Where Are You Gonna Strike Your Match?

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Roger E. Bruner

[You may listen to an old recording of this song here. Get a free PDF of the lead sheet here.]

Where are you gonna strike your match?
Where are you gonna strike your match?
Will you strike it in the warmth of a well lighted church
Or take it to the cold and dark outside?

If you light your candle in a warm, bright room,
Few will even notice it’s there.
But take that candle outside and build a fire,
And those who’re cold and lost will feel the flame.

Where are you gonna strike your match?
Where are you gonna strike your match?
Will you strike it in the warmth of a well lighted church
Or take it to the cold and dark outside?

Take it outside.

About This Song:
t-Roger 10-19-2023
Some years ago when Dr. Keith Parks was President of the Foreign Mission Board (now the International Mission Board), he gave the chapel devotional that inspired this song.

It seems pretty simply at first, but–when you think about it–this song isn’t about matches and candles. It’s about sharing the love of God with other people. Particularly those who need it most because they’re lonely, depressed, or suffering bad circumstances and don’t know how much God wants to comfort them. Those are the people who’re “freezing” outside in the darkness. They may or may not ever voluntarily come into the warmth of the church seeking help.

While the Bible says we need to minister to one another within the Body of Christ (i.e., the church), we’re also supposed to reach out to others in need. No matter how lovingly we treat our fellow believers, we’re just lighting candles inside a warm, bright building when we do that.

We’re also compelled to go outside the church and share the Good News.

It’s outside in the darkness–in the fallen world we move through day in and day out–that the small flame each Christian bears makes such a difference. Where are you lighting your candle–in the warmth and safety of the church or in your daily walk as you encounter people in need?

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

        

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Posted in Fire, Matches, Sharing God's Love, Visibility, Warmth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

God’s True Children

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Roger E. Bruner

[A free PDF lead sheet of this song is available here. A recording of it may be heard here.]

Who are God’s true children?
Who are God’s true children?
Who are God’s true children?
All who believe.

Who will believe in God’s Son,
Who will believe in God’s Son,
Who will believe in God’s Son,
Unless they have heard?

Who will hear of God’s love,
Who will hear of God’s love,
Who will hear of God’s love,
Unless they are told?

Who will tell them God’s good news,
Who will tell them God’s good news,
Who will tell them God’s good news,
Unless somebody goes?

Who will go to tell them,
Who will go to tell them,
Who will go to tell them,
Unless someone is sent?

Who will send out tellers,
Who will send out tellers,
Who will send out tellers,
Unless somebody cares?

Who cares enough to send them,
Who cares enough to send them,
Who cares enough to send them,
But true children of God?

Who are God’s true children?
Who are God’s true children?
Who are God’s true children?
All who believe.

About this Song:
t-Roger 10-19-2023
“God’s True Children” is what I would describe as a circular song. You’ll notice the progression as one word in each stanza ties it to the next stanza. Then that stanza introduces a word that will be referred to in the following stanza. And so forth, until the song returns to where it started: “Who are God’s true children?” in a slightly different context.

Although this song is based loosely on Romans 10:13-15, which I’ve included below, I wouldn’t have been foolish enough to try to “improve on” the Bible. I did, however, make an effort to fill in between the lines and give this idea a slightly different spin.

Romans 10:13-15
13 for every one — whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, he shall be saved.’
14 How then shall they call upon [him] in whom they did not believe? and how shall they believe [on him] of whom they did not hear? and how shall they hear apart from one preaching?
15 and how shall they preach, if they may not be sent? according as it hath been written, `How beautiful the feet of those proclaiming good tidings of peace, of those proclaiming good tidings of the good things!’
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)

I dedicated this song to Dr. and Mrs. Keith Parks. Dr. Parks, then the president of the International Mission Board, gave a chapel message that inspired me to use this Scripture.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

        

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When God’s People Meet Together

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Roger E. Bruner

[You may listen to one version of this song here. Look for the piano version with one of the sets of lyrics here.]

