The Joy Of The Lord Is Your Strength
Joy is a fruit that will not grow
In nature's barren foil;
All we can boast, till Christ we know,
Is vanity and toil.
But where the Lord has planted grace;
And made his glories known;
There fruits of heavenly joy and peace
Are found, and there alone.
A bleeding Saviour seen by faith,
A sense of pard'ning love;
A hope that triumphs over death,
Give joys like those above.
To take a glimpse within the veil,
To know that God is mine;
Are springs of joy that never fail,
Unspeakably divine!
These are the joys which satisfy,
And sanctify the mind;
Which make the spirit mount on high,
And leave the world behind.
No more, believers, mourn your lot,
But if you are the Lord's
Resign to them that know him not,
Such joys as earth affords.
poem by John Newton
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Related quotes
Hymn XII: Come, Ye That Love the Lord
Come, ye that love the Lord,
And let your joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
While ye surround his throne:
Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God;
But servants of the heavenly King
May speak their joys abroad.
The God that rules on high,
That all the earth surveys
That rides upon the stormy sky,
And calms the roaring seas-
This awful God is ours,
Our Father and our love;
He will send down his heavenly powers,
To carry us above.
There we shall see his face,
And never, never sin;
There, from the rivers of his grace,
Drink endless pleasures in:
Yea, and before we rise
To that immortal state,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss
Should constant joys create.
The men of grace have found
Glory begun below;
Celestial fruit on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow:
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We are marching through Immanuel's grounds
To fairer worlds on high.
poem by Charles Wesley
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Hymn XII: Come, Ye That Love the Lord
Come, ye that love the Lord,
And let your joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
While ye surround his throne:
Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God;
But servants of the heavenly King
May speak their joys abroad.
The God that rules on high,
That all the earth surveys
That rides upon the stormy sky,
And calms the roaring seas-
This awful God is ours,
Our Father and our love;
He will send down his heavenly powers,
To carry us above.
There we shall see his face,
And never, never sin;
There, from the rivers of his grace,
Drink endless pleasures in:
Yea, and before we rise
To that immortal state,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss
Should constant joys create.
The men of grace have found
Glory begun below;
Celestial fruit on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow:
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We are marching through Immanuel's grounds
To fairer worlds on high.
poem by John Wesley
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Hymn 140
A living and a dead faith. Collected from several scriptures.
Mistaken souls, that dream of heav'n,
And make their empty boast
Of inward joys, and sins forgiv'n,
While they are slaves to lust!
Vain are our fancies, airy flights,
If faith be cold and dead;
None but a living power unites
To Christ the living head.
'Tis faith that changes all the heart;
'Tis faith that works by love;
That bids all sinful joys depart,
And lifts the thoughts above.
'Tis faith that conquers earth and hell
By a celestial power;
This is the grace that shall prevail
In the decisive hour.
[Faith must obey her Father's will,
As well as trust his grace;
A pard'ning God is jealous still
For his own holiness.]
When from the curse he sets us free,
He makes our natures clean;
Nor would he send his Son to be
The minister of sin.
[His Spirit purifies our frame,
And seals our peace with God;
Jesus and his salvation came
By water and by blood.]
poem by Isaac Watts
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Hymn 16 Part 2
The enjoyment of Christ; or, Delight in ordinances.
Lord, what a heav'n of saving grace
Shines through the beauties of thy face,
And lights our passions to a flame!
Lord, how we love thy charming name!
When I can say, "My God is mine,"
When I can feel thy glories shine,
I tread the world beneath my feet,
And all that earth calls good or great.
While such a scene of sacred joys
Our raptured eyes and souls employs,
Here we could sit, and gaze away
A long, an everlasting day.
Well, we shall quickly pass the night
To the fair coasts of perfect light;
Then shall our joyful senses rove
O'er the dear object of our love.
[There shall we drink full draughts of bliss,
And pluck new life from heav'nly trees:
Yet now and then, dear Lord, bestow
A drop of heav'n on worms below.
Send comforts down from thy right hand,
While we pass through this barren land,
And in thy temple let us see
A glimpse of love, a glimpse of thee.]
poem by Isaac Watts
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Hymn 110
Death and immediate glory.
2 Cor. 5:1,5-8.
There is a house not made with hands,
Eternal and on high;
And here my spirit waiting stands,
Till God shall bid it fly.
Shortly this prison of my clay
Must be dissolved and fall;
Then, O my soul! with joy obey
Thy heav'nly Father's call.
'Tis he, by his almighty grace,
That forms thee fit for heav'n;
And, as an earnest of the place,
Has his own Spirit giv'n.
We walk by faith of joys to come,
Faith lives upon his word;
But while the body is our home,
We're absent from the Lord.
'Tis pleasant to believe thy grace,
But we had rather see;
We would be absent from the flesh,
And present, Lord, with thee.
poem by Isaac Watts
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Be Prepared With a Reason
Be prepared in and out of season, to give all men a heartfelt reason,
For all the peace you have within, through the hope you have in Him.
The Hope we have in Jesus Christ, the sure hope of an Eternal Life,
An Eternal Life with Christ our Lord, in Heaven with Him forevermore.
We must point all men to the cross, that place of comfort for the lost,
Where Christ had died for all of us, where all believers put their trust.
Friend, our trust is in The Sacrifice, of God’s Only Son, Jesus Christ,
The Sinless Lamb for sinful men, The Lord who died for all my friend.
Christ gives to believers a New Birth, while we’re still upon this earth,
Upon the moment that we believed, The Holy Spirit we then received.
The Spirit was sent by Jesus Christ, for guiding us in this present life,
To guide us through all the years, until that day when Christ appears.
Friend, all our hope is found in Him, The One who died for all our sin,
And this hope we have my friend, unlike life on earth, shall never end.
When Christ died and rose again, He secured eternal life for all men,
And very soon Believers shall rise, to meet our Lord above the skies.
Friend, our Hope is really a guarantee, that we shall live for Eternity,
The Hope in what we can not see, through Christ will become reality.
And this Hope is for all my friend, for life on this earth is not the end,
Today put your hope in Jesus Christ, and you will inherit Eternal Life.
(Copyright ©01/2006)
Higher Ground
This day you can have abundant life, through The Lord Jesus Christ,
As many men today have found, their feet planted on higher ground.
High above this earth that we trod, planted by the very Hand of God,
The ground, on which we stand, is the Eternal Rock, the Son of Man.
Guided with loving staff and rod, up to the Lord God’s heavenly sod.
Friend it was God who loved us first, and gave to us a second birth.
When found upon a fallen earth, God placed upon us special worth.
Living an abundant life of joy within, as Christ lifts us above old sin.
Christ will dwell in us down here, and in our heart He’s always near.
By His Grace God guides our steps, high above the valley’s depths.
A full earthly life is one thing friend, but how and where does it end?
Just Who or what sustains your life, if it’s not The Lord Jesus Christ?
And should you have a time of grief, where do you friend find relief?
For a sure place, there’s only one, that is God’s Only Begotten Son.
A stable land both now and when, the present one comes to an end.
Christ is the only stable ground, where a lasting peace can be found.
And it is not an earthly peace, and coming from God it will not cease.
All this is held together by The One, we all know as God’s Own Son.
And heights which we can ascend, in Christ Jesus will have no end,
While Eternal Life is our reward, for standing high in Christ our Lord.
(Copyright ©08/2006)
The Barren Fig-Tree
The church a garden is
In which believers stand,
Like ornamental trees
Planted by God's own hand:
His Spirit waters all their roots,
And every branch abounds with fruits.
But other trees there are,
In this enclosure grow;
Which, though they promise fair,
Have only leaves to show:
No fruits of grace are on them found,
They stand but cumb'rers of the ground.
The under gard'ner grieves,
In vain his strength he spends,
For heaps of useless leaves,
Afford him small amends:
He hears the Lord his will make known,
To cut the barren fig-trees down.
How difficult his post,
What pangs his bowels move,
To find his wishes crossed,
His labors useless prove!
His last relief is earnest prayer,
Lord, spare them yet another year.
Spare them, and let me try
What farther means may do;
I'll fresh manure apply,
My digging I'll renew
Who knows but yet they fruit may yield!
If not--'tis just, they must be felled.
If under means of grace,
No gracious fruits appear;
It is a dreadful case,
Though God may long forbear:
At length he'll strike the threatened blow,
And lay the barren fig-tree low.
poem by John Newton
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Hymn 165
Unfruitfulness, ignorance, and unsanctified affections.
