Sunday, March 23, 2008
I've Moved!
I switched to a wordpress account, for anyone who keeps up (which is not hard to do) with my posts. The address is- lwingerd.wordpress.com.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Hymnology
One of my favorite songs is Before the Throne of God Above, by Charitie Lees Bancroft. Sometimes studying a book, poem, song, or writing can be a good way of receiving biblical teaching. That is not to say that we should put away the Bible and study only our hymnal. The songs in it have come about as a result of reading and meditation on the Bible. I wanted to write down a few thoughts about this song.
Here are the lyrics:
Here are the lyrics:
Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong, a perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heav'n He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.
Behold Him there, the risen Lamb,
My perfect, spotless Righteousness,
The great, unchangeable I AM,
My King of glory and of grace.
One with Himself I cannot die,
My soul is purchased with His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God.
It seems like there is almost too much here for me to write about. But let me take some of the main things that I love about this song.
1. It has often given me comfort as I struggled with assurance. Especially the second verse. So many times I have been tempted to despair, to doubt, because of how much sin I see in myself. But it is such a beautiful truth that, if I look to Christ, I will have comfort. I will remeber that He has made an end to all my sin. This truth is seen in Colossians 3:1-2, "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of the Father. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory." I have sung this song to myself so many times as I struggled, and it has been a great blessing in that way.
2. The entire point of the song is so beautiful. It preaches justification at its core. We are sinful, and Christ alone can free us, not by any effort that we make. God, who is infinitely wise and just, looks on that act, looks on Christ, and pardons us. For God, the Just, is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me. We, having been freed from sin, have been made one with Christ. There can be no seperation. No tongue can bid me thence depart. And now we must no longer listen to Satan's lies, but look to Christ and find peace.
3. My name is graven on His hands, my name is written on His heart. What an beautiful statement for a believer. It makes me think of the scars on Christ's hands. Just as He will wear those scars for ever, the signs of His sacrifice, so, as if my name were a scar, I will ever be with Him and loved by Him. That can never be erased. And No tongue can bid me thence depart, reminds me of the verses in Romans 8 which say, "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." There is nothing that will remove you once you are made one with Christ, and once your name is written on His hands and heart.
4. The third verse seems to be rather bold, calling Christ, my perfect, spotless Righteousness. How is it that a believer can call Christ their Righteousness? I believe the author answered that a little further down, by saying, One with Himself, I cannot die, my soul is purchased with His blood, my life is hid with Christ on high, with Christ, my Savior and my God. There is only one way that a believer can claim Christ's righteousness as their own, and that is if they are made one with Him. Though this is something hard to explain, it is one of the most beautiful truths in the Bible. God, the Just, in mercy, united us with Christ when He died, so that our sins were paid for on the cross, and He unites us to Him in faith when we believe so that we might die to sin and live to Him in Christ's righteousness. There is nothing that we do, but Christ has done and does all for the glory of His Father.
There is so much more that could be drawn out. It is often greatly beneficial to study hymns and songs. I would encourage any Christian to do it. The main thing is to make sure that everything taught there is supported in the Bible, which alone holds authority.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
I Let My Tears Flow From My Pen
I let my tears flow from my pen
As I stop now to think of men
Who have not heard the name of Him
Who cleanses men of all their sin.
My heart begins to cry; I groan
For those who’ve never heard, nor known.
But I cannot just idly weep,
For Christ will come again to reap
The fruit of what He’s sown, and so
To every tribe His word must go.
Though some may fall along the way,
Let us here no longer stay,
Tucked in our comfort, safe and warm.
No, we must journey through the storm
To gather those for whom Christ died.
Come! Let us here no longer bide.
The call of Christ is strong and sure.
He tells us that we must endure
The fire, though we faint. I know
That Christ has called me, so I’ll go.
Where Christ shall lead I cannot guess,
But where I go I will confess
His name, and though I’m bruised and torn,
And looked upon with laughter, scorn,
Nor even death shall take my gaze
Off from my blessed King of Grace.
How beautiful, then, are the feet
Of those who bring the message, sweet
To them who, by God’s grace alone,
Shall one day bow before His throne.
O may I never turn my face
From gazing toward that heav’nly place,
But let me keep my eyes on Christ,
And even though the dearest price,
My life, be taken, I’ll not frown,
For I’ll have earned a martyr’s crown.
So, following the Savior, I
Shall serve Him till the day I die,
And as my tears flow free, my pen
Shall write of Him who rescues men.
As I stop now to think of men
Who have not heard the name of Him
Who cleanses men of all their sin.
My heart begins to cry; I groan
For those who’ve never heard, nor known.
But I cannot just idly weep,
For Christ will come again to reap
The fruit of what He’s sown, and so
To every tribe His word must go.
Though some may fall along the way,
Let us here no longer stay,
Tucked in our comfort, safe and warm.
No, we must journey through the storm
To gather those for whom Christ died.
Come! Let us here no longer bide.
The call of Christ is strong and sure.
He tells us that we must endure
The fire, though we faint. I know
That Christ has called me, so I’ll go.
Where Christ shall lead I cannot guess,
But where I go I will confess
His name, and though I’m bruised and torn,
And looked upon with laughter, scorn,
Nor even death shall take my gaze
Off from my blessed King of Grace.
How beautiful, then, are the feet
Of those who bring the message, sweet
To them who, by God’s grace alone,
Shall one day bow before His throne.
O may I never turn my face
From gazing toward that heav’nly place,
But let me keep my eyes on Christ,
And even though the dearest price,
My life, be taken, I’ll not frown,
For I’ll have earned a martyr’s crown.
So, following the Savior, I
Shall serve Him till the day I die,
And as my tears flow free, my pen
Shall write of Him who rescues men.
Laura Wingerd © 2007
Monday, January 28, 2008
My Testimony
I cannot claim my testimony to be radically different from all others, inspiring, or even entertaining to read. It is similar to the testimonies of many young people who have grown up in a Christian environments. Yet, I write it, not for my own sake, but that I may show the work of God in me, and that He may be glorified.
I lived the first ten years of my life in sunny California, where my dad was an LA county sheriff. As a child, I was full of energy, very adventurous, and I loved to read everything I could. But, when I now remember those days, they are so clouded. I know my mind then was only full of empty, childish fancies, and I can’t remember ever deeply thinking about anything, most especially my soul. Life was all fun and games, and I lived to enjoy myself and be liked by everyone. But inside, I was filled with bitterness, envy, hatred, rebelliousness, and willful stubbornness. I am sure that I of all my siblings received the most punishments, and I am sure there were many well-deserved ones that I escaped from.
Perhaps my worst sin of all was the secret one. I held myself in such high esteem that even God was subject to me. I often prayed for particular things I wanted, and to close I would add a threat, something like, “If you don’t give me this, God, well, I just won’t come to heaven!” I laugh now at my silliness, but at the same time I am acutely aware of the struggle I have had and still have in putting to death the heart of pride which generated those thoughts and actions. Though I still wrestle, and maybe always will, I can see clearly that my entire life was then totally consumed by it.
I was assured of myself. I had said a prayer, I went to church, I memorized AWANA verses, I sang in choir, and even earned stickers for superior behavior during “children’s church”. That list was my ticket; it was how I was going to get to heaven. Oh, but how pitiful it would have looked alongside of Christ’s righteousness.
Yet somewhere in the will of God, He purposed that that list would not be all I have to show before Him. He graciously ordained that I be saved through the salvation of my dad. When he was converted in 1999, everything began to change. The Bible became central in our home. Prayer was now passionate, and not just something methodically repeated before meals. My dad changed so completely in that next year that he became an entirely different person. He was kinder, gentler, much more humble, and passionate about teaching us the truth.
In seeing that change, my heart was greatly troubled. I didn’t act at all like him. I had been hardened by and to my sin, and to this point it hadn’t bothered me. Yet suddenly, unexpectedly, I wasn’t secure. And maybe, just maybe, God was something other than what I had made Him out to be.
Pondering deeply these things, I began to be changed. I cannot put a date or time on the moment when I died to sin and embraced Christ as my only hope. There were no marks of intense struggling leading to overwhelming joy. Instead, it was a slow and painful period of time. Yet it was during this time I believe I was saved. I rapidly began to recognize and hate my sin, and more and more was my quietly growing love for Christ becoming evident. However, this all took place over a period of two or three years, and the “moment” is buried there, probably never to be known (at least in this life).
One of my greatest struggles was with assurance. Oh, how I wanted to know I was truly saved! But everything I did seemed to lead to doubt and despair. If I did something good, I convinced myself I did it for my pride, and sinning was just another proof of my wicked heart. I was increasingly becoming aware of the fact that I could do nothing good apart from Christ and apart from God’s Spirit within me. Looking back now, I am encouraged by that time of struggle, because I see that it was a struggle that led to further growth and godliness. I do believe that I was truly saved, even then.
The verses that comforted me the most during that time were John 10:27-30:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.
I desperately wanted the assurance that I was a sheep, and I knew that I would prove myself to be one only by following Christ. So, weak as my attempts were at first, I began to strive hard to follow.
It has been hard, and still is hard, to put to death the many sins that daily show themselves in me. But I do believe that I am a sheep, and that Christ is my Shepherd. I stray at times, but He is faithful even when I am not, and gently leads me. And oh, how great a treasure I can now lay before God on that day when all are judged, for I no longer have empty lists, but I have Christ and His righteousness, which covers me, and makes me new.
To those who read this, and are trusting in something else to lay before God, let me say that you have no hope. That is, you have none, unless you put aside those empty things and run to Christ as the only one who can save. He calls for sinners to come to Him, to be washed in His blood, and to be made new by His righteousness. And how precious is that gift he gives. So, come and follow Him. Stop trusting in anything else, for all else is empty, and in vain. Only Christ will be accepted by God on that day, and Christ is the only hope that will last.
Laura Wingerd
I lived the first ten years of my life in sunny California, where my dad was an LA county sheriff. As a child, I was full of energy, very adventurous, and I loved to read everything I could. But, when I now remember those days, they are so clouded. I know my mind then was only full of empty, childish fancies, and I can’t remember ever deeply thinking about anything, most especially my soul. Life was all fun and games, and I lived to enjoy myself and be liked by everyone. But inside, I was filled with bitterness, envy, hatred, rebelliousness, and willful stubbornness. I am sure that I of all my siblings received the most punishments, and I am sure there were many well-deserved ones that I escaped from.
Perhaps my worst sin of all was the secret one. I held myself in such high esteem that even God was subject to me. I often prayed for particular things I wanted, and to close I would add a threat, something like, “If you don’t give me this, God, well, I just won’t come to heaven!” I laugh now at my silliness, but at the same time I am acutely aware of the struggle I have had and still have in putting to death the heart of pride which generated those thoughts and actions. Though I still wrestle, and maybe always will, I can see clearly that my entire life was then totally consumed by it.
I was assured of myself. I had said a prayer, I went to church, I memorized AWANA verses, I sang in choir, and even earned stickers for superior behavior during “children’s church”. That list was my ticket; it was how I was going to get to heaven. Oh, but how pitiful it would have looked alongside of Christ’s righteousness.
Yet somewhere in the will of God, He purposed that that list would not be all I have to show before Him. He graciously ordained that I be saved through the salvation of my dad. When he was converted in 1999, everything began to change. The Bible became central in our home. Prayer was now passionate, and not just something methodically repeated before meals. My dad changed so completely in that next year that he became an entirely different person. He was kinder, gentler, much more humble, and passionate about teaching us the truth.
In seeing that change, my heart was greatly troubled. I didn’t act at all like him. I had been hardened by and to my sin, and to this point it hadn’t bothered me. Yet suddenly, unexpectedly, I wasn’t secure. And maybe, just maybe, God was something other than what I had made Him out to be.
Pondering deeply these things, I began to be changed. I cannot put a date or time on the moment when I died to sin and embraced Christ as my only hope. There were no marks of intense struggling leading to overwhelming joy. Instead, it was a slow and painful period of time. Yet it was during this time I believe I was saved. I rapidly began to recognize and hate my sin, and more and more was my quietly growing love for Christ becoming evident. However, this all took place over a period of two or three years, and the “moment” is buried there, probably never to be known (at least in this life).
One of my greatest struggles was with assurance. Oh, how I wanted to know I was truly saved! But everything I did seemed to lead to doubt and despair. If I did something good, I convinced myself I did it for my pride, and sinning was just another proof of my wicked heart. I was increasingly becoming aware of the fact that I could do nothing good apart from Christ and apart from God’s Spirit within me. Looking back now, I am encouraged by that time of struggle, because I see that it was a struggle that led to further growth and godliness. I do believe that I was truly saved, even then.
The verses that comforted me the most during that time were John 10:27-30:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.
I desperately wanted the assurance that I was a sheep, and I knew that I would prove myself to be one only by following Christ. So, weak as my attempts were at first, I began to strive hard to follow.
It has been hard, and still is hard, to put to death the many sins that daily show themselves in me. But I do believe that I am a sheep, and that Christ is my Shepherd. I stray at times, but He is faithful even when I am not, and gently leads me. And oh, how great a treasure I can now lay before God on that day when all are judged, for I no longer have empty lists, but I have Christ and His righteousness, which covers me, and makes me new.
To those who read this, and are trusting in something else to lay before God, let me say that you have no hope. That is, you have none, unless you put aside those empty things and run to Christ as the only one who can save. He calls for sinners to come to Him, to be washed in His blood, and to be made new by His righteousness. And how precious is that gift he gives. So, come and follow Him. Stop trusting in anything else, for all else is empty, and in vain. Only Christ will be accepted by God on that day, and Christ is the only hope that will last.
Laura Wingerd
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