August 31, 2008

• Arise, My Soul, Arise

  Our Sunday was wonderful.  We had a great day at church, fellowshipping and learning more about our Savior.  We've been studying through the book Beginning at Moses: A Guide to Finding Christ in the Old Testament in our adult Sunday School class.  I highly recommend it.  I often find some of the Old Testament hard to wade through.  But this book points everything back to Christ; how to find the symbols and types that point to our Savior.  It has been quite eye-opening.

  Today we were looking specifically at the Tabernacle.  We talked about how the sacrifices were made, the sprinkling of blood to quench God's wrath over our sin.  We also talked about the High Priest going in to the Holy of Holies once a year to mediate with God on Israel's behalf.  I am so thankful that we no longer need a mediator.  What a privilege we have that we can go directly before the throne of God, casting our burdens upon Him.
  
  
  

  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave
  himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.  I Timothy 2:5,6

  Tonight we sang the song "Arise, My Soul, Arise" by Charles Wesley.  The words fit so well with what we had been talking about that morning.  I love those great hymns of the faith.

  "Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
  
  The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
  Before the throne my surety stands,
  Before the throne my surety stands,
  My name is written on His hands.

  He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
  His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
  His blood atoned for all our race,
  
  His blood atoned for all our race,
  
  And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

  Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;
  They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:
  “Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
  “Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
  “Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

  The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One;
  He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son;
  His Spirit answers to the blood,
  His Spirit answers to the blood,
  And tells me I am born of God.

  My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
  He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
  With confidence I now draw nigh,
  
  With confidence I now draw nigh,
  
  And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

  "I have a record,” said a Wesleyan mis­sion­ary la­bor­ing in the West
  Indies, “of two hun­dred persons, young and old, who re­ceived the most
  di­rect ev­i­dence of the forgive­ness of their sins while sing­ing
  ‘Arise, my soul.’ The con­ver­sion of the great­er num­ber of these
  per­sons took place while I was a mis­sion­ary abroad.” (from My Life and the Story of Gospel Hymns by Ira Sankey)
  

  Tonight the kids sang some songs about missions that they had learned in the summer Wednesday night program.  It was so cute.  Ainsley is such a little ham.  I love seeing her up there singing her heart out for the Lord. 

  We also had a meeting today with all the parents of kids who are 3 years old to 6th grade.  Josh and I are taking over the school-year Wednesday night program we have at church.  We are looking forward to what God has in store for the kids and for us through that.

  • 10:46 pm
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