Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen
All Rights Reserved
The Moving Finger writes, and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.
-
From Rubáiyát Of Omar Khayyám, as translated by Edward Fitzgerald,
1809-1883.
The question often comes up: “Is it compulsory for me to believe in God,
believe the Gospel and accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah and my personal Lord
and Saviour?” The answer is obvious: No, it has never been compulsory, but
always voluntary. Choosing GOOD over
EVIL (or vice versa) has been voluntary
ever since Cain murdered Abel in cold blood at his altar of sacrifice, King
Herod beheaded John the Baptist in prison during the reign of Pontius Pilate to
please Salome, and Judas betrayed Jesus of Nazareth, the Pearl of Great Price,
at Calvary in Jerusalem for 30 lousy shekels of silver.
Choosing LIGHT (the Gospel) over DARKNESS (Atheism)
or DARKNESS over LIGHT has always been a matter of free choice … neither of the
two has ever been compulsory. It is only the CONSEQUENCES (following your
choice) that are compulsory, and never negotiable.
I fully agree with Dr. Rick Warren, pastor
at Saddleback Church in Orange County, California: “I’d rather walk with Jesus with all my questions than walk alone with
all the answers.” There was a time when John Lennon had made this
monumental error of saying that, long after Jesus Christ is forgotten, the
Beatles would still be remembered. Well,
Jesus Christ is going stronger than ever, while the Beatles are just about
forgotten … the only reason they are sometimes still remembered is probably because of
John Lennon’s ridiculous statement about the alleged demise of Jesus of Nazareth,
Rock of Ages. (Would you like to be
remembered like that?).
(Albert
B. Simpson, 1843-1919/James H. Burke, 19th Century)
O how sweet the
glorious message
Simple faith may
claim:
Yesterday, today,
forever Jesus is the same!
Still He loves to
save the sinful,
Heal the sick and
lame,
Cheer the mourner,
calm tempest ‒
Glory to His name!
He who pardoned
erring Peter
Never need’st thou
fear,
He who came to
faithless Thomas
All thy doubt will
clear;
He who let the loved
disciple
On His bosom rest
Bids thee still, with
love as tender
Lean upon His breast.
He who ‘mid the
raging billows
Walked upon the sea
Still can hush our
wildest tempest,
As on Galilee;
He who wept and
prayed in anguish In Gethsemane
Drinks with us each
cup of trembling,
In our agony.
As of old He walked to Emmaus,
With them to abide,
So thru all life’s
way He walketh,
Ever near our side;
Soon again shall we
behold Him ‒
Hasten Lord, the day!
But ‘twill be ‘this
same Jesus’, As He went away.
CHORUS
Yesterday, today,
forever,
Jesus is the same;
All may change, but
Jesus never ‒
Glory to His name!
Glory to His name,
Glory to His name;
All may change but
Jesus never ‒
Glory to His name!
Bibliography
1. Andrews, Allen
(1969) Quotations For Speakers And Writers. Newnes Books.
Hamlyn
Publishing Group Ltd. London.
2. Khayyám, Omar, translated by Fitzgerald, Edward (1947) Rubáiyát Of Omar Khayyám. Collins. London & Glasgow.
3. Peterson,
John W. (1966) Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘Yesterday, Today, Forever’’.
Singspiration. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan.Peterson,
John W. (1966) Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘Yesterday, Today, Forever’’. Singspiration. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
No comments:
Post a Comment