When God’s people meet together,
The Lord is in their midst.
When His people begin praying,
His Spirit makes them one.
When God’s people feed on His Word,
They grow in grace and love.
When they celebrate His presence,
Glad songs pour from their lips.

When God’s people are disheartened,
His grace renews their strength.
When His people need direction,
He leads them on their way.
When His people ask forgiveness,
He cleanses them from sin.
When God’s people meet together,
The Lord is in their midst.

About This Song:
t-Roger 10-19-2023
A number of years ago, I belonged to a church well known for the divisiveness among its membership. Not a good or godly reputation for a church to have. We needed to come together with a willingness to let God unite us. Only by praying together, studying His Word together, and praising Him together could we once again become the body He wanted us to be. That process required the renewing of our strength, forgiveness for our sins, and guidance in the right direction.

I took piano lessons for a couple of months around that time. Because of my musical background, I was making good progress (at least my teacher seemed to feel that way). Enough progress to write this song and give it a simple piano accompaniment that both amazed and pleased him. Although I finally gave up the lessons because practicing piano interfered with playing my guitar, those lessons were a good experience.

I was never entirely satisfied with my lyrics, though. So I tackled the task of revising them a few years ago. Maybe the ones posted above will prove to be the “right” ones. You can probably come up with a number of additional verses of your own. Or variations of these. If so, please let me know. I might like yours better than mine!

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

        

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Posted in Conflict, Forgiveness, Guidance, Prayer, Unity, Worship | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Let The Whole Earth Ring!

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Roger E. Bruner

Happy Thanksgiving. I couldn’t let today pass without posting this song. You may listen to an old recording  here. Click here for a PDF lead-sheet.

Let the whole earth ring
With a shout of great joy
To the Lord, the King of Kings!
We serve Him gladly and obey His commandments,
And we sing glad songs
When we enter His presence.

We come into His gates with thanksgiving
And enter His courts with praise;
We thank Him for who He is
And praise His holy name.

Let the whole earth ring
With a shout of great joy
To the Lord, the King of Kings!
We serve Him gladly and obey His commandments,
And we sing glad songs
When we enter His presence.

We know He’s our Creator;
We didn’t make ourselves.
We’re sheep, and He’s our Shepherd.
We’re servants; He’s our Lord.

Let the whole earth ring
With a shout of great joy
To the Lord, the King of Kings!
We serve Him gladly and obey His commandments,
And we sing glad songs
When we enter His presence.

The Lord has been so good to us;
His love has never failed.
We know His promises will keep coming true
In all the years to come.

Let the whole earth ring
With a shout of great joy
To the Lord, the King of Kings!
We serve Him gladly and obey His commandments,
And we sing glad songs
When we enter His presence.

About This song:
t-Roger 10-19-2023
On a long ago Thanksgiving Day, November 20, 1980, I sat down on the floor of my living room and surrounded myself with different translations of the Bible. All of them were open to Psalm 100.

These are several of the ones I used:

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.
New International Version (NIV)

1 Sing to the Lord, all the world!
2 Worship the Lord with joy;
    come before him with happy songs!
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
    He made us, and we belong to him;
    we are his people, we are his flock.
4 Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving;
    go into its courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and praise him.
5 The Lord is good;
    his love is eternal
    and his faithfulness lasts forever.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Why was I so interested in Psalm 100 that day? Because it best expressed what Thanksgiving meant to me, and I felt inspired to turn those words into a new song, while remaining as true to the meaning of the Scripture as possible.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you won’t be surprised that I took a few liberties with the words. Did you notice the one major change I made? I switched what should have been the first and second stanzas. I don’t remember why.

I never let Thanksgiving pass without singing this song many times. And now that I’m involved in an almost-weekly nursing home ministry, the folks at the Ashland Nursing and Rehab Center can count on hearing me do it for them each year. Thankfully COVID_19 didn’t prevent that from happening this year.

