O Love that Wilt not Let Me Go

Image from here.

George Matheson wrote this hymn after he became ill, and the doctors told him that he would lose his eyesight. He wrote to his sweetheart, informing her of his blindness, hoping that she would not want to let him go. He offered to release her from the engagement, and she said that she didn’t want to go through life with a blind man.

After several years of mental suffering, he wrote the words to this immortal hymn. He said that when he wrote this hymn, he was alone and the hymn took him no more than five minutes and has not been retouched or corrected. Isn’t it incredible what the hand of God can do, through the life of someone who is willing to be used?

George Matheson

In Christ

In Christ there is no East or West,
In Him no South or North;
But one great fellowship of love,
To show His glories forth.
In Him do true hearts everywhere
This sweet communion find;
His service we do gladly share
In love to all mankind.

Join hands then, brothers of the faith,
Whate’er your race may be:
Each one who loves the blessed Lord
Shares in His victory.
In Christ now meet both East and West,
In Him meet South and North:
All blood-bo’t souls are in Him blessed,
Thro’ them His love flows forth.

J. Oxenham

How Broad is His Love

How broad is his love? Oh, as broad as man’s trespass,
As wide as the need of the world can be;
And yet to the need of one soul it can narrow,
He came to the world and He came to me.

How long is His love? Without end or beginning,
Eternal as Christ and His life it must be,
For to everlasting as from everlasting
He loveth the world and He loveth me.

How deep is his love? Oh, as deep as man’s sinning,
As low as the uttermost vileness can be;
In the fathomless gulf of the Father’s forsaking,
He died for the world and He died for me.

How high is His love? It is high as the heavens,
As high as the throne of His glory must be;
And yet from that height he has stooped to redeem us,
He “so” loved the world and He “so” loved me.

How great is His love? Oh, it passes all knowledge,
No man’s comprehension, its measure can be;
It filleth the world, yet each heart may contain it,
He “so” loved the world and He “so” loved me.

Annie Johnson Flint

The Book of Books

There are books in the making and books in the store,

There are books on the table, and books on the floor.

The library and stockroom have books piled up high,

There are more to be written and more I must buy.

Historical novels, biographies too;

Each week brings a dozen exhausting “Who’s who?”,

There is fiction that’s truthful, and fiction that’s trash,

There’s an orderly volume and another mere hash.

There’s a new book of science and a book of the play,

There’s the book of the year and the book of the day,

There are books to refer to and some to ignore,

There are books that will thrill you and others will bore.

But the Book of the Ages, of balance and power

Is the Book called the Bible, the Book of the hour!

Exhaustless  it’s treasure, eternal its store

All the best of the others you’ll find here – and more!

Author Unknown

Nothing Between

This is a 500 word composition that my 13 year old daughter wrote for her Christian Growth PACE. I think that she has done an excellent job of keeping to the subject, and I am really happy with her essay writing skills.The subject matter, Soul-Winning, is one of extreme importance in the life of a Christian.

Soul–Winning

Soul-winning is very important to the life of a Christian, and it is a climax in the victorious life. It is the matter dearest to the heart of God. We are told that Heaven rejoices at the salvation of one sinner. If you want to do what is right and be occupied with what pleases God most, win souls.

Soul-winning is such a worthy goal that it is one of the things that makes life worth living. A great goal can straighten everything out in a young Christian’s life. It is the greatest thing in the world, and has a reward for millions of years to come. The Bible says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). He is wise, not only for this world, but also for the next world to come. The soul-winner has the best opportunity to live a victorious life.

God cares so much for His soul-winners that he places a wall of protection around them. He who does not win souls may be handicapped and give in to temptation. Every branch (Christian) that brings forth fruit is cleansed by the Husbandman (God) so that it can grow more fruit. “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (John 15:2). How dear to God are his soul-winners who bear the burden of Jesus for dying sinners.

When the Israelites entered Canaan, God told them that they were not to use fruit trees for timber, but they were allowed to use oak trees or trees which did not bear fruit. “Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thous shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued” (Deuteronomy 20:20) God meant this as a lesson to the Israelites. God will protect his fruit trees from the destroyer who is turned against unfruitful Christians.

By not winning souls, a Christian is living in disobedience, and is not occupied with the thing that concerns God the most. He is not obeying the Great Commission, and will doubtless fall into other sins. Soul-winning is a protected highway that is blessed for God’s saints. C. A. Tindley wrote a poem about the Christian life.

Nothing between my soul and the Saviour,

Naught of this world’s delusive dream;

I have renounced all sinful pleasure,

Jesus is mine; let nothing between.

Nothing between like worldly pleasure;

Habits of life though harmless they seem,

Must not my heart from Him ever sever,-

He is my all, let nothing between.

Nothing between, e’en many hard trials,

Though the whole world against me convene;

Watching with prayer and much self-denial,

I’ll triumph at last with nothing between.

Nothing between my soul and the Saviour,

So that his blessed face may be seen;

Nothing preventing the least of His favour,

Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.

C. A. Tindley