul's Thorn in the Flesh | |
| The Perfect Rose | The Master Carpenter | |
| It is Well with My Soul Lake Applet |
History of the Hymn and the Spaffords |
He Maketh No Mistake
Author Unknown
y Father's way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache;
But in my soul I'm glad to know
He maketh no mistake.
y cherished
plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away;
But still I'll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way.
hough
night be dark,
And it may seem
That day will never break,
I'll pin my faith, my all, on Him;
He maketh no mistake.
here's
so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight's far too dim;
But come what may, I'll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.
or by and by
the mist will lift,
And plain, it all, He'll make;
Through all the way,
Though dark to me, He made not one mistake.
And I answered,
"It would be tough, Lord, but I would still love You."
Then the Lord said,
"If you were blind, would you still love My creation?"
How could I love something without being able to see it?
Then I thought of all the blind people in the world,
And how many of them still loved God and His creation.
So I answered,
"It's hard to think of it, but I would still love You."
The Lord then asked me,
"If you were deaf, would you still listen to My Word?"
How could I listen to anything, being deaf?
Then I understood. Listening to God's Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts.
I answered,
"it would be tough, but I would still listen to Your Word."
The Lord then asked,
"If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?"
How could I praise without a voice?
Then it occurred to me,
God wants us to sing from our very heart and soul.
It never matters what we sound like.
And praising God is not always with a song,
But also when we are persecuted.
We give God praise with our words of thanks.
So I answered,
"Though I could not physically sing, I would still praise Your Name."
"Then why in times of peace do you stray the furthest?"
"Why only in times of trouble do you pray the earnest?"
No answer; only tears.
The Lord continued,
"Why only sing at fellowships and retreats?
Why seek Me only in times of worship?
Why ask things so selfishly?
Why ask things so unfaithfully?"
The tears continued to roll down my cheek.
"Why are you ashamed of Me?
Why are you not spreading the Good News?
Why in times of persecution, you cry to others,
When I offer you My Shoulder to cry on?
Why make excuses, when I give you opportunities to serve in My Name?"
I tried to answer, but there was no answer to give.
"You are blessed with life.
I made you not to throw this gift away.
I have blessed you with talents to serve Me,
But you continue to turn away.
I have stretched forth My Word to you, but you do not gain knowledge.
I have spoken to you, but your eyes were turned away.
I have sent you My servants, but you sat idly by as they were pushed away.
I have heard your prayers, and have answered them all."
"Do you truly love Me?"
I could not answer. How could I?
I was embarrassed beyond belief. I had no excuse.
What could I say to this?
When my heart had cried out, and the tears had flowed, I said,
"Please forgive me, Lord. I am unworthy to be Your child.
The Lord answered,
"That is My Grace, My child."
I asked,
"Why do You continue to forgive me?
Why do You love me so?"
The Lord answered,
"Because you are My creation; you are My child. I will never abandon you.
When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you.
When you scream in joy, I will laugh with you.
When you are down, I will encourage you.
When you fall, I will raise you up.
When you are tired, I will carry you.
I will be with you 'til the end of the days, and I will love you forever."
And the Lord stretched out His Arms,
As they were nailed to the cross.
I bowed down at the Feet of Christ, my Savior. And for the first time,
I truly prayed.
Do You Truly Love Me?
Author Unknown
One day I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise.
Ah, the beauty of God's creation is beyond description.
As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work.
As I sat there, the Lord brought His Presence on me.
He asked me,
"Do you love me?"
I answered,
"Of course, God! you are my Lord and my Savior!"
Then He asked,
"If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?"
I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs, and the rest of my body;
And wondered how many things I wouldn't be able to do -
The things that I took for granted.
And the Lord asked,
"Do you really love Me?"
With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly,
"Yes Lord, I love You, because You are the One and True God!"
I thought I had answered well, but God asked,
"Then why do you sin?"
I answered,
"Because I am only human. I am not perfect."
Never had I cried so hard before.
How could I have been so cold?
How could I have hurt God as I had done?
I asked God,
"How much do You love me?"
I asked for riches, that I might be happy...
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men...
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life...
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing I asked for, but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men, most richly blessed."A Soldier's Prayer
Author Unknown
"I asked God for strength, that I might achieve...
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things...
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
"...there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Horatio Gates Spafford, 1873
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The Perfect Rose
In a corner on a table on a spread of Ivory lace.Framed and kissed by pastel colors dancing through the crystal vase Scarlet red it’s petals, opened in full bloom. Taking nothing but the sunshine leaving fragrance in the room Hands reached out without a reason crushed and bruised the petals so
Causing yet a sweeter fragrance from the weeping dying roseLying now in ruins to wither scattered now by careless hands Once an art of perfect beauty dies to never bloom again In a corner of a stable on a spread of swaddling clothes Just a tiny bud but destined to become The Perfect Rose.
Angels hailed His entrance Wise Men brought Him goldKnowing little of the suffering that would soon befall The Rose Hands reached out without a reason crushed and bruised The Perfect Rose Causing yet a sweeter fragrance as the crimson color flowed Ugly thorns had never marred it ‘till a crown of thorns He wore Tasting death the Rose of Sharon rose to bloom forever more, forever more. By Dottie Rambo & Donny McGuire |
The Master CarpenterHere is a story that arrived in my email one day:
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©Copyright - rss1910, 2002 All rights reserved. |
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Updated: 9/16/03 Local Index Site Index |
"Mother's father worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was
building some crates for the clothes his church was sending to some
orphanage in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to
find his glasses, but they were gone. When he mentally replayed his
earlier actions, he realized what happened; the glasses had slipped out of
his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed
shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China!
The Great Depression was at it's height and Grandpa had six children. He
had spent $20 for those glasses that very morning. He was upset by the
thought of having to buy another pair. "It's not fair," he told God as he
drove home in frustration. "I've been very faithful in giving of my time
and money to you work, and now this."
Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in
the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him
in China, so he came to speak one Sunday at my grandfather's small church
in Chicago. The missionary began by thanking the people for their
faithfulness in supporting the orphanage. "But most of all," he said, "I
must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, the Communists
had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my
glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no
way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I
experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were much in prayer about
this. Then your crates arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of
glasses lying on top.
The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, still
gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued:"Folks, when I tried on
the glasses, it was as though they had been custom-made just for me! I
want to thank you for being a part of that."
The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses.But the missionary
surely must have confused their church with another, they thought. There
were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.
But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an
ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extra ordinary
way."