No matter where or when this Psalm is sung–or how the words are arranged–may the joy it expresses reflect your feelings of thanksgiving for the countless blessings God provides day in and day out.

What are you thankful for today? Please share a comment.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

        

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Posted in God's love, God's Provision, PDF, Praise, Psalm 100, Psalms, Thanksgiving, Worship | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

I’ll Keep on Praising the Lord

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Roger E. Bruner

[A free PDF lead sheet of this song is available here.  You may listen to it here.]

I have a sound roof over my head;
I have a loving family around me.
I have food upon my table
And clothes upon my back.

But even if I lose those blessings,
I will not complain.
I’ll just keep on praising the Lord
For being so good.

My bills are paid; my credit is quite good,
And I live in peace with my neighbors.
I have friends who’ll come a-runnin’
To help in times of need.

But even if I lose those blessings,
I will not complain.
I’ll just keep on praising the Lord
For being so good.

I thrive on smiles and words of good cheer;
My hopes and dreams keep me looking forward.
My creativeness fulfills me
And keeps my mind alert.

But even if I lose those blessings,
I will not complain.
I’ll just keep on praising the Lord
For being so good.

About This Song:
t-Roger 10-19-2023
I began writing this song while undergoing some health problems that had the potential to be worse than they turned out to be. They interfered with my sleep for a number of nights, however, and I started working on the words during a time of sleeplessness.

I didn’t get out of bed to do it, though. So I had to memorize my progress in order to return to it the next night. I should’ve written the words down when I got up the next morning, of course, but I honestly just didn’t feel up to it.

Eventually a tune started coming into my head. God graciously brought it back to me each night. Interestingly, though, I made a few major changes once I felt up to entering it in Personal Composer, the software I use to transcribe my songs.

One change will always amuse me. The first four notes used to be G-C-D-E rather than C-C-D-E. If you play those notes on your instrument of choice, you’ll recognize the original version as the beginning of “How Dry I Am”! Not exactly what I wanted to associate with this song. A more practical reason for starting on C instead of G is the fact G was a bit low for my voice–at least for starting a stanza.

The last couple of songs I’d written came pretty easily, but the rest of the lyrics for this one–I’d only “dreamed up” some of them during my times of sleeplessness–gave me fits. The basic idea was clear, though. “No matter what God has blessed me with, I’ll continue to praise Him–even if He takes some of those blessings away or allows them to be taken.”

So I wanted to include as wide a variety of blessings as I could. Several times I thought about the old hymn, “Count Your Blessings.” Mine are definitely too numerous to count. Or to list in this song.

I started with the most basic–the ones most people have: shelter, food, clothes, family. Then I moved on to money and credit,  my relationship with neighbors, and friends I could depend on.

The third stanza was the most challenging, however. I wanted to limit my references to blessings I currently had, and I was none too sure about my health at that time. So I finally omitted references to health.

I already had “hopes and dreams,” but what did I want to say about them? I thought I had my answer with “perking” or “rolling.” But I decided hopes and dreams play a major role in not living in the past.

I also had “creativeness” left over. I wanted to use “creativity,” but it had one syllable too many to fit the tune. I just about wore out my thesaurus before coming up with “fulfill.”

I still had a hole in the third stanza, though. Then I thought about how much I love to receive smiles and words of encouragement from others–and to give them. So that stanza finally came to completion.

What about you? If you were to lose some of all of the blessings the Lord has given you, would you still be able to praise Him? How about leaving a comment?

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

        

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God’s Light in Our Lives

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Roger E. Bruner

A PDF lead sheet of this song is available here. No recordings are available.]

When Moses came down from the mountain,
Toting two tablets of stone,
His face was shining so brightly,
It frightened the people below.
He calmed them and called a debriefing
To tell of his time on the mount.
The people all listened intently,
For they saw God’s light on his face.

They saw God’s light on his face, yes,
They saw God’s light on his face.
The people all listened intently,
For they saw God’s light on his face.

