Sunday's Hymn: Revive Us Again

We praise Thee, O God!
For the Son of Thy love,
For Jesus who died,
And is now gone above.

Refrain

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Revive us again.

We praise Thee, O God!
For Thy Spirit of light,
Who hath shown us our Savior,
And scattered our night.

All glory and praise
To the Lamb that was slain,
Who hath borne all our sins,
And hath cleansed every stain.

All glory and praise
To the God of all grace,
Who hast bought us, and sought us,
And guided our ways.

Revive us again;
Fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled
With fire from above.

—Will­iam P. Mac­kay

Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:

• The Lily of the Valley at The Happy Wonderer
• Early, My God at Gospel Grace
• Creat in Me a Clean Heart at By Grace Alone
• The Puritans: William Perkins at Challies.com
• The Lord’s Prayer: The Address at Tried With Fire 
• Lord’s Day 33, 2013 at The Thirsty Theologian
• You Weekly Dose of Spurgeon at Pyromaniacs: Bone marrow religion

Have you posted a hymn (or sermon, sermon notes, prayer, etc.) today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by contacting me using the contact form linked above, and I’ll add your post to the list.

Thankful Thursday

It’s nearly summer’s end, and I have much to be thankful for. I’m thankful for

• the best summer ever, weather-wise. Lots of sun and moderate temperatures, but rain for the garden, too. The baby pool in the back yard got plenty of use—and we’re not guaranteed any days warm enough for outdoor swimming. 
• all the thunderstorms, too, reminding me of Minnesota where I grew up. (Thunderstorms can be rare here, but not this year.)
• a flourishing veggie garden with peas, broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce, kale, cauliflower, swiss chard, onions and potatoes ready to eat now, and carrots and beets that will be ready soon. It’s also the very first year my garden’s been relatively weed-free. I’m thankful for the time and energy to keep it that way.
• for the raven that barked at my dog yesterday. What amazing birds they are!
• for the beautiful world we live in and my corner of it in particular.
• for family around me. That all of my children and grandchildren live in my town is one of God’s great blessings to me.
• for the opportunities to serve my family this week. 
• for opportunities to write in the weeks to come.
• for this upcoming weekend. It’s a long one and unscheduled for me, and for that, I am thankful.
• for the music I hear as I write.
• for the gift of salvation and the gift of faith through which I receive it.
• for God’s gracious recreative work within; for the good works he foreordained for me.
• for the immeasurable riches of God’s grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

So That No One May Boast

I’m continuing to work my way through Ephesians 2. You’ll find what I’ve posted previously at Out of the Ordinary: Our Hope for By Nature, Seated in the Heavenly Places, and Showing His Grace.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)

Do you remember the verse that precedes this passage? It’s a purpose statement: God’s ultimate purpose for saving sinners is to show his limitless grace throughout eternity (Ephesians 2:7). The little words “for” at the beginning of verses 8 and 10 connect this passage to the purpose statement in verse 7. (If I substitute “because” for “for” the relationship becomes clearer for me. Try reading it that way.)  

First, the salvation of sinners shows up God’s grace because it’s by grace that sinners are saved. Salvation—the whole process, including the faith that receives it—is the result of God’s gracious work. We contribute nothing. He gives and so we have. If we scored contibutions to salvation, it might look something like this: sinner, zero; God’s immeasurably rich grace: everything!

There’s nothing boast worthy in “not of your own doing” and “not a result of [your] works.” What’s boast worthy in salvation is God’s role in it, because it is “the gift of God” and “by [God’s] grace.” In this way, salvation fulfills God’s purpose for it, showing “the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

What’s more, even the fruit of salvation, the good works believers do because they are being saved, is a result of God’s recreative work and precreation plan. If you have been saved, you’ve gone from walking “in trespasses and sins” to walking in “good works” because of God’s grace. Like our salvation itself, the good works resulting from salvation are boast worthy only for God, who graciously prepares them for us and produces them in us.

God has many purposes, of course, for the good works Christians do, but the ultimate purpose is so that we will glorify him forever for his infinite grace.