Sunday Hymn: How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
’Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary, rest.

Dear name, the rock on which I build,
My shield and hiding place,
My never failing treasury, filled
With boundless stores of grace!

By Thee my prayers acceptance gain,
Although with sin defiled;
Satan accuses me in vain,
And I am owned a child.

Jesus! my shepherd, husband, friend,
O prophet, priest and king,
My Lord, my life, my way, my end,
Accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I’ll praise Thee as I ought.

Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath,
And may the music of Thy name
Refresh my soul in death!

—John Newton

My son insisted on choosing the hymn video again. 

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

• Update: Are You Washed in the Blood? at By Grace Alone
• Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing at Hopeful Morning
• Blessed Assurance at Rosemary at Home
• From the Inside Out at Gospel Grace
• The Old Rugged Cross at The Happy Wonderer
• Lord’s Day 44 at Tried With Fire 
• Lord’s Day 44, 2012 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Your Weekly Dose of Spurgeon at Pyromaniacs: Pillars or Rolling Stones
• A Sunday Psalm: The Treasury of David - Psalm 10:1 at Theology for Girls

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

This has been a weird week and I’ve not always been feeling very thankful. Last week I thanked God for daughter’s family’s new furnace, which meant they could stay comfortably in their own home again. But the fuel pump was defective on the new furnace, so they only had heat for half a week, and then nothing. The part to fix their furnace has to be flown in from Edmonton, and nobody in Edmonton seems to understand that in the north, no heat in late October is an emergency situation. Long story short, no heat for them until at least late tomorrow night. They’ve been staying at my home this past week, which means my home is busy, busy, busy and noisy, noisy, noisy. Not to mention the double dog hair covering everything. 

I’m thankful that I’m here with a home they can use. I’m thankful that my daughter has cooked all the suppers so I don’t have to. I’m thankful for extra time with sweet Granddaughter II. I’m thankful that daughter’s family’s landlord is returning this month’s rent check to them.

But there’s more. A couple of weeks ago I was thankful that the pup’s cut paw was healing nicely. Then it blew up with a soft tissue infection and required a trip to the vet, a round of antibiotics, and daily pain-killers. Yesterday it looked the same instead of worse for the first time in 5 days or so. Today it actually looks a little better, so I think we might be on the way to healing.

I’m thankful for vetrinarians and the work they do. They wear the “mask of God” as they care for his creatures, and I’m thankful. I’m thankful for antibiotics and pain-killers too, and the blessing they are to human and animal life.

I’m also thankful that God forgives me when I’m not feeling thankful. I’m thankful that sometime soon my life will be back to normal and my house will be quiet again.

Round the Sphere Again: Authority and Submission

And complementary….

Some Are Called to Exercise Authority
From Gene Edward Veith:

Before God, all vocations are equal. Our standing before Him is based solely on Jesus Christ, our sin-bearer, our redeemer, and our righteousness. But as we receive God’s grace in Christ, we are then sent into the world to live out our faith in the daily routines of ordinary life — that is, in our vocations.

Yet some vocations exercise authority:

This authority is not inherent in the person but rather comes by virtue of the office. But authority in vocation is not just a matter of who gets to boss whom. Authority in vocation must be exercised in love and service to the neighbor (see Matt. 20:26–27). The ruler is described as “God’s servant” (Rom. 13:4). Masters are reminded that they too have a master (Eph. 6:9).

(Read the whole post from Ligonier Ministries.)

All Are Called to Submit
From Michael Kruger:

Calls for submission in the Bible are not just limited to women.  It is not as if they have been singled out. On the contrary, the Bible is very clear that everybody submits to somebody.   We are called to submit to the government (Rom 13:1), children are called to submit to their parents (Eph 6:1), church members are called to submit to their elders (Heb 13:17), servants are called to submit to their masters (1 Pet 1:18), and on it goes.

Read the whole post at Canon Fodder.