Tag: Charles Wesley

“Abraham, When Severely Tried”

In your most difficult times, are you still willing to trust, have faith, and give everything, even what you hold most close, to God?

Abraham, when severely tried, his faith by his obedience showed,
He with the harsh command complied, and gave his Isaac back to God.

His son the father offered up, son of his age, his only son,
Object of all his joy and hope, and less beloved than God alone.

O for a faith like his, that we the bright example may pursue!
May gladly give up all to thee, to whom our more than all is due.

Now, Lord, to thee our all we leave, our willing soul thy call obeys;
Pleasure, and wealth, and fame we give, freedom, and life to win thy grace.

Is there a thing than life more dear, a thing from which we cannot part?
We can; we now rejoice to tear the idol from our bleeding heart.

Jesus, accept our sacrifice; all things for thee we count but loss,
Lo! at thy word our Isaac dies, dies on the altar of thy cross.

For what to thee, O Lord, we give, a hundred-fold we here obtain;
And soon with thee shall all receive, and loss shall be eternal gain.

-Charles Wesley

What Is Keeping You?

What is keeping you from the love of God?

I pray that you will allow the Spirit to search your heart, seek God’s grace, forgiveness, and compassion, and be overcome by the love of Jesus Christ.

“Ah whither should I go, burdened, and sick, and faint?
To whom should I my troubles show, and pour out my complaint?
My Saviour bids me come, Ah! Why do I delay?
He calls the weary sinner home, and yet from him I stay!

“What is it keeps me back, from which I cannot part,
Which will not let my Saviour take, possession of my heart?
Some cursed thing unknown, must surely lurk within,
Some idol, which I will not own, Some secret bosom-sin.

“Jesu, the hindrance show, which I have feared to see:
Yet let me now consent to know, what keeps me out of thee:
Searcher of hearts, in mine thy trying power display;
Into its darkest corners shine, And take the veil away.

“I now believe in thee, compassion reigns alone;
According to my faith to me, O let it, Lord, be done!
In me is all the bar, which thou wouldst fain remove;
Remove it, and I shall declare, that God is only love.”

(Words by Charles Wesley)

Jehovah Reigns

As we consider the significance and impact of the death of Jesus on a cross, awaiting the resurrection that Sunday will bring, may the words of Charles Wesley be an encouragement and reminder to us of who God is.

This Easter weekend, may God bless you and encourage you by his Spirit and by his Son Jesus Christ.

Jehovah reigns on high
In peerless majesty;
Boundless power his royal robe,
Purest light his garment is;
Rules his word the spacious globe,
Established it in floating seas.

Ancient of days!
Thy name And essence is I AM;
Thou, O Lord, and thou alone,
Gav’st whatever is to be;
Stood thine everlasting throne,
Stands to all eternity.

The floods, with angry noise,
Have lifted up their voice,
Lifted up their voice on high;
Fiends and men exclaim aloud;
Rage the waves and dash the sky,
Hell assails the throne of God.

Their fury cannot move
The Lord who reigns above;
Him the mighty waves obey,
Sinking at his awful will,
Ocean owns his sovereign sway;
Hell at his command is still.

Thy statutes, Lord, are sure,
And as thyself endure;
Thine eternal house above
Holy souls alone can see,
Fitted here by perfect love,
There to reign enthroned with thee.

Saviour, Cast a Pitying Eye

“Saviour, cast a pitying eye,
Bid my sins and sorrows end;
Whither should a sinner fly
Art not thou the sinner’s friend.
Rest in thee I gasp to find,
Wretched I, and poor, and blind.

“Haste, O haste, to my relief!
From the iron furnace take;
Bid me of my sin and grief,
For thy love and mercy’s sake;
Set my heart at liberty,
Show forth all thy power in me.

“Me, the vilest of the race,
Most unholy, most unclean;
Me, the farthest from thy face,
Full of misery and sin;
Me with arms of love receive,
Me, of sinners chief, forgive!

“Jesus, on thine only name
For salvation I depend,
In thy gracious hands I am,
Save me, save me to the end;
Let the utmost grace be given,
Save me quite from hell to heaven.”

Mr. Charles Wesley, thank you for these beautiful, true, and poetic words. We humble ourselves, fallen creatures full of sin and selfishness, before God.

The life, death, and resurrection of Christ is our only hope and salvation, our only cure.

Because of Christ, we live empowered by the Spirit to be in the life of God.

A Hymn from Charles Wesley

This Sunday morning, consider the poetry of Charles Wesley as we participate in the life of God and the Kingdom through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

“Come, sinners, to the gospel feast,
Let every soul be Jesu’s guest;
Ye need not one be left behind,
For God hath bidden all mankind.

“Sent by my Lord, on you I call,
The invitation is to all:
Come, all the world; come, sinner, thou!
All things in Christ are ready now.

“Come, all ye souls by sin opprest,
Ye restless wanderers after rest,
Ye poor, and maimed, and halt, and blind,
In Christ a hearty welcome find.

“Come, and partake the gospel feast;
Be saved from sin; in Jesus rest;
O taste the goodness of your God,
And eat his flesh, and drink his blood!

“Ye vagrant souls, on you I call;
(O that my voice could reach you all!)
Ye all may now be justified,
Ye all may live, for Christ hath died.

“My message as from God receive,
Ye all may come to Christ, and live;
O let his love your hearts constrain,
Nor suffer him to die in vain!

“His love is mighty to compel;
His conquering love consent to feel,
Yield to his love’s resistless power,
And fight against your God no more.

“See him set forth before your eyes,
That precious, bleeding sacrifice!
His offered benefits embrace,
And freely now be saved by grace.

“This is the time; no more delay!
This is the acceptable day,
Come in, this moment, at his call,
And live for him who died for all.”

Amen.