Long have I sat beneath the sound
Of thy salvation, Lord;
But still how weak my faith is found,
And knowledge of thy word!
Oft I frequent thy holy place,
And hear almost in vain;
How small a portion of thy grace
My memory can retain!
[My dear Almighty, and my God,
How little art thou known
By all the judgments of thy rod,
And blessings of thy throne!]
How cold and feeble is my love!
How negligent my fear!
How low my hope of joys above!
How few affections there!
Great God! thy sovereign power impart
To give thy word success;
Write thy salvation in my heart,
And make me learn thy grace.
[Show my forgetful feet the way
That leads to joys on high;
There knowledge grows without decay,
And love shall never die.]
poem by Isaac Watts
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Bitter and Sweet
Kindle, Saviour, in my heart,
A flame of love divine;
Hear, for mine I trust thou art,
And sure I would be thine;
If my soul has felt thy grace,
If to me thy name is known;
Why should trifles fill the place
Due to thyself alone?
'Tis a strange mysterious life
I live from day to day;
Light and darkness, peace and strife,
Bear an alternate sway:
When I think the battle won,
I have to fight it o'er again;
When I say I'm overthrown,
Relief I soon obtain.
Often at the mercy-seat,
While calling on thy name,
Swarms of evil thoughts I meet,
Which fill my soul with shame.
Agitated in my mind,
Like a feather in the air,
Can I thus a blessing find?
My soul, can this be pray'r?
But when Christ, my Lord and Friend,
Is pleas'd to show his pow'r
All at once my troubles end,
And I've a golden hour;
Then I see his smiling face,
Feel the pledge of joys to come:
Often, Lord, repeat this grace
Till thou shalt call me home.
poem by John Newton
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Power Of Grace
God supplies us with Great Power, by His Grace, each day and hour,
Grace to save, change and grow, as Christ Jesus you come to know,
God’s Power to sustain each one of us, when in God we put our trust,
Through the Grace which we receive, when in His Son we truly believe.
God can save all where they are, through His Grace both near and far,
For it’s The Lord’s Amazing Grace, that can touch a heart in any place,
From within a world, dark as night, His Grace guides men to His Light,
And from His Truth they are saved, no matter how dark and depraved.
God can change the darkest heart, through all The Truth He will impart,
As believers diligently seek His face, change is wrought by His Grace,
Hearts by His Grace are transformed, as to Christ they are conformed,
Changed in the present for Eternity, by Grace that flows from Calvary.
God will help you grow each day, as you walk anew life’s Narrow Way,
This as your heart the Lord shall fill, with God’s Truth to honor His Will,
By Grace, The Spirit helps us grow, as Fruit in our life begins to show,
As believers grow in one accord, with others who also know The Lord.
So come today in the present life, and be saved through Jesus Christ,
Your life will change dramatically, as He prepares you for life eternally,
And while you grow in God’s Truth, your life of Grace will be His proof,
That God can truly sustain anyone, who comes to true faith in His Son.
(Copyright ©04/2009)
Love, Faith and Hope
Love is one identifying mark that sets Believers and others apart.
Men will know us from others when we have love one for another.
Love covers a multitude of sin, when you have Christ’s love within.
It was Christ’s love on the cross that covered the sins of the lost.
No greater love to comprehend than giving one’s life for a friend.
In His love, God did condescend, saving sinners like us, my friend.
We display the love of Christ, when we become a living sacrifice.
It’s a reasonable service to Him; As His Love washed away our sin.
If in your life you give God His place, He will then fill you with faith.
This Faith centers upon Him; as Christ turns you from a life of sin.
Faith becomes your foundation, the moment you receive Salvation.
Friend in your newly found Faith, you will be led by God’s Grace.
And friend your Faith is assured, as you put your Hope in The Lord,
Not in your life or other men but Hope in the One who God did send.
For Christ is The Hope of all men, He is The Beginning and The End,
As Christ is The Hope of certainty, that goes on well into Eternity.
My friend, Faith, Hope and Love, they are all gifts from God up above,
And if you glean from up above, you will see that the greatest is Love.
God’s Love produces in us a Faith that helps us point to God’s Grace.
Grace appeared to all then, and Christ remains The Hope of all men.
(Copyright ©12/2004)
Oh That I Were As In Months Past!
Sweet was the time when first I felt
The Saviour's pard'ning blood
Applied, to cleanse my soul from guilt,
And bring me home to God.
Soon as the morn the light revealed,
His praises tuned my tongue;
And when the evening shades prevailed,
His love was all my song.
In vain the tempter spread his wiles,
The world no more could charm;
I lived upon my Saviour's smiles,
And leaned upon his arm.
In prayer my soul drew near the Lord,
And saw his glory shine;
And when I read his holy word,
I called each promise mine.
Then to his saints I often spoke;
Of what his love had done;
But now my heart is almost broke,
For all my joys are gone.
Now when the evening shade prevails,
My soul in darkness mourns,
And when the morn the light reveals,
No light to me returns.
My prayers are now a chatt'ring noise,
For Jesus hides his face;
I read, the promise meets my eyes,
But will not reach my case.
Now Satan threatens to prevail,
And make my soul his prey;
Yet, Lord, thy mercies cannot fail,
O come without delay.
poem by John Newton
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Life’s Ups And Downs
In all of our ups and our downs, beyond our smiles and our frowns,
Beyond each giggle and every pout, God is working something out,
Beyond our courage and our fears, the eternity God spoke of nears,
And the final up for those in Christ, shall be our entering Eternal Life.
Until then, through both me and you, God still has some work to do,
And we don’t know all that He does, as God works through all of us.
It’s during the many trials we face, in which God displays His Grace,
For many men still need to know, and some believers need to grow.
It was through Grace we received, that in The Truth we had believed,
When as sinners we would realize, as a veil was lifted from our eyes,
That God’s Love was available to us, when in Christ we put our trust,
So we didn’t have to live alone, and became one of God’s very own.
And some of God’s own today, are struggling along the narrow way,
So the guidance to us God will show, helps those believers to grow,
As God’s preparing all of His own, for the time He will take us Home,
Getting each heart prepared for, the soon return of our Blessed Lord.
As things happen within this life, we must stay fixed on Jesus Christ,
For The Lord God is still not done, drawing men unto Christ, His Son,
So believers continue to be a part, while The Spirit, God does impart,
Being in Christ, all we need to be, so others see, all they need to see.
(Copyright ©10/2009)
Hymn 108
Christ unseen and beloved.
1 Pet. 1:5.
Now with our mortal eyes
Have we beheld the Lord;
Yet we rejoice to hear his name,
And love him in his word.
On earth we want the sight
Of our Redeemer's face;
Yet, Lord, our inmost thoughts delight
To dwell upon thy grace.
And when we taste thy love,
Our joys divinely grow
Unspeakable, like those above,
And heav'n begins below.
poem by Isaac Watts
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Hymn 74
The church the garden of Christ.
SS 4:12-15; 5:1.
We are a garden walled around,
Chosen and made peculiar ground;
A little spot enclosed by grace
Out of the world's wide wilderness.
Like trees of myrrh and spice we stand,
Planted by God the Father's hand;
And all his springs in Zion flow,
To make the young plantation grow.
Awake, O, heav'nly wind! and come,
Blow on this garden of perfume;
Spirit divine! descend and breathe
A gracious gale on plants beneath.
Make our best spices flow abroad,
To entertain our Savior God
And faith, and love, and joy appear,
And every grace be active here.
[Let my Beloved come and taste
His pleasant fruits at his own feast:
"I come, my spouse, I come!" he cries,
With love and pleasure in his eyes.
Our Lord into his garden comes,
Well pleased to smell our poor perfumes,
And calls us to a feast divine,
Sweeter than honey, milk, or wine.
"Eat of the tree of life, my friends,
The blessings that my Father sends;
Your taste shall all my dainties prove,
And drink abundance of my love:"
Jesus, we will frequent thy board,
And sing the bounties of our Lord;
But the rich food on which we live
Demands more praise than tongues can give.]
poem by Isaac Watts
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The Doctrine of Christ
While abiding in the doctrine of Christ, we have hope of Eternal Life,
With The Truths Christ would impart, unto every true, believing heart,
Describing a sevenfold foundation, which, undergirds our Salvation,
A Salvation in which we can trust, all through our Lord, Christ Jesus.
First, God has just one true Body, One True Church for you and me,
A Body, where Christ is The Head, as others remain spiritually dead;
Then, there’s only one Spirit of God, for all believers on earth’s sod,
Christ’s Spirit that leads us each day, to live life on The Narrow Way.