When we come back down from the mountain,
After a time with the Lord,
We pray to meet unbelievers
And share the way of the Cross.
We lovingly tell them the Good News,
Not sure just how they will respond.
But we know they’ll more likely listen
If they see God’s light in our lives.

If they see God’s light in our lives, yes,
If they see God’s light in our lives.
We know they’ll more likely listen
If they see God’s light in our lives.

About This Song:

t-Roger 10-19-2023
The inspiration for this song is Exodus 34:29-35:

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.
33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.
(NIV)

This Scripture fascinates me. I can only begin to imagine what being physically in the presence of God would be like, but I couldn’t have blamed the Children of Israel if they’d been skeptical about it.

They weren’t skeptical, however. They had no choice but to believe and accept that Moses had been in God’s presence. God had given Moses an unmistakable sign by anointing him with a frightening radiance–a special glow. The Children of Israel recognized that sign for what it was.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t expect my face to light up that much, no matter how special my prayer time with God might be.

Still, the people we try to share our faith with may very well be skeptical. Unless, of course, they see something in our lives that almost shouts, “It’s true! Listen to him. Believe him.”

If we are truly God’s children, each of us has the potential to glow–at least periodically. We won’t glow the same way, any more than we’ll all share Moses’ radiance. But no matter what form our glow takes–whether a smile of approval or ears that are really willing to listen–it will help to convince unbelievers that we’re real. And that the God whose love we’re trying to share with them is also real.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones–WHY NOT? was just released–are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

        

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God Keeps His Promises

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Roger E. Bruner

When we make promises, sometimes we break them
And hurt the people we love the most.
But God’s not like that. He’s always truthful.
He always does the things He says He’ll do.

God keeps His promises; He is so faithful.
We need not worry; He keeps His word.
He is our Father; we are His children.
He always gives us what He knows we need.

About This Song:

Ever since I started writing Christian novels–fourteen or fifteen years ago–I probably haven’t averaged more than one or two new songs a year. I can’t simply determine to write a new song. I need a catchy idea–often a single line–to start with, and those come from the Lord. He only shares one of them with me periodically.

At my church’s nursing home ministry one Wednesday years ago, Pastor Chadwick presented a devotional about the dependability of God’s promises. One point really got my attention. When people question our word and our truthfulness, it hurts. They’re accusing us of lying.

So how much more it must hurt God when we His children don’t accept His promises without question. We react as if He was lying. Or incapable of keeping His promises. How foolish we are to do that.

He’s proven his dependability time and time again. He’s never let one of us down. He may not always do what we want Him to do, but each of His children knows from personal experience that He truly loves and holds each of us in His hands.

Why should we doubt Him–His intentions or His abilities?

That devotional thought solidified in my mind as “God keeps His promises.” When I first wrote the words, the stanzas were reversed. When I changed the order, I kept the original title. It summed up the whole meaning of the song in those four words.

As you can see from the lyrics, I ended up not dwelling on how we upset God by our failure to take His promises seriously enough, but on the fact He always keeps His word. As opposed to the fact we often fail to.

The melody turned out to be very basic. I often spend weeks trying to work out a tune, but this one came so easily I almost worried that I might have accidentally copied something I had heard elsewhere without remembering of recognizing it.

God is faithful, though, and I prefer to believe He wanted to bless these lyrics by inspiring the tune and having me offer the completed song to the director of my church’s preschool choir.

How are you at keeping promises? Do you sometimes break them, no matter how hard you try not to? God forgives us for that.

But we’ll never need to forgive Him for broken promises. He always keeps His word, and I count on that in every part of my life. Do you? If not, you’re missing out on something special.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. WHY NOT? is a brand-new release. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email. You’ll note that I upgraded my WordPress account to get rid of those nasty ads. And this blog can now be accessed directly at AsIComeSinging.com (mixed case is optional) rather than AsIComeSinging.WordPress.com.

Best regards,
Roger

        

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As We Go Through the World

Posted on November 1, 2023 by Roger E. Bruner

[My apologies for the ads on my blog posts. I need to pay extra to avoid them, but that’s never fit into the family budget.]

