… the mouth speaks*
Life flows from the heart,
guiding lips and eyes –
do they help you do things
that are good and wise?
Purify your heart,
guard it well each day,
let it cleanse your lips, be
kind in what you say.
Take it to the fount,
cleansed by water, blood.
God can wash it clean, and
give delight in good.
*Mathew 12:34
Proverbs 4:20-27
Tune: This is 55. 55. but can be sung to Gott ein Vater by F Silcher arr W Tschirsch which is 55 65
They (those converted at the Day of Pentecost, when Peter preached) devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42
New life, a fledgling church
in love, together bound.
They’d seen their guilt, rebellion, sin,
then God’s forgiveness found.
Baptized, they joined his church,
adopted, with new kin,
devoted to their Saviour’s Word
to grow in pleasing him.
Blest fellowship with all
who know Him, old and young,
the rich, the poor: all care and share –
God values everyone.
They love to meet to keep
remembrance of his death,
break bread his cov’nant to proclaim
‘til he returns to earth.
Delight to meet to pray
requests together raise,
the whole church asking God to bless,
unitedly they praise.
Devotion’s strength may lapse –
distracted by your cares?
or in your busyness, your love,
grown cooler, unawares?
Give thought to how you came
to be reborn, made new,
devotion rouse to Him who has
done wondrous things for you.
Tune: SM eg tune of ‘Blest be the tie that binds’
Who tastes real happiness?
supported, blessed and strong
to stand against the throng
enticing to do wrong.
Who tastes real happiness?
He will delight to read
each day in God’s Word feed,
and meditate, take heed.
Who tastes real happiness?
he will bring forth good fruit,
in God himself his root,
established, prosperous shoot.
Who tastes real happiness?
not those like dry dust blown,
no Saviour sought, alone
they come before God’s throne.
Who tastes real happiness?
those Jesus washes white
through faith, now counted right,
kept safe within his sight.
Tune: 66 66 iambic eg St Cecilia by Leighton G Hayne
(on Isaiah 6)
Lord, show us afresh your vast holiness, might,
revealing anew my great sin in your sight.
Please open our vision to view the stupendous
salvation procured for sinners atrocious.
And help me perceive then the wonder of pardon,
receiving the cleansing, the joy and the freedom
– that freedom to serve and to sense your embrace
empowering, equipping that service by grace.
Remind us to pause, and to contemplate, see
your majesty, love, so our worship will be
revived, stirred and contrite, our hearts overwhelmed,
delighting, rejoicing, luke-warmness dispelled.
eg St Luke 11 11 11 11
1. Tasting riches of salvation,
see God’s goodness more and more,
blessèd fellowship experience –
life unknown when dead before.
Taste and see our Saviour’s goodness,
rid yourselves of all that’s wrong,
feeding in the Bible daily –
newborn babies growing strong.
2. Quit the poison that will weaken –
malice, slander and deceit;
shun emaciating envy,
hypocritical conceit.
3. Crave the milk of God, his scriptures,
that mature and make us grow
strong and healthy, firmly founded
to delight this Lord we know.
(tune of ‘All that thrills my soul is Jesus’)
When you have seen how very great
his love and mercy contemplate
and so observe how much you owe,
your life to him you must bestow
in sacrifice, his rule to know;
and thus your mind and life transformed
to live no longer squeezed, conformed
by such surrounding worldly pressure,
renewed to know, delight and treasure
the perfect will of God with pleasure.
And so, we read and mine his Word,
are thrilled, rebuked, taught by our Lord,
appreciate this clean, new way
that gives us strength, and helps us pray
and leads us heavenwards day by day.
Tune: 88 888
Nothing better, more important
than to know God more and more,
fellowship, obedience constant
– this is what he’s saved us for;
when discouraged in our seeking
(feel no progress, often stray)
testing sharpens thirst and longing,
spurs us earnestly to pray.
Read, remember Christ’s compassion
showing understanding full,
hears and answers supplication,
ear alert to serious call;
power to help, befriend, give wisdom,
don’t be satisfied with less,
true disciple of the kingdom,
seek him urgently to bless.
Created to rejoice,
but not in trivial things,
in knowing God’s rich grace,
the comforts Jesus brings.
Joy – we’re loved, embraced by the Lord
wonderful gospel, exult in his Word.
Christ Jesus took delight
in viewing past the grave
joy after suffering’s night
with those his death would save.
Our joy as others grow
in love, humility –
increasingly they show
Christ’s grace and purity.
Paul’s joy in service hard,
for saints – we honour all
those suffering for God’s Word
in pain their joy yet full.
Tune: 66 66+ iambic eg ‘Mine’ by Frank Lehman
1 Peter 5:6-11
Dear Saviour, Satan seeks
to feed our foolish pride,–
we want God’s gifts, but from
humility we slide.
Watch, think, pray; alert every day
Satan is seeking to lead you astray.
And sometimes he is glad
to make you angry, fret,
not cast your care on Christ, –
God’s power and love forget.
He lulls us into sleep,
and quietly prowls around.
You may not hear him creep,
– he strikes with little sound.
He likes to make us fear;
but firm in faith let’s stand:
God helps his church world-wide
by his almighty hand.
So don’t forget God’s grace,
his purpose and his power.
Don’t panic, but keep watch
for danger hour by hour.
Tune: 66 66 + iambic eg Mine by R F Lehman
(Luke 12:15,22,23)
That wretched thing called worry
goes round and round and round
inside my head, – I’m sorry
mankind no cure has found;
but Someone very special
can show its source, and say,
‘Don’t worry, pardoned sinner,
trust me in all today.’
He’s powerful and he’s gracious;
I’m often in a mess.
He cares, – his sheep are precious,
despite their foolishness.
Though our mistakes cause fretting,
he’ll still command, and say,
‘Don’t worry, pardoned sinner,
trust me in all today.’
Who can control tomorrow?
Old Worry wants to rule –
myself relieve my sorrow –
an independent fool!
King Jesus reigns and loves me,
I’m glad to hear him say,
‘Don’t worry, pardoned sinner,
trust me in all today.’
For life is more than eating,
and things we now possess.
I need, far more than clothing,
real peace and righteousness.
My treasure is in heaven,
with Jesus, – hear him say,
‘Don’t worry, pardoned sinner,
trust me in all today.’
