Poetry Saturday—God Is The Name My Soul Adores

February 22, 2020 — Craig T. Owens
God is the Name my soul adores,
The almighty Three, the eternal One;
Nature and grace, with all their powers,
Confess the Infinite unknown.


Thy voice produced the sea and spheres,


Bade the waves roar, the planets shine;


But nothing like Thyself appears


Through all these spacious works of Thine.




Still restless nature dies and grows;


From change to change the creatures run:


Thy being no succession knows,


And all Thy vast designs are one.




A glance of Thine runs through the globe,


Rules the bright worlds, and moves their frame;


Of light Thou formist Thy dazzling robe;


Thy ministers are living flame.




How shall polluted mortals dare


To sing Thy glory or Thy grace?


Beneath Thy feet we lie afar,


And see but shadows of Thy face.




Who can behold the blazing light?


Who can approach the consuming flame?


None but Thy wisdom knows Thy might


None but Thy Word can speak Thy Name. —Isaac Watts








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Poetry Saturday—How Good Is The God We Adore

February 15, 2020 — Craig T. Owens 




How good is the God we adore!


Our faithful, unchangeable Friend:


His love is as great as His pow’r


And knows neither measure nor end.




For Christ is the first and the last;


His Spirit will guide us safe home;


We’ll praise Him for all that is past


and trust Him for all that’s to come. —Joseph Hart








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Poetry Saturday—Majesty Divine

January 25, 2020 — Craig T. Owens 




Full of glory, full of wonders,


Majesty Divine! 


‘Mid Thine everlasting thunders 


How Thy lightnings shine! 


Shoreless Ocean! who shall sound Thee? 


Thine own eternity is round Thee, 


Majesty Divine!




Timeless, spaceless, single, lonely,


Yet sublimely Three, 


Thou art grandly, always, only 


God in Unity! 


Lone in grandeur, lone in glory, 


Who shall tell Thy wondrous story, 


Awful Trinity?




Speechlessly, without beginning,


Sun that never rose! 


Vast, adorable, and winning, 


Day that hath no close! 


Bliss from Thine own glory tasting, 


Everliving, everlasting, 


Life that never grows!




Thine own Self forever filling


With self-kindled flame, 


In Thyself Thou art distilling 


Unctions without name! 


Without worshipping of creatures, 


Without veiling of Thy features, 


God always the same!




In Thy praise of Self untiring


Thy perfections shine; 


Self-sufficient, self-admiring,—


Such life must be Thine;—


Glorifying Self, yet blameless


With a sanctity all shameless


It is so Divine!




‘Mid Thine uncreated morning,


Like a trembling star 


I behold creation’s dawning 


Glimmering from far; 


Nothing giving, nothing taking, 


Nothing changing, nothing breaking, 


Waiting at time’s bar!




One with life and love diurnal


See myself in Thee, 


All embalmed in love eternal, 


Floating in Thy sea: 


‘Mid Thine uncreated whiteness 


I behold Thy glory’s brightness 


Feed itself on me.




Splendors upon splendors beaming


Change and intertwine!


Glories over glories streaming


All translucent shine! 


Blessings, praises, adorations


Greet Thee from the trembling nations


Majesty Divine! —Frederick Faber








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Poetry Saturday—Clinging To Thee

January 11, 2020 — Craig T. Owens 




O Holy Savior, Friend unseen,


Since on Thine arm Thou bidst me lean,


Help me throughout life’s varying scene


   By faith to cling to Thee.




Blest with this fellowship divine,


Take what Thou wilt, I’ll ne’er repine;


E’en as the branches to the vine,


   My soul would cling to Thee.




Far from her home, fatigued, oppressed,


Here she has found her place of rest;


An exile still, yet not unblessed,


   While she can cling to Thee.




Without a murmur I dismiss


My former dreams of earthly bliss;


My joy, my consolation this,


   Each hour to cling to Thee.




What though the world unfaithful prove,


And earthly friends and joys remove;


With sure and certain hope of love,


   Still would I cling to Thee.




Oft when I seem to tread alone


Some barren waste, with thorns o’ergrown,


Thy voice of love, in gentle tone,


   Whispers “Still cling to Me.” 




Though faith and hope may oft be tried,


I ask not, need not aught beside;


How safe, how calm, how satisfied,


   The soul that clings to Thee!




They fear not satan, nor the grave—


They feel Thee near and strong to save;


Nor dread to cross e’en Jordan’s wave,


   Because they cling to Thee.




Blessed is my lot, whate’er may befall;


What can disturb me, who appall,


While as my Strength, my Rock, my All,


   Savior, I cling to Thee? —Charlotte Elliott








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How Will You Respond To Jesus?

December 31, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




Although most nativity scenes show the wise men visiting Jesus alongside the shepherds the night He was born, in reality the Magi showed up much later. 


They came first to Israel’s capital city—Jerusalem—and went to the man who currently bore the title King of the Jews—Herod—with an odd question, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? We’ve come to worship Him.”


The call to come to worship the Christ has always stirred different responses in people’s hearts. But I have noticed that the responses today aren’t any different than they were over 2000 years ago at Christ’s first Advent. 


Notice these four responses in the Gospel of Matthew:


    

  1. King Herod—when King Herod heard this he was disturbed.
    2. 



The word disturbed means an inward commotion, someone robbed of any calmness; someone who has become restless and agitated. 


King Herod wasn’t all that different from a lot of people today who have their personal lives organized according to their own plans. They have everything figured out. They are masters of their own fate. They know how everything is supposed to work. They are god of their own world. 


But inside it’s a different story. They may not acknowledge it to anyone else, but they are uneasy. King Herod was political, not religious. He knew how to play the games with the right Jewish leaders and Roman politicians to get and keep his throne. So when he hears, “Where is He who is born KING OF THE JEWS?” you can understand why he instantly becomes so agitated! He feels like his well-ordered world and best-laid plans are about to crash in on him! 


    

  1. All Jerusalem—King Herod…was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 
    2. 



The people of Jerusalem had a love-hate relationship with King Herod. If you were on his side, he could be quite generous with his gifts and favorable with his influence. But if you were against him, he could be incredibly cruel (just take a look at verse 16!). 


So when Herod got upset, you can imagine why the citizens of Jerusalem were as well. They all longed for the Messiah—the Christ—to come and set them free, but in the meantime they were trying to keep their options open. They wanted the Messiah, if they could have Him, but they didn’t want to abandon Herod yet, just in case the Messiah couldn’t follow through.  


    

  1. Religious leaders—Herod…called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law. 
    2. 



Of all the people looking for the Christ, you would think the chief priests and teachers of the law would be the most excited! When Herod asked them for the birthplace of the Messiah, they immediately knew the answer, but after they delivered this information to King Herod they aren’t mentioned again in this narrative. Bethlehem was only 6 miles away, but they didn’t do a single thing! The Messiah being born in such a lowly manner didn’t fit the image they had concocted in their minds. Later on, Jesus would challenge them on this (see John 5:38-40). 


    

  1. Magi—Magi from the east came to Jerusalem. 
    2. 



Whereas the Jewish religious leaders were only 6 miles away, the Magi that came from the east might have been anywhere from 400-800 miles away. They left the comforts of their home to travel perhaps as long as 4 months. But, Oh! the journey was so worth the effort! They got to see the Christ with their very own eyes! We read that they were overjoyed, and that they bowed down and worshiped Him and opened their treasures. 


What’s your idea about Jesus? 


    

  • King Herod wanted a Savior that would enable him to continue to run his own life, but he didn’t want a King that would call the shots. 
    • 

  • The people of Jerusalem wanted access to God’s power, but they didn’t want to give their full allegiance to Jesus. 
    • 

  • The religious leaders wanted Jesus to fit their mold, but they didn’t want to have to change anything about their own lives. 
    • 

  • Only the Magi accepted Jesus as both Savior and King, willingly laying everything at His feet. 
    • 



What about you? What’s your idea about Jesus? He isn’t just a Baby in a manger; He’s also King and Judge and Ruler and Lord. When you hear the call to come worship Him, what will your response be? 








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What Does “Gloria In Excelsis Deo” Mean Today?

December 23, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.



A “mondegreen” is a misunderstood word or phrase usually because it’s in a song lyric that is misunderstood. In Christmas carols, many mondegreens come from the fact that the Old English lyrics are sometimes up to 200 years old and simply aren’t the way Americans talk today. One of my favorite mondegreens comes from I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day where people say “the bell freeze up all Christians dumb” instead of “the belfries of all Christendom”! 


If this happens to 200-year-old songs written in English, can you imagine what happens to a song that is 1700 years old and was originally written in Latin?! I’m talking about the chorus from Angels We Have Heard On High which simply says, “Gloria in excelsis Deo.” 


That Latin phrase means Glory to God in the highest! The idea is that our praise of God is both excellent and increasing in its level of adoration. The Latin phrase is shorthand for a doxology that is traced back to 300 AD.


The angels aren’t the subject of this carol, but the focal point is to Whom their song is being raised—“Come to Bethlehem and see Him Whose birth the angels sing; come adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, the newborn King.”


The idea of gloria in excelsis is to keep making our praise bigger and more magnificent. We are to MAGNIFY what God has done for us through the advent of Jesus.  


In Hebrew, the word gadal is usually translated as “magnify” or “glorify” in English, and it means something that is growing and becoming more powerful. David uses gadal as he not only praises God from deep within his soul but encourages others to join in his song (Psalm 34:1-3). 


In Greek, the word megalynō is also translated “magnify,” and means to make something great, make it obvious, declare it to be great, celebrate it. Mary’s song called The Magnificat begins with this word (Luke 1:46).


I cannot make God great because He is already THE GREATEST! 


I cannot make God powerful because He is already OMNIPOTENT!


But I can make His greatness and His power more obvious by celebrating Him!


Just like a magnifying glass doesn’t make an object bigger, it just helps us see it better. So, too, our praise and adoration don’t make God bigger, it just helps others see Him better.  


So I have a question to ask you—which I’ve already been asking myself:


How will you give gloria in excelsis Deo this Christmas season and beyond?




►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? ◀︎◀︎


If you’ve missed any of the message in this series, you can check them out by clicking here. 






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Poetry Saturday—Angel Hymn

December 21, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




Glory to You who have shown us the light.


Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill to all people.


We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, we give thanks to You for Your great glory.


Lord, King, heavenly God, Father, Almighty; Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit.


Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, You who take away the sins of the world. —Angel Hymn / Doxology (~300 AD)




Glory to God in the highest


and peace to His people on earth.


Lord God, heavenly King,


Almighty God and Father,


we worship You, we give You thanks,


we praise You for Your glory.


Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,


Lord God, Lamb of God,


You take away the sin of the world:


have mercy on us;


You are seated at the right hand of the Father:


receive our prayer.


For You alone are the Holy One,


You alone are the Lord,


You alone are the Most High,


Jesus Christ,


with the Holy Spirit,


in the glory of God the Father. Amen. —updated in the Book of Common Prayer (~1975)






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8 Thankful Quotes

November 27, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




“…May we also unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him—To pardon our national and other transgressions, To enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, To render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, To protect and guide all nations and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord, To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science, And generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.” —George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789 


“Let your soul lose itself in wonder, for wonder is in this way a very practical emotion. Holy wonder will lead you to grateful worship and heartfelt thanksgiving. It will cause within you godly watchfulness; you will be afraid to sin against such a love as this.” —C.H. Spurgeon 


“As flowers carry dewdrops trembling on the edge of the petals, and ready to fall at the first waft of wind or brush of bird, so the heart should carry its beaded works of thanksgiving, and, at the first breath of heavenly flavor, let down the shower perfumed with the heart’s gratitude.” —Henry Ward Beecher 


“Thanksgiving will draw our hearts toward God and keep us in fellowship with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts.” —Andrew Murray 


“If we pray without ceasing, we shall not want matter for thanksgiving in everything. We shall see cause to give thanks for sparing and preventing, for common and uncommon, past and present, temporal and spiritual mercies. Not only for prosperous and pleasing, but also for afflicting providences, for chastisements and corrections; for God designs all for our good, though we at present see not how they tend to it.” —Matthew Henry 


“Blessed is that home which has in it an altar of sacrifice and of prayer, where daily thanksgivings ascend to heaven and where morning and night praying is done.” —E.M. Bounds 


“Not to lose myself and reader in this digression, the sum is, the unspeakable blessings which the priesthood of Christ hath obtained for us are a strong obligation for the duty of praise and thanksgiving; of which that in some measure we may discharge ourselves, He hath furnished us with sacrifices of that kind to be offered unto God.” —John Owen


“Gratitude is from the same root word as ‘grace,’ which signifies the free and boundless mercy of God. Thanksgiving is from the same root word as ‘think,’ so that to think is to thank.” —Willis P. King 






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Poetry Saturday—Come, Thou Fount

November 16, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace; 


streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. 


Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above. 


Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of Thy redeeming love. 




Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by Thy help I’m come; 


and I hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. 


Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; 


He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood. 




O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! 


Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee. 


Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;


here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above. —Robert Robinson








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Poetry Saturday—Come, Ye That Love The Lord

November 2, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




Come, ye that love the Lord,


  And let your joys be known;


Join in a song with sweet accord


  While we surround the throne.




The sorrow of the mind


  Be banish’d from the place; 


Religion never was design’d


  To make our pleasures less.




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 of ours,


  Our Father and our Love;


He will send down His heavenly powers


  To carry us above. 




There shall we see His face,


  And never, never sin;


There from the rivers of His grace


  Drink endless pleasures in.




Yes! 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 fruits on earthly ground


  From faith and hope may grow.




The hill of Zion yields


  A thousand sacred sweets,


Before we reach the heavenly fields,


  Or walk the golden streets.




Then let our songs abound,


  And every tear be dry;


We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground


  To fairer worlds on high. —Isaac Watts






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