As we go through the world,
We go to share the Word of God,
So that all may hear
And have a chance to believe.

For how can they believe
Unless they’ve a chance to hear,
And how else can they hear
Unless somebody goes?

But we are all going somewhere,
And God’s Word says to share as we go.
So as we go through the world,
We go to share the Word of God.
As we go through the world,
We go to share.

About This Song:

The message of this song is both similar to and quite different from another of my songs, “All Around the World.” But whereas the latter talks about being willing to go somewhere else to spread God’s Good News, “As We Go Through the World” emphasizes the fact that we’re all on the go. Perhaps only locally. Still, we run into spiritually needy people throughout our lives–even if God never “sends” us anywhere as such.

We have the Good News. It’s up to us to share it wherever we are.

Much of the inspiration for this song comes from what my pastor father used to say about Jesus’ Great Commission, which is found in Matthew 28:19-20:

19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV)

He pointed out that in the original language, Jesus really said, “As you go…”

But this song also has a bit of Acts 1:8 mixed in:

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (NIV)

That verse doesn’t say Christians will all go elsewhere. It doesn’t even say that they’ll officially be “on mission.” It DOES say that Christians–this verse is about the early Christians, but isn’t limited to them–will share the Good News wherever they do go. I think of “Jerusalem” as my home city (perhaps even just my neighborhood), “Judea and Samaria” as other cities or states, and, well, I guess “ends of he earth” is obvious.

And, finally, this song also contains a bit of Romans 10:14:

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (NIV)

If you’re a Christian, are you sharing God’s love wherever you are? It doesn’t have to be an elaborate or an intimidating process. As St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel always. If necessary, use words.”

Unfortunately, I have never recorded this song. A free lead sheet is available here, however.

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones–WHY NOT? is a brand new release–are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

        

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Links you might be interested in:

Posted in Going, Good News, Jerusalem, Samaria, Sharing, Sharing God's Love, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Many Cups?

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Roger E. Bruner

[A recording of this song is available here. A free lead sheet is here.]

How many cups of cold water shall I give in Jesus’ name
To thank Him for each drop of blood He paid for me?
God didn’t count what it would cost to give His life;
Let me not count what it will cost to give Him thanks.

How many loaves of fresh bread shall I give in Jesus’ name
To thank Him for each teardrop He has shed for me?
God didn’t count what it would cost to give His love;
Let me not count what it will cost to give Him thanks.

It doesn’t matter whether I am successful
In the ways this world views success;
But if anyone has been touched by God’s presence in my life,
Then it matters what I do in His name.

How many pieces of clothing shall I give in Jesus’ name
To thank Him for each raging storm He’s calmed in me?
God didn’t count what it would cost to give His peace;
Let me not count what it will cost to give Him thanks.

How many words of kindness shall I speak in Jesus’ name
To thank Him for each perfect gift He’s given me?
God didn’t count what it would cost to give His Best;
Let me not count what it will cost to give Him thanks.

It doesn’t matter whether I am successful
In the ways this world views success;
But if anyone has been touched by God’s presence in my life,
Then it matters what I do in His name.

How many cups of cold water shall I give in Jesus’ name?

About This Song:


Steve Henson is a friend who lives in Fort Worth, Texas. (I haven’t heard from him in quite a while, so I hope he still does.) He told me what a tremendous Christian his father had been, and I ended up dedicating this song to him.

The inspiration comes from Mark 9:41. . .

Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. (NIV)

and also from Matthew 25:35-45. . .

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. (NIV)

Did you know the Bible cautions us not to be weary in doing good things? See Galatians 6:9. . .

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (KJV)

However, if I read that correctly, it doesn’t say we should stop doing good things just because we’re tired. (Do we stop carrying out good parenting practices just because our kids have worn us out? Tempting, but no.) We should persevere in spite of fatigue.

Whoops! There goes my excuse for sitting back and taking it easy. I was born tired.