We’ve but, One Hope in this world, our hope in Christ that we herald,
The Hope we have in Jesus Christ, Who shall take us all to Paradise;
As the Body has but One Lord, Jesus Christ, the one Savior adored,
By all, who truly belong to God, Who leads us all, with staff and rod.
Fifth, we all have but one Faith, that we’ve come to by God’s Grace,
But one Faith, held by all God’s own, our faith in Jesus Christ alone;
Then, there’s only one Baptism, standing apart from every other ism,
Our baptism through God’s Spirit, when believing Truth as we hear it.
There’s but One God for all of us, The Eternal Father of Christ Jesus,
Our Eternal Father and Creator, Who gave to us, our Blessed Savior;
All of these are found in our foundation, right from God’s Revelation,
Our foundation on which we stand, until we reach the Promised Land.
View Me, Lord, a Work of Thine
View me, Lord, a work of thine!
Shall I then lie downed in night?
Might thy grace in me but shine,
I should seem made all of light.
Cleanse me, Lord, that I may kneel
At thine altar pure and white;
They at once thy mercies feel,
Gaze no more on earth's delight.
Worldly joys like shadows fade
When the heavenly light appears;
But the covenants Thou hast made,
Endless, know not days nor years.
In thy word, Lord, is my trust,
To thy mercies fast I fly;
Though I am but clay and dust,
Yet thy grace can lift me high.
poem by Thomas Campion
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In Christ Is Life
We have peace and God’s presence, wherever The Good Lord sends us,
Even when no peace can be found, Christ sets our feet on stable ground.
God gives our feet a steadiness, through The Lord’s own Righteousness,
The Righteousness of Jesus Christ; this through His Spirit and New Life.
The Lord, who sets us on our course, will be for us, God’s faithful source,
Of His Peace and Light along the way, even in through life’s darkest day.
God’s Peace shall comfort any heart, which trusts in Christ from the start,
Anyone who calls upon Jesus Christ, to lead them through their daily life.
Daily Christ Jesus can give to you, the Grace of God to see you through,
He’ll see you through each day and hour, with His Grace and His Power.
My Friend, even in the darkest night, Christ will guide you with His Light,
In this world The Lord Jesus Christ, is for all men today, The Light of life.
Christ can guide all men my friend, from their beginning to the very end,
The Lord can guide both you and me, from earth’s beginning to Eternity.
And God above can guide everyone, through Jesus Christ His Only Son,
For His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, is the very Author of every life.
Jesus Christ is Creator and He’s God, of the very earth that all men trod,
God who placed you upon this earth, in Christ can give you a New Birth,
To be born again and live forevermore, with our God and Christ our Lord.
Today come to God through Jesus Christ, and you will have Eternal Life.
(Copyright ©01/2007)
God’s Family
Speaking to His disciples one day, The Lord said He could not stay,
But upon earth they would remain, with God’s message to proclaim.
Knowing He would soon depart, Christ placed a peace in their heart,
For they’d know where Christ was, with The Father in Heaven above.
As disciples living our life on this earth, it is Christ that we truly serve,
Jesus Himself paid the initial price, as He became for God a sacrifice.
God sent to the earth Jesus Christ, to give to all men a brand new life,
Christ sent The Spirit down to those, who in their hearts knew He rose.
If you believe Jesus is The Christ, you will be born of God in this life,
The Christ is God’s Anointed One, Messiah friend, is God’s own Son.
When Christ returned to His Throne, He didn’t leave men here alone,
He sent The Holy Spirit to live within, every man who believes in Him.
The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, sent from Christ to be our Comforter,
The Spirit guides and lights our way, as we live for our Lord each day.
He who loves The Father and Son, loves God’s Family, yes everyone,
To love God is to obey His commands, to love every women and man.
The commandments of Christ our Lord, in our lives cannot be ignored,
His commands are not burdensome, if His Family’s where you’re from.
When Born Again into God’s Family, you are a member for all eternity,
A family where we serve each other, with care and love for our brother.
As believers live in Christ’s Love, sharing with men God’s Hope above,
God the Father gives men the power, in each and every day and hour,
Power we have today to overcome, through our faith in God’s own Son.
Being born of God gives men the victory, to be in Christ all they can be.