Hear us, Lord,
we plead,
Our souls do really need
Moments that we’ll treasure
Forever and forever -
Moments from You fully
Holy, holy, holy!
Hear us, Lord, we plead,
Our minds do really need
Moments of deep wonder
Of glories without number -
Moments from You fully
Holy, holy, holy!
Hear us, Lord, we plead,
Our hearts do really need
Moments of awe to kneel
With joyful tears and feel
Moments from You fully
Holy, holy, holy!
Chorus
Send us, God of love,
From Your heart of love
Moments which are fully
Holy, holy, holy!
Send us moments which are fully
Holy, holy, holy!
M. Robbins
There are no specific details
because God’s special dealings are very personal and I wanted the reader to
perhaps reflect upon his own dealings with God.
But for the record, God’s special dealing with me
occurred after I had opened up a Bible dictionary. (The book had originally
been in my father’s hallway bookcase and then in 2006 the book had been packed
away and moved approximately 55 miles. In its new home the book had been
moved around a bit and only had been opened a few times.)
And then on June 3, 2013, it happened. I opened
the Bible dictionary and found a sealed envelope from my father dating back to
2/23/96 and then I experienced one of those holy moments with God. Now
enough about me.
Let’s go on to the prose which can be applied to any
Christian!
Dear Christian.......
It might be about to happen!
You know.....one of those special holy moments from
God.....a moment which will be treasured forever in your soul.
And if it is about to happen.....
It will be a moment in which the Almighty God will
reveal His great faithfulness in a gentle way.
It will be a moment when God will show He knows how to
work behind the scenes.
It also will be a moment when God will show He knows
when to make plain something which had been unseen.
Yes, it might be about to happen!
And if it does, it will be a moment of treasured joy,
wonder and tears!
So, go ahead and get ready, dear Christian.
Get ready to sing forth God’s faithfulness.
Get ready to be in awe of God’s provision.
Get ready to worship the One who is the great I AM.
And if God so chooses, this moment will become so
holy, we will have to leave you alone for a while....as you commune with
God.....
M. Robbins
MOSES
I heard You in the desert,
saw the plagues in Egypt’s midst,
felt the tug of good and evil
from within the Pharaoh’s heart;
yet I who witnessed all these things,
cannot comprehend Your deeds.
I saw pursuing warriors,
heard their cries of utter hate,
then safely crossed the dry Red Sea
which brought but death to Egypt’s proud;
yet I who witnessed all these things,
cannot comprehend Your acts.
I tasted manna rained from heaven,
implemented Your great laws,
drank flowing water from a rock
which represented Christ;
yet I who witnessed all these things,
cannot comprehend Your ways.
I, who through these many years
have seen Your wondrous deeds,
am overwhelmed by Your great acts,
am amazed by who You art;
Almighty God, You’ve just begun
to show me Your great self!
M. Robbins
When you think of Moses, your spirit probably is
struck with great wonderment upon all he saw, did and accomplished as a prophet
of God.
In fact under the Egyptian law, Moses shouldn’t have
even lived past birth, because any Hebrew baby boy was to have been put to
death by the attending midwife. Exod 1:17 states - “But the midwives
feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men
children alive.”
So as we look back upon the life of Moses, we see a
man who escaped death at birth, was considered a “son” of the Pharaoh’s
daughter and was raised in court luxury. We know that when Moses was 40
he killed an Egyptian who was hitting a fellow Hebrew and shortly afterward
Moses fled for his life from the wrath of Pharaoh. He lived away from
court for 40 years.
But hundreds of years earlier God had made a covenant
to Abram as recorded in Gen 15:13-14 - “And he said unto Abram, Know of a
surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and
shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And
also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they
come out with great substance.”
And since Moses was the man God had chosen to fulfill
His covenant.....when the time came, God finally spoke to Moses and sent him
back to Egypt. Exod 12:40-41 states - “Now the sojourning of the children
of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it
came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame
day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of
Egypt.”
Today, we would say that Moses was THE MAN FOR THE
OCCASION. But for Moses and for all the other Hebrews, everything had
just begun.
All.......all that Moses went through the next 40
years was a time of testing, trials, endurance, joys, and triumphs and the
Bible records some of those experiences.
But everything.......yes, everything that Moses
experienced in the workings of God, he summed up in a few brief words of
amazement, awe and anticipation of God, Himself. In Deut 3:24, towards
the end of his life, Moses wrote - “O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy
servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or
in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?”
So whenever you consider the life of Moses, go ahead
and be in awe of all he experienced and accomplished as a prophet of God.
But be sure to put things in their proper place.
Though mighty and great, Moses was still just a
servant of God.
And God? Well, the great I AM, the God of whom
nothing is impossible, the God who blots out our transgressions, the God who
inhabits eternity......this same God had just begun to show Moses His greatness
and His might!
And this God in 1 Cor 12:6 - “is the same God which
worketh all in all.”
May you know His greatness and His might for all
eternity!
M.
Robbins
We are not told to share
with Christ our every care;
we are not told to bear
our total daily care;
but we are told our cares
must be cast on Him.
We are not told to weep
through nights without real peace;
we are not told to keep
our souls in perfect peace;
but we are told our peace
only comes from Him.
We are not told to leap
o’er nights and have no sleep;
we are not told to keep
our minds from restful sleep;
but we are told our sleep
sweetly comes from Him.
Chorus
And He, our Prince of Peace,
will give us restful sleep;
and He, our Prince of Peace,
will bid our tears to cease;
and through eternity
He’ll care for you and me.
M. Robbins
‘Midst a night
which has no stars,
‘midst a day which owns no sun,
I cry to You with a child like voice:
“Please abide with me!”
Yes, my Lord, through howling winds -
through massive thunderstorms,
hear my child like cry to You:
“Please abide with me!”
But it matters not that I’ve been clothed
with Your choicest robe of love
and it matters not that I’ve been crowned
with glory and with grace -
At least that’s what my flesh now speaks
to my tempest driven soul
and so with fear my spirit cries:
“Lord! Please abide with me!”
Rather yet, oh Lord, my God,
please grant this simple cry:
“May You and I be ever joined
With I in You and You in me.”
M. Robbins
I have no knowledge of “forever” but I know of One who
does!
And the One who cannot lie has given all Christians a
“forever” special promise in John 14:16 - “And I will pray the Father, and he
shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.”
And this Comforter, this Spirit of God, is “forever”
with you.....through your dangers, toils, and fears. He is there with you
“forever” when you’re young and when you’re old.
And because He’s yours “forever,” you are “forever”
blest!
M.
Robbins
Come, let us
praise the Lord above
who is the great I AM;
His greatness is unsearchable;
make known to men His deeds.
His deeds were from the start of time -
we know that from His Word
and He will be when time has ceased
the everlasting God.
Yet, how will I begin the praise?
What deed will be the first?
How can I, a mortal man,
record omnipotence?
Yet, there’s a deed I’ve heard about
which I MUST know firsthand.
“Oh Christ, who suffered on the cross,
please save me from my sins!”
Come, let us praise the Lord above
who is the great I AM;
His deeds reflect His many names -
and “Savior” is the best!
M. Robbins
Many people fabricate stories about themselves to
appear “greater” than they are. Achievements are spoken about which never
occurred, financial worth is greatly exaggerated, college degrees are lied
about, etc.
But Christians don’t have to worry about God’s
greatness being overrated. Psalms 145:3 states: “Great is the LORD,
and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” Jeremiah
10:6 states: “...there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great,
and thy name is great in might.” And then Psalms 147:5 says this about
God: “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is
infinite.”
So let us be amazed once more of God’s great deeds in
the Old Testament - like His leading of David from being a watcher of sheep to
His placement of David upon the throne of Israel.
And in the New Testament let us rejoice over the
summation of His greatest deed as written in John 3:16 - “God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Then after our souls have been enraptured over the
greatness of some of God’s deeds, let us go forth and do what Psalms 105:1
exhorts us to do: “...make known his deeds among the
people.”
M. Robbins
Sing unto him,
sing psalms unto him.....Psalms 105:2
Very few Christians live in a world of music - where
words become notes and the notes become songs.
But through the ages, thankfully, God has gifted
certain men and women who have written words and who have composed notes.
The end result is that Christendom now has a vast number of marvelous hymns!
However, it is the duty of every Christian to take
some of those hymns and make them personal and not just confine those songs to
be sung only in church. For life is not lived out in church, but life is
lived out at home, at work and wherever we go.
But why do we so little sing when we are away from
church?
Do we not have in a week’s time numerous fears, cares,
temptations, and worries to contend with? Don’t we face broken dreams, aching
hearts, and ill health? Are we not slow to trust God in everything?
Are we not possessors of “little faith?”
Haven’t we been redeemed? Haven’t we been sealed
by the Spirit? Haven’t we been made complete in Him? Aren’t we
bound for Heaven?
How can we not help but sing songs of encouragement to
ourselves?
How can we not help sing hymns of praise and adoration
to God?
Enough with questions.
Let’s end with a glorious thought: as we
personally sing our songs of encouragement or praise,
perhaps........perhaps..... perhaps someone might hear, turn to God and seek
forgiveness of their
sins!
M. Robbins
To a Servant of the Lord
With
our souls filled with love
unto our God above,
we pledge our hearts to you;
we promise to be true,
dear servant of the Lord,
our glory and our joy.
With faith in Christ our Lord
in whom our hearts adore,
we pledge our souls to pray;
may Jesus be your stay,
dear servant of the Lord,
our glory and our joy.
With total trust in Him
whose guidance never dims,
we pledge our hands to
give
our funds to help you live,
dear servant of the Lord,
our glory and our joy.
Chorus
With glory and with joy
we pledge our hearts to you;
with glory and with joy,
dear servant of the Lord,
we pledge our love to you -
our glory and our joy.
M. Robbins
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye
in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our
glory and joy. 1 Thes 2:19-20
Paul was a man sent by God to preach where the Gospel
had not been preached and by the Holy Spirit to write many of the New Testament
books. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to have lived in those times and
had been able to send Paul a monthly financial gift?
Now, let us use our imagination for just a few seconds.
Let’s imagine that next Sunday a missionary will make
an entrance to your church and will present an appeal for help in going to the
field. Of course you know that he is no Paul, but he is going to a
country you have been interested in for months and he is going to be involved
in an area of ministry you also have been drawn to. What will you
do? What are your options?
You can and should make a needful commitment to pray
for him and his family.
And you can also make a commitment to give a monthly
financial gift.
But before you make a financial commitment, let me
warn you....you are facing a commitment which should never be taken
lightly....you are taking on a responsibility which may very well continue
until the missionary and his wife dies.
And through the 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years of your
monthly support you probably will have to deny yourself many things in order to
maintain that pledge.
Tears of frustration also may come when you are forced
to tighten your budget in order to give.
The re-evaluation of priorities.....the constant
determination of holding onto your commitment of support.....the weariness of
juggling living expenses and the occasional feeling of “I’ve done enough - time
now for an easing of giving” will enter your very soul.
Like I said, your missionary will never be a Paul, but
he, as a servant of God, will go through times of hardships and times of
exaltations. And you, with your prayers and your gifts, will follow him
through all his trials and joys.
The apostle Paul knew very well what he, himself, had
gone through and came to a conclusion which he expressed in I Thes
2:19-20: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are
not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For
ye are our glory and joy.”
Of course this was written to people who had been
saved under Paul’s ministry.
But you will find out that when you consistently pray
and give to a missionary, somehow that missionary will be more than just a
person.
You will have found that he has truly become your
glory and your
joy!
M. Robbins
Men have their sorrows,
Men have their cares;
So, heir of God,
Trust in the Lord:
It’s better higher up!
Age has it’s burdens,
Age has it’s fears;
So, heir of God,
Believe the Lord:
It’s better higher up!
Earth has her
battles,
Earth has her
strife;
So, heir of God,
Lean on the
Lord:
It’s better higher up!
Yes, it’s better higher up!
God’s on His throne above;
So, heir of God,
Praise Christ the Lord:
It’s better higher up!
M. Robbins
As we praise the Lord above,
As we trust His heart of love,
Let us do as we’ve been told;
We can never be too bold;
Let us cast our care on Him.
As we tell Him of our fears,
As we let Him dry our tears,
Let us do as we’ve been told;
We will never find Him cold;
Let us cast our care on Him.
As we in His Word abide,
As we let Him be our Guide,
Let us do as we’ve been told;
We are children of His fold;
Let us cast our care on Him.
Refrain
Let us now on Him obey;
Come today; now don’t delay;
Let us do as we’ve been told;
We can never be too bold;
Let us cast our care on Him.
M. Robbins
Anybody
born into a family of distinction needs plenty of guiding counsel.
“But I’m not a part of this world’s ‘social elite,’”
you might say. “Surely, I don’t need a lot of counsel.”
But, child of God, if you think that, remember what
you’re forgetting.
You’re forgetting to remember.....you’ve been washed
in the blood of the Lamb.
You’re forgetting to remember.....you’re a child of
God.
You’re forgetting to remember.....you’re His heir.
And then remember what you’re forgetting.....you’re a
joint-heir with Christ.
And then on occasion, dear child of God, when the
prosperity and lifestyle of others cause you to despair about your own humble
earthly life, you’re forgetting to remember about heaven.....the glories
ahead.....and the heavenly city which is to come.
Dear child of God, that is who you are: you’re a
child of God destined for God’s heaven and God’s glory.
But here on earth you have crucial spiritual decisions
to make.
You also face moral, ethical and righteous situations
which require spiritual action.
Then there are the daily situations which confront you
requiring a Christian response.
Oh sure, there will be times you may need the counsel
of a lawyer, a medical doctor, a building expert, an interior decorator, an
investment expert, etc.
But child of God, can’t you see that as a child of God
you have need of counsel infinitely more than any of this world’s non-Christian
rich and famous people?
And you cannot look within yourself for the type of
counsel a Christian needs in order to live as a Christian. You must look
to God.....for only God can counsel your mind and spirit in the ways of His
Spirit.
So, feed deeply upon His precious word, the
Bible.
Let His word be sweet unto your spirit, your mind, and
your heart.
And may you, with a prayerful spirit, always lean on,
seek for and wait for His never failing counsel.
And be at peace. For He, whose counsel standeth
forever, will surely guide you with His counsel and afterward.....oh, glorious
afterward.....He will receive you into
glory!
M. Robbins
Sometimes a
Christian prays for years before seeing the desire of the heart and soul - as
in the case of Hannah. She prayed for years before her son Samuel was
born (I Samuel Chapter 1).
At other times a Christian prays and doesn’t get what
is wanted but is granted something else from God - as in the case of
Paul. He prayed 3 times for his thorn in the flesh to be taken away and
then God said “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness” (II Corinthians Chapter 12:7-9).
And then there are times when a Christian desires
something and God DOES grant the item but in a different and in a much larger
capacity. King David wanted to build a permanent house for the ark of the
LORD, but God promised David that one of David’s sons would build Him a house -
“He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his
kingdom for ever” (II Samuel Chapter 7:13).
But when a Christian is praying for the salvation of
someone, it is very hard to accept an answer of what seems to be “wait.”
During such times, however, God often brings much comfort through a single
Bible verse.
Personally speaking.....during an off-and-on period of
praying/fasting for an individual’s salvation, a verse became very dear to me -
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray,
and not to faint” - Luke 18:1.
In fact whenever Luke 18:1 occurred in a devotional or
on a calendar, my spirit seemed to revive and seemed to express many
thanksgivings to God. But what I couldn’t seem to understand was why
salvation hadn’t occurred. Wasn’t praying for someone to be saved AND
their being saved of utmost importance?
Finally on Saturday, December 13, 1994 when I WAS
about to faint in prayer, God revealed Luke 18:1 to me in a great big majestic
gentle way as was recorded in my diary:
Very blue today. And even though
today’s verse in the devotional book Utmost for His Highest is Luke 18:1 and
the verse tomorrow in “Our Daily Bread” is the same, at about 5:30 pm in the
midst of cleaning the house, I still asked God if He would bring that verse in
some way or other to me today.
After turning on the cassette tape player to listen to
some music, I then thought God would surely use a radio sermon to bring Luke
18:1 to me.....so the cassette player was turned off and the radio was turned
on.
(And God did answer this evening’s strange petition
but in a way very precious to my soul.)
Not long after I had prayed, my friend Amber called on
the telephone. (She had tried to call me last night, but I was at a
women’s church Christmas party.) She was perplexed about the verse for
December 8 in the devotional book Whispers of His Power by Amy
Carmichael. At my request, Amber read aloud the devotional for 12/8
& 12/9. However, nothing on 12/9 seemed to go with 12/8.
So I asked Amber to read the verse for 12/7.
Guess what verse was used for December 7 in the devotional book and in which
Amber read aloud to me? Luke 18:1 - “And he spake a parable unto them to
this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”
So whoever you are, praying Christian, don’t faint in
your prayers, but keep yourself from known sin and allow God to majestically
reveal Himself in relationship to His will towards your deepest prayer
requests.
M. Robbins
In my Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also.
John 14:2-3
When Jesus spoke of coming again “for you,” He
wasn’t casually speaking. He was deeply, passionately, earnestly, and
with an everlasting love speaking of your future with Him.