You know what else that verse means–at least to me? There’s no such thing as giving enough cups of cold water or feeding enough hungry people or visiting enough people in prison or doing any of the other things the Bible tells us to do. We should just keep doing them.

God didn’t count the cost when He sacrificed Jesus for our sins. Even though we can never do enough good things to pay Him back for that, neither can we ever thank Him sufficiently.

Do you ever get weary doing good things? What keeps you going? How about leaving a comment?

I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

t-Roger 19-18-2023   

Eighteen Novel 4x6 Postcard

Links you might be interested in:

Posted in Bread, Cold water, Gratitude, Kindness, Thanks, Weariness | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Help Me, Lord, in Becoming

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Roger E. Bruner

Lord, don’t let me become satisfied
With what I think I’ve become for You,
But help me, Lord, in becoming.

Lord, You know I can’t match
What You become for me day by day.
Please help me, Lord, in becoming.

Lord, don’t let me become satisfied
With what I think I have done for You,
But help me, Lord, in doing for You. Lord.

You know I can’t match
What You do for me day by day.
Please help me, Lord, in doing for You.

Lord, don’t let me become satisfied
With how I’ve tried to love You,
But help me, Lord, in loving You.

Lord, You know I can’t match
How You love me day by day.
Please help me, Lord, in loving You.

About this Song:
Roger - for WordPress
Are you ever tempted to feel satisfied with your service to God?

I hate to admit it, but I am–every once in a while. I think about my church activities: playing bass on the praise team and for the Christmas musical and playing my guitar and singing each week in the nursing home ministry.

I used to sing in the choir (we don’t have one anymore) and use my photographic skills at special church events. (I’m rarely able to do that now.) Those are all good, wholesome, need-to-be-done activities that–frankly–take some time and energy I don’t always have a lot of to spare.

On top of that, I write Christian songs and Christian fiction. I bear a much clearer witness to God through my writing than through my meager efforts at sharing His Good News verbally, so I feel that my writing is important for Kingdom purposes.

Surely God is pleased with what I’ve become, what I’m doing for Him, and how I’m trying to show Him my love. Thinking that way is definitely a periodic temptation.

That’s when I imagine God laughing gently and asking how many brownie points I think my activities are worth. And what good I think they’ll do, anyhow. He reminds me that He doesn’t operate on a system like that.

Our relationship is based on the fact that “He is God, and I am not.” He made me in His image, but we are NOT equals. And His “good and perfect gifts” are nothing I could ever afford. He is the Creator of all that is, and I’m one of His creations. He paid a price I can’t even conceive of to make me His child through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

And what parent doesn’t provide good things for his children? God’s gifts are truly the BEST. Better than anything a human parent can give his children.

So, forget thinking I can pay God back for His goodness. I can’t.

I can thank Him, though. By doing my best to obey Him. By trying to please Him. By trying to become the person He wants me to be, by trying to do the things he wants, and by loving Him in every way I can.

Becoming is a gradual process, however, and the wonderful thing is, God knows how incapable I am of becoming anything worthwhile on my own. I have to depend on Him totally.

Yet no matter how often or how severely I fail, He not only forgives me, He also picks me up, dusts me off, and sets me on the right path again. He knows how much–in my heart of hearts–I want to please Him. No matter how often I mess up and need His forgiveness.

What greater desire can a Christian have than to grow closer to God and to become more Christlike in every possible way? Even so, it’s a process that takes an entire lifetime to accomplish.

I’m afraid I’ve never recorded this song, but a free lead sheet is available here. The C-Dm7-Em7-Fmaj7 progression is something I really enjoy as I continue trying to learn my song so I can eventually record it–when I run out of other things to do, that is.

As I mentioned a moment ago, I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.

I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.

Best regards,
Roger

    

Eighteen Novel 4x6 Postcard

Links you might be interested in:

Posted in Becoming, Being Like Jesus, Doing, God's Help, Loving, Satisfaction, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment