(John 8:12) Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Today’s song ends our series on hymns with another beautiful hymn by my favorite composer Fanny Crosby. I’ve only heard this particular song sung a couple of times a long time ago. Please go to Cyberhymnal and listen along while you read the words. The words bring joy to a weary heart and encourage one to press on until His return. This is what God honoring music should do, my friend. Today’s music may have great words or even a nice melody, but does the song move you toward righteousness? Does it draw you to the Word? Does it cause you to run to the Saviour’s side and to His Word so you can fellowship with Him? If it does not, you should contemplate changing your listening habits.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord
Fanny Crosby

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!
Sing, O ye people, gladly adore Him;
Let the mountains tremble at His word;
Let the hills be joyful before Him;
Mighty in wisdom, boundless in mercy,
Great is Jehovah, King over all.Refrain

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!
Let the hills be joyful before Him.

Praise Him, praise Him! shout aloud for joy,
Watchman of Zion, herald the story;
Sin and death His kingdom shall destroy;
All the earth shall sing of His glory;
Praise Him, ye angels, ye who behold Him,
Robed in His splendor, matchless, divine.

Refrain

King eternal, blessèd be His Name!
So may His children gladly adore Him;
When in Heav’n we join the happy strain,
When we cast our bright crowns before Him;
There in His likeness joyful awaking,
There we shall see Him, there we shall sing:

Refrain

(Rev 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.(Psa 98:8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together(Psa 98:9) Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

(Job 36:5) Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.

(Psa 132:16) I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

(Isa 52:8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.

(Rom 8:2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

(Psa 66:4) All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

(Isa 6:3) And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

(Job 1:21) And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

(Psa 113:2) Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.

(Dan 2:20) Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

(Rev 4:10) The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

(Rev 4:11) Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

(Rev 1:7) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Do you think Fanny knew her Bible? Here was a lady without sight yet when you read her hymns, you can tell that she had much of the Bible in her mind’s eye. She penned the word of God throughout each of the verses. When you sing this hymn or merely read its words, you are drawn to the word of God.

So this concludes our series on hymns – hymns we’ve loved throughout the years and hymns we have never heard, although they were hymns of old. I pray that this series was as much of a blessing to you as it was to me!

(Psa 106:48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.

(Psa 123:1) [A Song of degrees.] Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. This photo was taken by Carol Meyer at Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. Isn’t it beautiful? Carol has given me permission to use her beautiful photographs and so many of them (actually most of them) are of nature – God’s beauty! Thank you, Carol for allowing me to use your beautiful work!

This photograph reminds me of the condition of my heart when I come to meet with the Lord. I look to the heavens to see my God and I prepare my heart to meet Him there. (Psa 113:5) Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high,

Today’s hymn is one that I have never heard before. But I love Charles Spurgeon and knew that anything that he wrote had to be beautiful! Sure enough, I was not disapponted in the least. Brother Spurgeon was born June 19, 1834, in Kelvedon, Essex, England and passed away on January 31, 1892, in Montone, France. Although he was a well known preacher, he wrote several hymns which were collected into a work called “A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Public, Social, and Private Worship, 1866.” By the time Spurgeon reached the age of 21, he was the most popular preacher in London! He had no formal education yet he preached to thousands in his life time. God used him mightily.

He not only preached but he pastored, he founded churches, Sunday schools, and an orphanage, he also founded the Pastor’s College, and he also edited a monthly church magazine! He was definitely busy for the Lord. Today, many of us read the daily devotionals by Spurgeon. He continues to touch the lives of people and will continue to do so even after we’re gone.

There were two things I read in his biography that impressed me about this man: (1) He was not timid about calling out error in the Church of England or amongst his own Baptist circles and (2) he absolutely grieved over the trend of the day toward biblical criticism.

Today’s hymn shares with us a desire to meet with the Lord in prayer and song. Spurgeon spoke of his walk each day as a battle and the need to prepare for this battle by meeting with His God!

Our Saviour’s name will surely prevail! It was interesting to find three verses in the Word that described how every knee would bow at the name of Jesus! The number three symbolizes the Trinity in the Word.

(Isa 45:23) I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

(Rom 14:11) For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

(Phil 2:10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Praise the Lord!

I thought it fitting to include a Christmas hymn in our series. According to Cyberhymnal’s list, Isaac Watts has 518 hymns attributed to him. In all of my devotionals, I have quoted Isaac Watts at least five or six times. One of my favorites of his is “Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed?”!

Behold, the Grace Appears!
Isaac Watts

Behold, the grace appears!
The promise is fulfilled;
Mary, the wondrous virgin, bears,
And Jesus is the Child.The Lord, the highest God,
Calls Him His only Son;
He bids Him rule the lands abroad,
And gives Him David’s throne.

O’er Jacob shall He reign
With a peculiar sway;
The nations shall His grace obtain,
His kingdom ne’er decay.

To bring the glorious news
A heav’nly form appears;
He tells the shepherds of their joys,
And banishes their fears.

“Go, humble swains,” said he,
“To David’s city fly;
The promised Infant born today
Doth in a manger lie.”

“With looks and hearts serene,
Go visit Christ your King;
And straight a flaming troop was seen:
The shepherds heard them sing:

“Glory to God on high!
And heav’nly peace on earth;
Goodwill to men, to angels joy,
At the Redeemer’s birth!”

In worship so divine,
Let saints employ their tongues;
With the celestial hosts we join,
And loud repeat their songs:

“Glory to God on high!
And heav’nly peace on earth;
Goodwill to men, to angels joy,
At our Redeemer’s birth!”

As a writer, I love to see the motivation behind a person’s writing. To me, it is easy to see what motivated Isaac Watts. His love for the Lord is evident in every piece I’ve ever read. I also enjoy his style of writing. Each verse is tied into Scripture. I can easily read his writings and a verse comes to mind to go along with that particular verse.

Verse 1:

(Tit 2:11) For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

(Heb 9:15) And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

(Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Verse 2:

(Luk 1:32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

Verse 3:

(Luk 1:33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Verse 4:

(Luk 2:10) And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Verse 5:

(Luk 2:15) And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Verse 6:

(Luk 2:13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Verse 7:

(Luk 2:14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Verse 8:

(Psa 30:4) Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Verse 9:

(Luk 2:14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

My favorite hymn is one that draws me to the Bible. Today’s Christian music may have good words – the melody may be beautiful – but do the words draw me to the Scriptures? At times, the music stirs me but the words do not cause me to think of a particular Bible verse. The hymns of old do, however. Especially those of Mr. Watts. I believe that music that glorifies the Lord is music that brings His word to mind and moves you to serve Him better.

This is probably the third or fourth Fanny Crosby hymn that I have chosen for this devotional series. She has so many songs that bless the heart. One thing I found interesting about Fanny is that she used many pseudonyms. A pseudonym is a pen name taken by a writer so the writer can remain anonymous for whatever reason. I have read that this was done by women in the early years when it was thought that only men should be writers and composers. Taken from Cyberhymnal, here are the pseudonyms Fanny Crosby wrote under:

Adrienne, Cora
Alstyne, Fannie Jane
Andrews, A. E.
Apple, James
Armstrong, Alice
Atherton, Rose
Bell, Carrie
Bethune, Catherine
Black, James
Black, James L.
Black, James M.
Blair, H. E.
Blair, Henrietta E.
Booth, Florence
Bruce, Charles
Bruce, Robert
Burns, Charles
Carlston, Mary
Carlton, Leah
Church, Fannie
Craddock, Eleanor
Culyer, Lyman G.
Dale, Ella
Dayton, Flora
D. D.
D. D. R.
Eliot, James
Edmonds, Lizzie
Edwards, Lizzie
F. A. N.
F. J. C.
F. J. V. A.
Fannie
Fanny
Forrest, Mrs. Edna
Frances, Carrie
Frances, Grace J.
Frances, Lillian G.
Frances, S. Trevor
Frances, Victoria
Garnet, Jenny
Glen, Jenie
Gould, Frank
Grinley, Mrs. Kate
G. W. W.
Harmon, Ruth
Hawthorn, Carrie
Hope, Frances
Hops, Frances
James, Annie
James, Mary
James, Sarah
J. F. O.
J. W. W.
Judson, Myra
Lankton, Martha J.
Lincoln, H. N.
Lindsay, W. Robert
L. L. A.
Lowry, Minnie B.
Marion, Maude
Martin, S
Martin, Sallie
Martin, Sam
Miller, Laura
Montieth, A
Montieth, Alice
Park, Edna L.
Prentice, Mrs. L.C.
Smiling, Mrs. Kate
Smith, Sallie A.
Smith, Sallie E.
Smith, Sally
Smith, Sam
Sterling, J. L.
Sterling, Julia
Sterling, Rian J.
Sterling, Ryan
Sterling, Victoria
Stewart, Victoria
Taylor, Ida Scott
The Children’s Friend
Tilden, Louise W.
Tilden, Mary
V., Jenny
Van A., Mrs.
Van Alstyne, Fannie
Van Alstyne, Fannie Jane
Van Alstyne, Mrs.
Van Alstyne, Mrs. Alexander
Viola
Wallace, Zemira
Wilson, Carrie
Wilson, Mrs. C. M.
## [yes, she sometimes used these marks instead of a name!]
###
‘*’
***

Isn’t that interesting? I have not been able to find out why she chose to write under so many but nonetheless, she surely did a lot of writing!

Today’s hymn is a very special one to me. Since the day I was born-again, I have thought of Christ’s return every single day. I was born again at noon on April 1st, 1980. I use to laugh and say that I fooled ole slew foot because I was saved on April Fool’s Day. But each day since, I have looked forward to Christ’s appearing at the Rapture of the Saints!

It is the topic of the end times that drew me to the Saviour and it is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I have studied the Rapture of the Church thoroughly and am convinced that Christ will be here at any moment! In the twinkling of an eye, we are told! (1 Cor. 15:52-58 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (52) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (53) So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (54 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (55) The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (56) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (57) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (58 Oh Glory!

Fanny Crosby must have taken verse 58 very seriously, in my opinion. She was steadfast – she was unmoveable in the work of the Lord. Despite her blindness, she held no resentment in her heart and she moved forward in her work for the Lord. I wonder how many of her songs are sung throughout the world on any given Sunday during church services? Her songs have even been translated into different languages! Today’s hymn is a blessing because it exhorts the believer to be steadfast as well.

Will Jesus Find Us Watching?
Fanny Crosby

When Jesus comes to reward His servants,
Whether it be noon or night,
Faithful to Him will He find us watching,
With our lamps all trimmed and bright?

Refrain

O can we say we are ready, brother?
Ready for the soul’s bright home?
Say, will He find you and me still watching,
Waiting, waiting when the Lord shall come?

If, at the dawn of the early morning,
He shall call us one by one,
When to the Lord we restore our talents,
Will He answer thee—“Well done”?

Refrain

Have we been true to the trust He left us?
Do we seek to do our best?
If in our hearts there is naught condemns us,
We shall have a glorious rest.

Refrain

Blessèd are those whom the Lord finds watching,
In His glory they shall share;
If He shall come at the dawn or midnight,
Will He find us watching there?

Refrain

Whenever I sing this song, I fall under conviction. It actually should be my song every morning when I sit to do my devotions. If I were to adopt this as my daily song, I dare say I would not be so quick to look away but would keep my eyes fixed on the Lord’s return. When I read through the words this morning, my thoughts were fixed on my work for the Lord. What I have done for Jesus that would answer me – Well done! (Mat 25:23) His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

We cannot earn our way to Heaven by the work that we do here on earth. That is clear in (Eph 2:8-9) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (8 Not of works, lest any man should boast. (9) The Lord made sure to put these two verses in the Scriptures so that man would not able to boast of his accomplishments. He would not be able to say, “Look at me! Look at all I have done or money I have given so that I can enter those pearly gates!”

However, after we are saved, the born-again believer’s actions and works should be such that an unbeliever sees Christ through our works. Our good works and our actions should draw the unbeliever and should attract him. These works should speak volumes without a word uttered! (Tit 2:14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Before I was saved, my works were impeccable. I taught catechism – I helped the poor – I volunteered for good causes. However, none of these brought me assurance that I would go to Heaven when I died. You can purchase a gift to give to someone. However, you cannot purchase a gift that is given to you. The Word is clear about the Father’s gift to us. It cannot be purchased – it cannot be earned. If it could be, it would not be a gift at all. Along with Eph. 2:8-9, the Lord has given to us three more verses which teach us this fact:

(Joh 4:10) Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

(Act 8:20) But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

(Rom 6:23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Where are your works today? Are you working for God because you believe that you will be rewarded by entering Heaven? Or are you working for God because you are a born-again child of the King and you want to please Him? The believer has peace knowing that he is a child of God and does not have to question his place in God’s family. However, the unbeliever does not have such peace. They do good works so that they can obtain this peace but this peace evades them. In the end, they are not convinced that they are going to enter Heaven. They wonder and hope that they will go to Heaven. (Oba 1:15) For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

Don’t be counted among the saved who will be ashamed at the Lord’s return. Do something about your laziness today. Work for the Lord for the day is fast approaching. (1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Take delight in boldly approaching the Lord knowing that you have done a good work today for the Master! I believe Fannie can be counted among these brethren. I have never read one negative comment about her service for the Lord. What a great day it must have been for her to enter Heaven!

When I think of Christ’s love, I think of how vast the love of God is as well as how much we are forgiven! I thought this beautiful photograph was appropriate for today’s hymn. It was taken by Carol Meyer and was used with her permission. Her photograph of the Grand Canyon is absolutely beautiful, isn’t it? She captures the depth and width of this beautiful work of God! (Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come (38 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (39) When we see a picture which helps us to understand a Scripture verse, the teaching implants itself in our heart and we are able to fully comprehend what our Heavenly Father is trying to teach us. I looked at this photograph this morning and the first verses that came to mind were these in Romans.

I had never heard today’s hymn. The words are simple, yet beautiful. They were penned by J. Wilbur Chapman who was born in Indiana on June 17, 1859. He passed away on December 25, 1918. He was an ordained Presbyterian minister and he pastored several churches. When reading the words to this hymn, it is evident that Mr. Chapman knew about Christ’s love and the depth of His love for mankind.

‘Tis Jesus
J. Wilbur Chapman

I know of a world that is sunk in shame,
Where hearts oft faint and tire;
But I know of a Name, a precious Name,
That can set that world on fire;
Its sound is sweet, its letters flame.

Refrain

I know of a Name, a precious Name,
’Tis Jesus.

I know of a Book a marvelous Book,
With a message for all who hear;
And the same dear Name, His wonderful Name,
Illumines its pages clear;
The Book is His Word, its message I’ve heard.

Refrain

I know of a home in Immanuel’s land,
Where hearts ne’er faint nor tire;
And His marvelous Name, His own dear Name,
Inspires the heav’nly choir;
Hear the melody ringing, my own heart singing.

Refrain

You cannot get to Heaven but through Jesus Christ, my friend. There is no other, according to the word of God. God did not leave us defenseless in today’s world. He left us His Bible so that we could find salvation. Look at the Ethiopian in Acts 8 – he was in the desert and searching for salvation. There was no one around – yet God sent Philip to witness to him and give him the wonderful Gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ. God will reveal Himself to anyone if they are searching for Him. (Act 4:10-12) Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. (10) This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. (11) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (12) Do you see that? There is NO other name under heaven whereby we can be saved! That means Muhammad, Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, or Buddha. NONE other name under heaven – only Jesus Christ. As well, no “church” will save you either. Being a member of a certain church does not get one to heaven any more than being in a garage makes you a car.

When you meditate on God’s love in light of this photo and these verses, your heart becomes tender to what Christ had to go through so that we could be united with the Father. Our born-again experience did not come cheaply, my friend. Jesus Christ had to pay a price for us – a huge price – His own shed blood on a cruel cross! (Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

He did this freely! It was His free gift to mankind. There’s nothing we can do to earn a free gift – otherwise it would not longer be free! Just read Galatians 5 and you will see what the Scriptures have to say about Christ’s free gift.

If someone were to save you from drowning, you would shower this person with thanks and even reward him for his part in saving you, wouldn’t you? You wouldn’t ignore your rescuer but you would shout from the roof tops what he had done for you. (Hos 4:6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. When a person rejects Jesus Christ, he rejects the fact that He came to save him. This person will realize his ungratefulness when he stands before Christ on the day of judgment and finds that his name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Rev 21:27) And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. At that point, it will be too late to admit that Christ came to save him. Christ died for all man – not just a few. To deny Him brings eternal damnation in the lake of fire. What a price to pay for rejecting such a wonderful gift!

(Joh 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The fact of the matter is that Christ came to earth in human form because mankind could not be “good enough” to save himself. Being a member of a church does not gain you entrance to heaven either. That would mean that you could “earn” it yourself and the Word contradicts that thought. (Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (8 Not of works, lest any man should boast. (9) For the lost, Christ brings salvation and eternal life.

For those who are already born-again, today’s devotional encourages you to meditate on Christ’s vast love for you. It should motivate you to do all you can while you still have time to draw others to Him. What a wonderful gift to give the Lord as we remember His birthday – the gift of leading someone to a saving knowledge and the depth of His love!! (Psa 126:6) He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.