And though He was speaking from the upper room where
the disciples were gathered for the passover, Christ was looking past His death
on the cross and was looking into eternity.
And you were there.
Yes, even from that furnished room in Jerusalem,
Christ saw you free at last from the things of earth: tears, sorrow,
pain, sin, and the fear of death.
And He rejoiced in your garment of salvation, your
robe of righteousness, your Heavenly glory and your having “put on
immortality.”
And Christ, the omnipotent one, knowing that neither
your eye nor ear nor heart had any knowledge of the things that had been
prepared for you, knew you would be forever satisfied with His goodness.
Yes, dear one of Christ, Jesus spoke concerning His
coming again before He left the upper room for the cross.
But you were in His heart.....in His very soul.....and
you were beholding His glory.
So, dear loved one of Christ, as you journey through
this barren earth, do not distrust His love.
For it was because of His great love for you that He
suffered all for you.
And it will be because of His great love for you that
He’ll not leave you behind....
away from glory.....away from
Him.
by M. Robbins
When times
of trouble come my way,
When darkness never turns to day,
God’s love will guide my soul to
say,
“It’s time to be remembering.”
When times of stress besiege my
way,
When pain and strife both come to
stay,
God’s love will guide my soul to
say,
“It’s time to be remembering.”
When trials storm upon my way,
When living right seems not to pay,
God’s love will guide my soul to
say,
“It’s time to be remembering.”
Chorus
Remembering Your love is best,
Remembering Your love brings rest,
Remembering that I am Thine,
How great the blessings, Lord, are
mine!
M. Robbins
Only an outcast, Lord, am I;
Only a sinner judged to die;
Only a mourner o’er my sins;
Yet, there’s a Voice I hear within;
Yet, there’s a Voice I hear within.
Only a Voice, but it is Christ’s;
Only a Voice, but His brings Light;
Only a Voice, but His can heal;
Now can my soul unto Him kneel?
Now can my soul unto Him kneel?
“Yes,” He speaks, “you may seek My face;”
“Yes,” He speaks, “now receive My grace;
Yes, you’re a sinner; that’s your name;
But, I’m the Saviour; that’s My name.
But, I’m the Saviour, that’s My name.”
Salvation is Christ’s gift to me;
Salvation now has set me free;
Salvation is the Saviour’s fame;
And He’s my Saviour, bless His name!
And He’s my Saviour, bless His name!
Chorus
He’s the Saviour; He took my blame!
He’s the Saviour; yes, that’s His Name!
He saved my soul then changed my name!
He calls me “child!” Oh, praise His Name!
He calls me “child!” Oh, praise His Name!
M. Robbins
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not
in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in
you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the
Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the
dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in
you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after
the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye
through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together.
Romans 8:8-17
In order to help heal and save people, it takes many
years of study to become a medical doctor and then additional years of training
to become a “specialist.”
But Christ didn’t have to “study” in order to achieve
His earthly objective - becoming “the Saviour.” Rather, He “made himself
of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men.”
What Christ went through we’ll never know.
However, we do know that He left Heaven and all its glories to live in a
conquered land with little possessions so that we might live in Heaven’s glory
as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
We also know that as Christ was dying on the cross, He
was ridiculed by the rulers, the chief priests and the soldiers. And
their words were shameful.
While they, themselves, were clothed in unseen
wickedness, the rulers reminded Christ that He saved others. While they,
themselves, were robed in their own righteousnesses which were as filthy rags,
the chief priests mocked Him and said He should save Himself and then they’d
believe He was the King of Israel. And while they, themselves, were under
orders of a mere common ruler, the soldiers also mocked Christ’s divinity and
likewise urged Him to save Himself.
But Christ could not save both Himself and us.
So, because He was the sacrificial lamb slain as it
were before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:19-20), Christ chose to save
us rather than to save Himself. And it is because Christ carried the sins
and bore the penalty of death for each individual, He alone forever will be
known as “the Saviour.”
But Christ can only save an individual who
acknowledges bearing the identity of a “sinner” and in dire need of the
Saviour. Paul, himself, personally stated in 1 Tim 1:15: This is a
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Enough now with the pronouns: “we,” “they” and
“us.” Christ saves “sinners” as individuals. So, I, myself, must be
saved before I call Him mine!
And so to Christ alone I’ve come.....in all my
sinfulness.....bearing the name of “sinner”.....yet, believing He died for
me. And because He is the Saviour, by His mercy I’ve been
saved!
M.
Robbins
It
takes many years of study to become a medical doctor and additional years of training
to become a “specialist.” And through all the years of toil, each doctor
combats things like sleep deprivation and the potential loss of deep personal
friendships. But most doctors are able to put such losses into
perspective for the ultimate objective is to become a doctor.
But Christ didn’t have to “study” in order to achieve
one of His major objectives. Rather, He had to humble Himself first
before He could be called the Savior. And what Christ went through only
He’ll ever know.
We do know, however, that He left Heaven and all its
glories to live with little possessions in a conquered land where crucifixions
were a common means of public execution. We also know that the
common people “followed” Him because many were being healed. And though
the religious leaders finally plotted his eventual death, Christ only died
because He was the sacrificial lamb slain as it were before the foundation of
the world (1 Peter 1:19-20). And then, of course, He was resurrected from
the dead.
And because Christ carried the sins and bore the
penalty of death for each individual, He alone is truly the Savior.
But Christ can only be a Savior to those who
acknowledge their need of a Savior, as the apostle Paul, himself, personally
stated in 1 Tim 1:15: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I
am chief.
And it is because of Christ’s death and resurrection,
there are three names in the Bible which now are of major importance in the
life of every individual - “Savior,” “sinner,” and “child.”
So it is that only the individual who truly
understands the dire penalty of being a “sinner,” will be able to ask for
Christ the “Savior” to save, and then only then will the “sinner’s” name be
changed from “sinner” to “child” of
God.
M. Robbins
You came
to me, God
You came to me, God
in my darkness,
but not in bodily form;
then upon my soul,
You wrote a verse;
now glory fills my soul!
You came to me, God,
in my trials,
yet, not in bodily form;
then upon my soul,
You wrote Your Word;
now glory fills my soul!
You came to me, God,
in my sorrow,
though not in bodily form;
then upon my soul,
You wrote a verse;
now glory fills my soul!
Chorus
You came to me, God,
by Your verses;
Alleluia! praise Your name!
And upon my soul
You’ve written Your love;
now glory fills my soul!
M. Robbins
My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy
word. Psalms 119:81
We know that the Bible states in 2 Tim 3:16, “All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness.”
But did you know that God often brings into a
Christian’s
life a Bible verse that ultimately has such a special significance
between God and the Christian that it might later in time be
called a “love” verse?
Yes, through ways which are only known to God, the
Lord
Almighty can take a single Bible verse and use that verse to
mightily reveal Himself to a Christian.
Also through means which only God can bring about, the
Great I AM can take just one verse from His Word and make
that single verse a vital part of a Christian’s life and
memory!
However that type of verse often comes to the
Christian’s
soul during times of great anguish, loss, trials or when the
Christian seems to be almost fainting in prayer. Consequently
because it frequently comes at such a great cost to the believer,
the verse seems to have been “written” upon the soul.
Yet, a “written” verse upon the soul isn’t
natural. So how
can a verse that has been “written” upon a soul bear any
resemblance of being loveable? Surely it can’t be termed a
“love” verse!
Ah, dear Christian, His ways are generally not the
same as ours.
His way is that from our great anguish God’s glory shines
from
a Bible verse.
His way is that from our loss comes a special “union”
with God
via a verse.
His way is that from our trials comes a type of deep,
unforgettable communication of God unto the Christian,
His child, through a Scripture verse.
In fact so special does the verse become to the
Christian, it is if God, Himself, by way of a verse, had
taken on sinews and flesh.
And because it is all of God, there is a special holy
glory in the “writing.”
Consequently for the rest of the Christian’s earthly
pilgrimage, contact with such a verse will trigger an
immediate memory of how and when God revealed
Himself through a verse!
That is why such a verse can be called a “love”
verse.
Oh! the “writing!”
Oh! the glory!
May His name be praised today!
M. Robbins
When trials press against my soul
When trials press against my soul,
When threat’ning doubts assail my soul,
The only thing my soul must know
Is that the Saviour died for me.
When fears bring war against my soul,
When heartaches lean upon my soul,
The only thing my soul must know
Is that the Saviour died for me.
When songs no more come to my soul,
When present joys have left my soul,
The only thing my soul must know
Is that the Saviour died for me.
When heavenward Christ brings my soul,
When homeward Jesus calls my soul,
The only thing my soul must know
Is that the Saviour died for me.
Chorus
And He has not forsaken me
And He has not forgotten me;
Behold the Lord has graven me
Upon His hands eternally!
M. Robbins
Are your
trials getting worse? Have you experienced an apparent defeat in this
world’s arena? Are you now at the date of your eviction notice? Has
illness seemingly entered your life for what appears to be forever?
And what is worse, have you been seeking God’s ear and
all seems to be just silence on His end because He hasn’t done what you think
He should have done?
Then, dear Christian, go unto your place of prayer!
Yes, while your heart and soul seem to be breaking,
“acknowledge” to God that you know your past, present and future have carefully
been crafted by Him because He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
Yes, even while your heart and soul seem to be
breaking, “allow” God to be who He is--your Father, Lord, and your great I
AM. And keep in mind Isaiah 55:8: “For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”
And then.....even then.....though your heart and soul
still seem to be breaking, “adore” the One who is your Lord and God!
For the One who has loved you with an everlasting love
IS working on your behalf despite the appearance of your circumstances.
Dear child of God, when a shrub is pruned to obtain
better growth or fruit, the plant doesn’t understand “why.” So, when you
undergo tough times and don’t understand “why,” you must believe that God knows
what He is doing and allowing.
You’ll have all eternity to be in awe of what He has
done on your behalf!
But it is your privilege today to trustfully rest in
His love!
M.
Robbins
...and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thes 4:17
Who hasn’t
heard or read a fantasy story about some handsome
prince who falls in love with a poor beautiful maiden. Of course
they marry and the poor but beautiful maiden lives happily ever
after with the future king.
Though fairy tales are fantasy we, as common folks, long for the
things which belonging to royalty would bring! And how our
hearts long for that happy ever after!
But dear Christian, forget about fantasy and look upon what is
your reality
As a Christian, you are loved with “with an everlasting love” and
you were loved so much that Christ was not willing that you
should take the penalty of your own sins and so He died in
your place on Calvary.
You, who were nothing, have forever the protection, care, and
attention of the One who is King of kings and who is omnipotent,
omniscient, and by whom “all things were made.”
Seemingly bad things will come your way which may affect your
health, finances, and relationships. And at times you may be very
frightened by the harshness and brutality of this world.
But, dear Christian, earth is not your home - it is a wilderness.
But it is in this wilderness that you will have an opportunity
to know and learn of Christ in a way than you’ll never
have in Heaven.
So, dear Christian, lean on His word for guidance and
strength. Trust in Him for the provisions of life. Talk to
Him often during the day - giving to Him the cares of
your way. And look for Him.....yes, even longing for
Him......remembering always that Christ’s love towards
you is such He won’t be satisfied for you to be forever
here in this wilderness called “earth.”
And though there seems to be endless years of delay, there will
come a day in which you will be starting your “forever” with the
One whose love is best!
That, dear Christian, is your reality and never ending joy!
M. Robbins
The Bread of Life - M. Robbins
The Bread of Life died on this earth;
redeeming grace flowed from Christ’s side;
He offers now the second birth;
how blest the soul where Christ abides!
My soul was faint; my soul was weak;
my soul did ask for living bread;
His cleansing grace my soul did seek;
how blest the soul if Christ’s the Head!
Unto His side, He led the way;
my soul was fed by His dear self;
my dreadful sins He’s washed away;
how blest my soul for Christ Himself!
Since Christ, the Bread of Life, is mine,
He gives not crumbs, but gives His whole
and bids me daily on Him dine;
how truly blessed is my soul!
M. Robbins
Everlasting - M. Robbins
The joys of earth are doomed
to loss;
all riches end as dross;
yes, nothing is forever here;
so, there’s no need to fear
for God’s own Word is clear:
What seems so right comes
forth as wrong;
relentless pain is strong;
but nothing is forever here;
so, there’s no need to fear
for God’s own Word is clear:
God’s only Son my debt did
pay;
my heart is where He stays;
now, in my soul forever's here;
so, there’s no need to fear
for God’s own Word is clear:
Chorus:
The everlasting God on high
is One who cannot lie
and He has said that I will be
with Him eternally -
yes, through eternity!
M. Robbins
2 different
versions of a song by M. Robbins (so far song unnamed)
version 1
I have found a line
from God’s Book Divine,
words so rich, so fine:
Chorus:
“O Lord, You have pleaded
the causes of my soul:
You have redeemed my life.”
(chorus is basically from Lam 3:58)
Words so powerful,
words so wonderful
from a heart made whole:
Chorus:
“O Lord, You have pleaded
the causes of my soul:
You have redeemed my life.”
And those words I’ve claimed,
so I shall exclaim,
yes, I will proclaim:
Chorus:
“O Lord, You have pleaded
the causes of my soul:
You have redeemed my life.”
Christ, the Word, I’ll see
through eternity,
and my praise shall be:
Chorus:
“O Lord, You have pleaded
the causes of my soul:
You have redeemed my life.”
Martha Robbins
1/16/15
version 2
I have found a line
from God’s Book Divine,
words so rich, so fine:
Chorus:
“O Lord, You have pleaded
the causes of my soul:
You have redeemed my life.”
Words so powerful,
words so wonderful
from a heart made whole:
Chorus:
“O Lord, You have pleaded
the causes of my soul:
You have redeemed my life.”
Since those words I’ve claimed,
I shall, too, exclaim,
yes, I will proclaim:
Chorus:
“O Lord, You have pleaded
the causes of my soul:
You have redeemed my life.”
Christ, the Word, I’ll see
through eternity,
and my praise shall be:
Chorus:
“O Lord, You have pleaded
the causes of my soul:
You have redeemed my life.”
Martha Robbins
1/16/15
Child of
God, look past the pain - M. Robbins
Child of God, look past the pain;
look past sin’s dreadful stain;
precious promises are yours,
through the blood of Christ the Door.
Child of God, look past the strife;
look past the storms of life;
Christ to you has pledged His love;
you shall dwell with Him above.
Child of God, look on His Word;
look on the Words you’ve heard;
every single phrase is true;
every promise He will do.
Chorus
Read God’s Holy Word!
Let your heart be stirred!
Every promise He will do!
Believe God's Word is
true!
M. Robbins
sung to tune of
“Jesus Paid it All”
A holy
God? It cannot be
A holy God? It cannot be
That He could truly look on me!
I’ve cast His laws behind my back!
Pure righteousness is what I lack!
Unto the holy King of Kings
A perfect life I cannot bring;
My righteousness is all unclean;
Oh! who shall save me from death’s sting?
The Holy Word of God does say
That all my sins were by Christ paid;
And if by faith I would believe,
God’s righteousness would come to me.
Chorus
The righteousness of God I need;
There is none other I can plead;
When I by faith on Christ believe
God’s righteousness will come to me.
M. Robbins
...through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Phil 3:9
Paul, a “free born” Roman citizen of Jewish heritage,
had
as a baby breathed his first breath in the home of one who
was considered a Roman national and not as one from a
conquered people.
This privileged birth gave Paul the opportunity to
obtain
proper schooling which helped shape his great intellect and
later guided him into becoming “zealous toward God” (Acts 22:3),
but this zealousness was “not according to knowledge” (Rom 10:2).
Of course, all this left no impression upon God for in
God’s sight
all.....even Paul.....had sinned and had “come short of the glory of
God” (Rom 3:23).
What Paul needed was the salvation which comes only
“through
faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15) which happened shortly
after Paul’s miraculous encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus.
In fact a few short days after that encounter, Paul,
who had
formerly been named “Saul,” found his heart, his mind, and
his spirit had been forever changed. He was now a
“Christian” who was “an apostle of Christ” “a servant of
God,” and “a new creature in Christ.”
Years later to the Christians in Rome, Paul wrote a
phrase which would have never been written by an
unsaved Roman citizen: “but I am carnal, sold under
sin” (Rom 7:14). Of course what Paul wrote was in
reference to the Mosaic law which was “spiritual” and
had nothing to do about nationality and citizenship.
Still, Paul understood the significance of a totally
“spiritual” Mosaic law: an individual could never
obtain righteousness by obeying the law. Rather
righteousness is given because it is the righteousness
of God “which is by faith of Jesus Christ” and it is
“unto all and upon all them that believe” ((Rom 3:22).
And it this message of “righteousness which is
of faith” (Rom 9:30) that Paul tirelessly wrote and
preached about while traveling thousands of miles
and suffering many things.
Eventually while visiting Jerusalem, Paul’s zeal
for Christ collided with the traditional Mosaic law
and because of his Roman citizenship, Paul
saw Rome’s grandeur.....but with great cost.
After two different Roman imprisonments,
Paul was given the sentence of death.
Thus the earthly eyes of Paul permanently
closed in death but only for a great “gain” (Phil 1:21).
Heavenly eyes replaced earthly eyes and Paul
saw at last Him “Who hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, and hath translated us into the
kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have
redemption through his blood, even the
forgiveness of sins” (Col
1:13-14).
M. Robbins
A Rich Man
Went to Christ One Night
A rich man went to Christ one night;
He thought he surely had the right,
But Jesus knew the man’s own plight;
He was condemned through unbelief!
Wherever Christ did speak His Word,
Vast multitudes of hearts were stirred;
But Jesus knew that though they heard
They were condemned through unbelief!
Today, Christ sees your precious soul,
He sees your sins; He knows their toll,
And yet He knows you can be whole;
Salvation comes when you believe!
Chorus
From condemnation step away;
Oh! heed the voice of Christ today;
On Him believe and yes, be saved,
For He’s the Truth, the Life, the Way!
M. Robbins
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn
the world; but that the world through him might be
saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned:
but he that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of
God.
John 3:17-18
Imagine for a moment when you left for work this
morning,
your house had a solid foundation, firm outside walls, a
carefully tiled roof and flowers were blooming abundantly in
your yard.
Then in this hypothetical situation imagine coming
home
after work and finding nothing different except
“CONDEMNED” signs posted all about your house and
yard.
Wouldn’t you naturally be confused, angry, and
stunned?
Wouldn’t you even question the fairness of such a
verdict?
And wouldn’t you do your best to reverse such a ruling?
Now in John 3:17-18, Christ addresses the matter of
condemnation, but the issue isn’t about houses or lands being
condemned. He speaks about a different kind of
condemnation - the condemnation of the soul.
And because “all our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags,”
the condemnation that Christ speaks of will forever be a
justifiable verdict.
Yet! Yet, there is good news!
The verdict of “condemnation” upon an individual’s
soul can be reversed because Christ came into the world
not to condemn the world “but that the world through him
might be saved.”
Yes, God didn’t send us into the world to bring about
own salvation.....God sent Christ.
As John 5:24 simply states: Verily, verily, I say unto
you,
He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me,
hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;
is passed from death unto
life.
Salvation? Condemnation? Death?
Life? Eternity is at
stake - “.....now is the accepted time; behold, now is the
day of salvation.” Another time may never come.
May it be Christ in whom you’ll choose to believe!
M. Robbins
(2
versions of my poem -
You're the Way for Those We Know)
1st version
You’re the Way for those we know;
Blessed Savior, give them You.
May Your Spirit to them go;
Blessed Savior, give them You.
You’re the Truth for those we love;
Caring Savior, give them You.
Grant them now the Spirit Dove;
Caring Savior, give them You.
You’re the Life for those who hate;
Loving Savior, give them You.
May Your Spirit theirs awake;
Loving Savior, give them You.
You’re the Light for unknown souls;
Risen Savior, give them You.
May Your Spirit make them whole;
Risen Savior, give them You.
Chorus
May today they’ll seek Your face!
May today You’ll grant them grace!
Since salvation comes from You,
Blessed Savior, give them You.
M. Robbins
2nd version
You’re the Way for those we know;
Blessed Savior, give them You.
May Your Spirit to them go;
Blessed Savior, give them You.
May today they’ll seek Your face!
May today You’ll grant them grace!
Since salvation comes from You,
Blessed Savior, give them You!
You’re the Truth for those we love;
Caring Savior, give them You.
Grant them now the Spirit Dove;
Caring Savior, give them You.
May today they’ll seek Your face!
May today You’ll grant them grace!
Since salvation comes from You,
Blessed Savior, give them You!
You’re the Life for those who hate;
Loving Savior, give them You.
May Your Spirit theirs awake;
Loving Savior, give them You.
May today they’ll seek Your face!
May today You’ll grant them grace!
Since salvation comes from You,
Loving Savior, give them You!
You’re the Light for unknown souls;
Risen Savior, give them You.
May Your Spirit make them whole;
Risen Savior, give them You.
May today they’ll seek Your face!
May today You’ll grant them grace!
Since salvation comes from You,
Risen Savior, give them You!
Chorus
Hear us as we pray to You;
Hear our words so brief and few;
You are faithful, just and true;
Please, oh Savior, give men You!
May today they’ll seek Your face!
May today You’ll grant them grace!
Since salvation comes from You,
Blessed Savior, give them You!
M. Robbins
God, does Your heart ever groan when we go
shopping for shoes - for “soles” - when we should
be praying for the salvation of “souls”?
God, do You ever grow weary of hearing us
speaking about non-essential things when we should be
speaking to others about Your love and grace?
And when we spend more time planning for festive
holiday occasions than the time we spend in prayer for
the salvation of those we know, do You weep then, God?
Unfortunately, it seems more rewarding to talk to our
friends about current decorating and fashion trends than it
does to pray to You about the salvation of our acquaintances.
Oh, God! How shameful it is that we can
excitedly think
about an eternity in Heaven with You and spend so little time
in prayer for our loved ones, friends, and even enemies who
know not Your love and have not experienced Your saving grace!
And yet, oh God, despite our constant failures,
despite
our not praying for others, please look upon us today with
love and tenderness.
Take into account that we are still sinners saved by
Your
grace and that the burden of praying for the unsaved too
often weighs us down in sorrow.
Also remember that we still battle with the “seen” and
the “unseen” and that we really do have trouble comprehending
the whole idea of what it means to be a “saved individual
headed towards Heaven” in comparison with being an
“unsaved soul headed towards Hell.”
But sometimes through Your Spirit, oh God, our
spiritual eyes do seem to see the “unseen.” When that
happens, our spirit goes to a higher level and with a greater
comprehension, we see You as the Great I AM through
whom everything exists because of Your words. Also at
that point, we understand more clearly that all men -
kings, princes, billionaires, artists, politicians, etc., are as
mere butterflies amidst a thousand galaxies when compared
with You.
Truly, we are less than nothing if our sins have not
been
washed in the blood of the Lamb.
So as we pray for others, God, hear past our simple
words.
And hear the tears streaming from our soul as we cry
aloud to You:
“You’re the Prize for those we know. Please give
them You! Please give them You!
M. Robbins
Men honor fame,
Men honor wealth,
For the world does think
That honor comes
From having both of these.
But the honor that’s worth the having,
Comes from God, Himself,
To those who love His Son,
In the form of grace and glory,
In the form of glory and grace.
M. Robbins
Throughout the ages, mankind seems to have had an
endless desire to be “greatly honored.”
Yet, as Christians, we shouldn’t strive for the
world’s various temporal “honors;” neither are we to be horrified by fleeting
“honors” obtained by dishonorable methods.
But we are to be aware of the wiles of Satan, our
enemy. Yet, he is more knowledgeable of our inward nature then we are of
his tactical wiles. Thus, Satan has become very adept at using the human
desire for “honor” to his advantage and to our disadvantage.
Sometimes Satan brazenly tries to go directly against
God’s plans for the ages by using an individual’s personal desire for
“honor.” We find an example of this in the chapters of Numbers 22-24,
where Satan attempts to destroy the children of Israel by way of a pagan’s lust
for “honor.”
Of course it all started when Balak, king of the
Moabites, wanted his enemies, the children of Israel, to be cursed. Now
Balak didn’t have the satanic power to curse, so he promised to promote “unto
great honor” Balaam, a pagan prophet, if Balaam would curse the twelve tribes
of Israel.
However, Balak’s plans and Balaam’s ambitions were
foiled when, instead of a satanic curse, God commanded Balaam to give a
blessing.
Balak then angrily, but truthfully, exclaims to
Balaam in Numbers 24:11: “I thought to promote thee unto great honor; but, lo,
the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.”
It is that 11th verse of Numbers 24, which was spoken
by the pagan king, that Satan often deceitfully uses in a Christian’s life to
disrupt the sweet, trustful communion a Christian has with his blessed Heavenly
Father. This Satan does by maliciously sowing seeds of distrust of our
Father’s love, His care, His guidance, His wisdom, etc., and those seeds are
planted right at the doorsteps of our heart, mind, and soul!
Actually the fact that the Devil tried to get Jesus to
sin by quoting parts of Psalms 91:11-12 after Christ’s fast of 40 days in the
wilderness, should serve as a warning that Satan will try anything! Yes,
Satan will try anything, even the usage of the Holy Word, to cause us to sin or
be disturbed in spirit!
So be very careful, dear Christian, of Satan’s sly
usage of the words: “the LORD hath kept thee back from honor,” because
Satan will deceptively twist the meaning of that verse by using our innocent
longing for the world’s “honors” to bring about in our life less reliance upon
God or discontentment with God, Himself.
And let us be cognizant of the fact that the world’s
admiration and adulation are not suitable for individuals whose sins have been
forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, let us no longer aspire to obtain worldly
“honors;” for even if the world could “honor” one individual with the entire
accumulated wealth and possessions of all the centuries, that would be
insignificant to what each Christian “honorably” possesses through the grace of
God.
Rather, may the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit
and the attentive reading of the Scriptures enlighten us of the numerous
“honors” God has granted to those who have placed their trust in the name of
Christ.
So, let us shout, “Hallelujah! Christ has washed
away our sins!”
So, let us sing, “Hallelujah! God has made us to
be heirs!”
However, though we are the honored recipients of God’s
mercy and His grace, it’s entirely about Him and Him alone.
So, let us kneel in adoration! Let us kneel in
humbleness!
And let our hearts in reverence, repeat the words of
Paul:
“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible,
the only wise God, be honour and glory
for ever and ever.” 1 Timothy 1:17
M. Robbins
An accumulation of
seemingly failed prayers and fastings are never things to delightfully look
back upon.....
Neither delightful to the memory are the thoughts of
failed hopes and dreams.....
But manifestations of God's gentleness in the midst of
a Christian's crisis, will forever and forever be a theme of rejoicing to the
Lord above.
When I look back upon the dates of September 1 and 2,
in which all my hopes, dreams, prayers and fastings seemed to have merged into
one gigantic mess of emptiness, I am left with nothing but tears.
But when I look back upon the date of September 3, I
am left with tears of utter amazement at my first-hand experience of God's
gentleness.
So, what brought about such a failure of prayers and
fastings?
What were my failed hopes and dreams?
And what were the manifestations of God's gentleness
in my particular situation?
First thing, though it was a righteous cause, I should
never have given a prayer hearing God a deadline of September 1 to answer my
spiritual intercessions. And I naturally assumed that all my prayers and
fastings were my contributions to the spiritual battle at hand.
Secondly, I should have spiritually yielded up to God
all my hopes and dreams of marriage.
And thirdly, I should have realized that an emotional
battle when intertwined with spiritual intercessions generally NEVER, NEVER
ends out well!
No wonder I was headed for both a spiritual and
emotional disaster!
But where was God in all of this?
Yes, where was God during months of much intercession?
And yes, why wasn't God granting my natural desire for
marriage?
Thus while I was experiencing much emotional and
spiritual pain during the months leading to the first few days in September, it
didn't seem as if I was experiencing much comfort from God.
But despite MY failings and MY feelings, God WAS
there.....
.....when I drew comfort from the words of Christian
contemporary music, it was because of His leading.....
.....and what is more.....
.....when the words from the Christian band
"Harvest" were as morsels of food to my starving soul, it was because
God was going to ultimately use their music in my life in a mighty way on
September 3.
Thus it was so quietly, oh so quietly, that the
gentleness of God was all along being interwoven in my life during the months
leading up to those September dates!
Yet when September 1 passed me by with no evidence of
God's having answered any of my months of intercessions and fastings, it seemed
as if God had left me empty handed.
However, I had the music of the Christian band named
"Harvest" to help sustain my soul.
But then on the evening of September 2, after having a
frank conversation which resulted in the total destruction of my hopes and
dreams of marriage, I was utterly devastated!
In fact in just 2 days it seemed as if all my hopes,
dreams, prayers and fastings had gone through a tremendous fire and I was left
alone to be surrounded by ashes.
So late at night on September 2, in a distressed frame
of mind with both soul and now heart broken, I went to sleep listening to a
local Christian radio station.
But God really hadn't left me empty handed. What
is more, God really did care about my broken soul and heart!
And so about 4 a.m. on September 3, I began to
experience the gentleness of God.....
And the first manifestation started
so.....so.....gently:
.....there were no visions.....
.....there were no dreams.....
.....I simply just woke up.....
The second manifestation of God's gentleness was
equally as gentle as the first, but it revealed the wonderfulness of His
timing:
.....When I awoke, I didn’t just simply awake. I
woke just at the time the radio station was playing a song by
"Harvest".....
.....and as my soul clung to the song's words which I
had just heard for the very first time, I got up and recorded the following in
my diary:
"It is
4:00 a.m. and I just woke up hearing
a beautiful
song being sung by the group
Harvest.....After work tonight, I'll go out
and try to
see if I can find the words to
that
song."
The third manifestation of God's gentleness then came
to me as I prepared for work in the form of jogging my memory of three
things that had recently happened:
.....He allowed me to remember a rare work related
meeting that had occurred about a week earlier.....
.....He then allowed me to remember that the meeting
had not been held at work but at a distant location and that the meeting had
been held on the floor above the city's main library.....
.....And then, yes, then He allowed me to remember
that after the meeting had ended I had briefly looked in the songbook section
of the library and had checked out one book which contained a lot of
contemporary Christian songs.
And so it was that:
.....in the midst of having both a wounded soul and
breaking heart.....
.....in the midst of feeling unloved.....
.....in the midst of knowing that I wouldn't have
anything to do after work on a particularly hard Friday except to go out and
look for an unknown song sung by my favorite group......
.....and knowing in my heart I would NEVER FIND THAT
SONG.....
In the midst of all of this thinking, I had the
impression that I should look in the songbook I had checked out from the
library to see if the song was there.
And so it was that about 6 a.m. on September 3, right
before I left home to go to work, that the total manifestation of God's
gentleness came into focus as I realized that God had already answered a prayer
I hadn't even voiced:
.....for the song God had arranged to be playing at 4
a.m. on the radio station at the exact time He had me wake up was already in my
possession because of earlier work related events which He also had
arranged!
Praise His Holy name!
M. Robbins
Standing beneath a tree today, I heard an unknown bird effortlessly singing a
song recognized by her own particular species. And I will be forever
ignorant of the meaning or usage of those beautiful notes!
But I am a Christian and as such, I, too, have songs
to sing.
But I am like a mocking bird which utilizes the songs
of other species into her repertoire.
M. Robbins
Fathers, I
am saddened on this Father’s Day because
all week the news media has been broadcasting how much
more money is spent for mothers on Mother’s Day than
the money spent for fathers on Father’s Day.
In fact, when I reflect upon the careless remarks and
writings of women, advertisers, pastors, mothers, teachers,
and politicians as they downplay the importance of fathers.
I am embarrassed .....even ashamed.
However, fathers, don’t let the world’s monetary view
of fatherhood nor let the world’s thoughtless words regarding
dads wrongly mold you.....because your individual worth as
a father is incalculable in the eyes of YOUR heavenly Father!
And He needs you.....yes, God needs you, Dad.
For
each child who now lives under the roof of your house has
been placed there by God, Himself, for many complex reasons
which are beyond your comprehension.
But your calling as a “father” is not to “understand”
God’s
reasons.
However, your duty, your responsibility, and your
calling as
a father is to protect, provide, instruct, nurture, and as much as
possible, to directly lead in the raising of each precious child
to love, honor and to walk in the ways of God.
And throughout your life as you go about trying to
fulfill God’s
calling for you as a father, lean dependently upon your own
heavenly Father. In so doing you will personally experience
the unsearchable love of God which in turn will enable you to pass
His lessons on down to your own children.
Yes, Dad, in many ways your worth as an individual and
your
worth as a father is incalculable in the eyes of God.
And the love of a child towards you and towards
God.....is a
gift beyond
price!
M. Robbins
Imagine
a cost of $150,000 for flowers at your wedding!
Imagine
getting to choose which carriage and horses will regally transport you to a
formal wedding reception given in your honor where 600 guests will be present!
Imagine
having 200 guests at a less formal wedding reception!
Imagine
having commemorative designed china to celebrate your wedding!
But
can such imaginative thoughts actually become a reality in wedding preparations
and then on into the "happily ever after" life of married couples?
Well,
when the bridegroom's name is Prince Harry of England…..when the bridegroom's
grandmother is Queen Elizabeth II…..when the bridegroom's father is Prince
Charles - the next in line to be king of England…..
No
wonder hearts flutter at thoughts of a royal marriage! No wonder hearts beat a
trifle faster when thinking of the advantages of belonging to royalty!
However,
Christians must keep things in perspective because we DO belong
to royalty though not by an earthly birth nor by an earthly marriage.
Christians
have a Heavenly spouse - Jesus Christ - the King of kings and Lord of lords -
whose reign will never end and whose wealth, power, dominion, etc.,
surpasses any human imagination (even the imagination of any
royal individual).
Also,
Christ's love for us is not of our imagination. He declared
and proved His love for us when He left heaven's splendors; took the form of
human flesh; and as the sacrificial Lamb, paid our "wages of sin,"
which was death, by dying Himself on the cross.
And
since Christians are no longer under God's wrath because we have been
saved by grace through faith, no earthly royal personage can rival the
realities Christians have because of Christ's love and sacrifice.
Actually,
the Christian's reality is beyond any imagination because:
Our
sin debt has been paid!
God
is our Father!
The
Holy Spirit indwells us!
Angels
are ministering spirits to us!
And
Christ mystically has become our
bridegroom
(among other things)!
Christians
also have in 1 Corinthians 2:9 a statement from God more precious than from any
king or queen: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him."
Then
in Hebrews 11:16, Christians have another equally precious
declaration: "But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly:
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for
them a city."
Talk
about imagination! Christians can't even imagine what God has prepared for
those that love him! And in reality we can't even imagine what it means when
God says he won't be ashamed to be called our God.
So,
come and read some of the writings of authors from the past. Let them explain
from the Bible some of what Christ is to every believer, learn about the
marriage feast spoken of in Rev. 19:9, learn about going out to meet the
bridegroom in Matthew 25:6, etc. Then may your soul weep over His sufferings
and yet rejoice over the joy each believer is to the heart of Jesus Christ,
your Heavenly Bridegroom!
M. Robbins
The joys of earth are doomed to loss;
all riches end as dross;
yes, nothing is forever here;
so, there’s no need to fear
for God’s own Word is clear:
What seems so right comes forth as wrong;
relentless pain is strong;
but nothing is forever here;
so, there’s no need to fear
for God’s own Word is clear:
God’s only Son my debt did pay;
my heart is where He stays;
now, in my soul forever’s here;
so, there’s no need to fear
for God’s own Word is clear:
Chorus:
The everlasting God on high
is One who cannot lie
and He has said that I will be
with Him eternally -
yes, through eternity!
M. Robbins
I wish to
share with you a short story I wrote long ago.
I dedicate it the the ones who are in the
Lord service and to the ones who help
in their support.
The Marvelous Day
by M. Robbins
Even before 10 year old Casey peeked out from under
the bed covers, he knew the day was going to be more
than just a Saturday. It was the day after his birthday
and he had $20 just waiting to be spent.
“I’m going to make this day marvelous,” Casey said
to himself as he dressed.
“I’ll help you make this a marvelous day,” volunteered
Casey’s older brother, Donald, during breakfast. “You’ll
need help in spending all that money.”
As Casey glared across the table, Donald laughed.
“No, really, I’ll just walk with you to the stores.”
Now Casey really didn’t want his
brother to go along,
but Casey knew his mother wouldn’t
let him walk
to the shopping mall alone. And since Donald was
almost 14 years of age.......”You can go,” said Casey
grudgingly. “Don’t forget that it’s my money and
I get to say how I spend it.”
So after breakfast, Casey and Donald rushed
to the shopping mall. Neither boy spoke a word.
“I’m going to have a marvelous time with my money,”
thought Casey as his feet crunched the dry winter leaves.
“Maybe I can get him to spend some on me,”
contemplated Donald as he made sure for a change he
didn’t outrun his momentarily rich
brother.
The first store they visited was the sports shop. In there
Casey ran his hands around a bright orange basketball.
It felt rough - almost like a kitten’s tongue.
“That’s a special ball,” urged Donald as he thought of
the fun he could have himself.
“But it isn’t marvelous,” stressed
Casey as he put
the ball down.
In the hat department, Casey and Donald gazed
at baseball caps. Casey grinned as he imagined himself
wearing a blue Kansas City Royal’s cap.
“Oooooo,” said Donald as he fingered a
St. Louis Cardinal’s
cap and twirled it around his hand.
“But they’re not marvelous,” argued Casey. He walked on.
As they walked out of the store and continued down the mall,
Donald tried to lead the way.
“Look at that black and white rabbit,” said Donald as he stopped
at the pet store. Then Donald grabbed Casey’s arm and led him
into the store.
Soon Casey found himself looking at the cuddly looking rabbit
as it wrinkled it’s nose. He felt its fur. Not even Casey’s tiny
baby sister’s skin felt as soft. He held the rabbit close against his
shirt. And there for a moment he stood with the rabbit....
heart to heart.
“Here is something marvelous,” Casey found himself thinking.
But the rabbit’s price was marvelous too....$35.
Casey and Donald walked out of the store.
After seeing the rabbit, Casey was in no shopping mood. That is,
until he saw the magic shop.
In there every item was unbelievable.
There were magic wands.
There were vases that disappeared.
There were flowers which reappeared.
And then there were the magic ropes.
Casey like the magic robes. He watched as the store clerk
cut a piece of rope into 3 pieces and then made the 3 pieces
become one again.
“Fascinating!” exclaimed Donald.
“Fascinating?” asked Casey. “That’s simply marvelous!”
Then as Casey reached with one hand for the magic rope, he
reached into his pocket with the other hand. But the $20
was gone! Casey had forgotten to put the money into his pocket.
As both boys walked back home, Donald only said
one thing, “Dumb!”
But Donald repeated that same word all the way back
to their house.
“Oh, I’m so glad you’re home,” greeted their mother as the boys
walked angrily through the kitchen door. “We have a chance
to go to the pastor’s house and eat lunch with a visiting
missionary. Since we don’t have much time, don’t bother
changing clothes.”
Donald walked back outside, but Casey raced up the steps
to his room. Reaching into a birthday card, he brought out
the $20 bill. He tucked it in his shirt pocket.
“Just in case we stop at the mall later,” he explained
to the hidden bill.
At the pastor’s house, Casey politely ate chocolate chip cookies
with his brother and all the grownups. But when the missionary
started doing magic tricks, Casey almost spilled his hot chocolate.
“I didn’t know missionaries had
fun....especially with magic
things,” said Casey. “I thought they only preached.”
“Well, I do preach, Casey,” said the missionary. “But kids and
many grownups like to watch magic tricks. So sometimes
I do tricks to get a crowd of people around me. Then I tell them
about Jesus.”
Suddenly Casey had a marvelous idea. Reaching into his pocket,
he brought out his $20. “Could you use this to help tell others
about Jesus?”
As the missionary smiled and accepted the gift, Casey knew
he had done something marvelous. "In fact,” Casey thought,
“today hasn’t been marvelous at
all. It’s been a SIMPLY
BRILLIANTLY MARVELOUS DAY.
Happy Gets a Home
Happy, a homeless curly hair dog, was the envy of all the dogs
in his neighborhood who had masters.
Happy could jump in the air after butterflies without anyone
telling him he looked silly.
He could chase squirrels around tree trunks without hearing
a voice yelling after him to leave the poor things alone.
He could even lie down for a long nap in Hazel Brown’s petunia
bed if he wanted, though Hazel Brown did usually yell at him.
Yes, Happy was the envy of all the dogs in the neighborhood and
he should have been happy; but Happy wasn’t.
Whenever Happy saw Mrs. Crockett leave her house with her
poodle, Pal, tucked underneath her arm, Happy wished he was
tucked under Mrs. Crockett’s other arm.
When Mr. Jones took his English setter, Frisky, out on a leash
each evening for a walk, Happy wished he was walking on the
other side of Mr. Jones.
And whenever the sky would grow dark and it would start to
thunder, Happy certainly wished he could run into the safety
of Tina Sampson’s house with Jonathan, Mrs. Sampson’s
German shepherd puppy.
And though Happy tried to remember to look both ways
before he crossed the congested street, he wished Mr. Smith
would grow as pale as Mr. Smith did when Rocket, his boxer,
frolicked too close to the highway.
There was no doubt about it, Happy was not happy and he
envied the other dogs. They had masters and homes; he did not.
On his rounds in the neighborhood one day, Happy greeted a
newcomer into the neighborhood. “Hi! My name is Happy,”
he said as he tried to sniff noses with the Irish setter who
was standing behind a white picket fence.
The newcomer eagerly pushed forward his head. “My name is
Reddy, but everyone calls me ‘Red.’ I am new on the block and
haven’t met any of the dogs. You’re my first friend here.”
Red peered between the gaps of the picket fence to look at
the houses in the neighborhood. “I bet you live in the green house
right across the street, though I am surprised that you are allowed
to cross such a busy street.”
Happy sadly looked down. “No,” he said, “that’s not my home.”
Then he wagged his tail. “Though I don’t live there, the people
who live there have a neat yard. I usually sleep on the grassy
slope beside their house.”
Red cocked one of his silky ears. “Surely you don’t live two doors
down on this side of the street, do you? I didn’t think they owned
a dog.”
Happy laid down this time and said nothing for a long minute.
Then he quietly spoke. “No, that’s not my house, but I wish it
were. The people in that house try to regularly feed me, but they
rent the house and their landlord won’t let them have pets. I’m
afraid that I’m just a homeless dog,” Happy sighed. “Oh, how I
wish I had a nice master who loved me!” Happy turned his head
as he started to cry.
And then it happened! As thunder rumbled through the air,
Happy heard the unfamiliar voice of Red’s master.
“Red, you had better come in. It's really going to rain and you
know how frightened you get when...,” Reddy’s master stopped
speaking as he saw Happy sitting on the other side of the fence.
Love, hope and disappointment can exist in the same moment
and this was such a time. Happy held his breath as Mr. Newman’s
large hand squeezed through the fence and touched Happy’s
curly hair. As Mr. Newman’s fingers searched for the non-existent
collar, Happy trembled, and as Mr. Newman stood and walked a
way, Happy hesitantly backed up. “Surely I’ve missed another
chance to have a home,” Happy thought sadly.
Then it happened! Suddenly Happy found the picket gate opened
and found himself surrounded and being petted by a young girl and boy.
Happy looked up into their faces and threw back his head in a
half howling - half barking voice. He was so glad to feel their hands
on his fur.
Mr. Newman laughed at Happy’s excitement; then he placed his
hands into his children’s hands and said simply, “Kids, I think
God has sent us another dog to love.”
M. Robbins
The
Terrible, Terrible Day
by M. Robbins
“Everything about today has been terrible,” moaned Happy as
he sat trembling on a table in the vet’s office waiting the doctor’s
presence. He lifted one paw hesitantly from the table’s smooth
surface as he thought how nice it would be just to jump off and flee
from the room, but Happy placed his paw back on the counter.
“My whole family is here. I just can’t run away.”
Despite his fears, Happy slightly wagged his tail as he looked at
the group surrounding him.
First, there was Mr. Newman. He was a large man who had wide
shoulders but a small waist. His head was strange in that he didn’t
seem to have much hair. What brown hair he did have seemed
to resemble the color of Happy’s own curly hair. Happy didn’t
know yet what Mr. Newman did all day, but Happy knew
Mr. Newman left the house early each morning and came home
smelling like leather footballs.
Next to Mr. Newman stood a lady. Mr. Newman called her
“Marie” and the two kids called her “Mommy.” She had
the length and texture of brown hair which Happy desired:
long, silky, and wavy. Happy didn’t mind that her eyes were
green like a cat’s or that the ring on her left hand had already
been entangled in his fur. She had a way of saying, “Puppy,”
which made him all tingly inside. He did think it was kinda
funny that her waist was a little larger than Mr. Newman’s
waist, but Happy thought it was all right. It helped to cushion
the baby which Mrs. Newman now held in her arms.
Next to her wiggled a boy who wore a “I’m Ten” shirt and
was absent-mindedly fingering a loose tooth while at the same
time trying to untie his sister’s green hair ribbon.
“Ouch!” Amy protested as the ribbon refused to be pulled
away from her hair. Amy swung her arm around and gripped
the hair ribbon which was now snagged in her red curls.
“That hurts, Jason!”
“That’s enough, Jason,” Mr. Newman sternly spoke as he
glimpsed a twinkle in his son’s black eyes. “Amy might be
only nine years old, but remember, you can’t out run her.
Now, if you want to act silly, Jason, you can just sit out there
in the waiting room while the rest of us talk to the vet.”
Jason looked at Happy and slowly placed both hands in his
already stuffed pockets. It wasn’t every day that he got
to show off a new dog.
Happy again wagged his tail as he looked at his newly
acquired family. Three days ago he had been a lonely dog.
He had been longing for someone to love him. He had been
so unhappy that no one cared about him. Now, he had a
family of five now to care what he did and a family to love him.
Yes, the past few days had been wonderful. “But everything about
today has been terrible,” Happy repeated as he relived the present
day’s events.
The day had started off wrong with a car ride. Oh, sure, the ride
had been a joyous affair for Amy and Jason, but Happy had been
terrified by every minute. While they sang songs like, “Jesus Loves
Me,” Happy could hardly breathe. Each second in the car had
only reminded him of the other time he had been out for a car
ride. That car ride had left him standing lonely beside a
busy street.
Happy shuttered again at the though of that “other” car ride. Then
he walked slowly across the examination table and licked
Mr. Newman’s left hand which rested upon the counter top.
“This man is different. He would never leave me. He loves me.”
Then Happy’s brown eyes gazed at the blue colored leash which
Mrs. Newman held. That was another of today’s terrible things.
One part of the leash was in her right hand and the other end
was attached to something which encircled Happy’s neck.
The thing around his neck felt tight and somehow kept him
from moving too fast and too far.
Happy knew he had been wearing it for only about 40 minutes,
but he already hated the thing. “I can’t even see the thing,”
Happy wanted to wail.
“It’s a funny feeling....being happy and scared at the same time.
Yet, that is just the way I feel,” Happy thought to himself. Then
the door opened and that was really all Happy officially
remembered in sequence.
Somehow his mind got muddled at the sight of the doctor entering
the room and the events became fuzzy.
Happy knew when he was being poked...but for how long?
He remembered his mouth being closed by the doctor, but Happy
didn’t actually remember his mouth being opened.
He remembered hearing the words, “Nice doggy. Pretty....,” but
Happy didn’t hear what came after the word “pretty.”
Fortunately, the examination was quickly over and Happy felt
himself being taken off the table. Jason carried him outside and
gently began whispering in Happy’s ear. Happy didn’t catch
the first sentence or two which Jason spoke, but Happy heard
what he considered to be the most important words in the
world, “I love you, Puppy.”
Then Jason said them again, “I love you, Puppy.”
The ride back home went fast. In the front seat, Mr. and
Mrs. Newman spoke of worm pills, obedience training, and dog
licenses.
In the back seat, Amy retied her hair ribbon and Jason sang a song
he had composed for the occasion of owning a new dog.
“Oh, my Puppy,
Oh, my Puppy,
Oh, my Puppy, Puppy dog,
How I love you,
How I love you,
How I love you,
Puppy dog.”
In a queer way, the car ride ended too quickly and they
were home. The door opened and Happy was led into
the back gate. Amy gently took his leash, blew him a kiss
and ran into the house, her green ribbon falling off onto
the ground.
Jason rubbed Happy’s hair against the grain three or
four times and ran after Amy, tucking her ribbon into
his pocket.
Mr. Newman parked the car in the garage and walked
out carrying a gray trash can.
Mrs. Newman walked into the house with the baby. But she did
promise Happy “something special for being such a good dog.”
Happy wearily sank onto the ground. He was dizzy with
the emotional happenings of the day. He was too tired to think
anything clearly. He looked at Reddy as the Irish setter walked
up to sniff him. Then Happy closed his eyes and slept.
Reddy stood watch over his new friend. The sounds of dinner
plates being carried into the Newman’s dining room and being
placed on the table brought Red’s ears up, but he continued
to stand guard. The delicious smell of baked chicken made
Red’s stomach rumble, but he didn’t move. His friend needed
him.
Finally, Happy moved and opened his eyes. He shook his
head once to see if the thing the Newmans had called a
“collar” had disappeared while he slept. But it definitely
hadn’t budged. Happy sighed and looked at Reddy.
“Reddy, why has today been such a terrible, terrible day?
I mean, I didn’t know being loved could bring about such
dreadful happenings!”
Reddy slowly licked his left, front paw as he thought about
Happy’s question and wondered how he should answer.
Suddenly Reddy found himself questioning Happy. “Do
you really, really think that today has been terrible?”
“Do you really think the car ride, getting that collar placed
around your neck, and the visit to the vet has been so
terrible? You don’t understand. All those things have been
wonderful! You need to see them as being marks of love.”
“Marks of love? I was scared and this collar is still trying
to keep me from breathing. If the Newmans love me so
much, I don’t see why today even had to be,” pouted Happy.
“Now, listen, Happy,” Red sternly spoke.
“The collar shows you belong to the Newmans. It will help
identify you if you should ever get lost.”
“The visit to the doctor was meant to make sure you are well
and will stay well.”
“And the ride in the car,” Red hesitated. “Well, it was just
something you had to endure. What you have to understand
is that you belong to someone now and that love has to act
now and then.”
Happy had never heard of such things. “You mean I went
through all this because I’m loved?” he asked Reddy for
confirmation.
“Yeap,” Reddy said. “If you weren’t loved you would be roaming
the neighborhood without a collar around your neck and without
anyone to give you hugs and kisses.
Just then, the backdoor opened and out rushed Amy and Jason.
‘Hey!” yelled Amy, “I bet our new Puppy would like to go for a
walk around the neighborhood. I’ll go back and get the leash.”
“Jason,” called Mrs. Newman as she stood just inside the
back door, “go ahead and take Reddy with you.”
With the sound of those words, both dogs rushed to the gate.
And Happy began to think that his terrible day was now just great!
