Author: America's Keswick

The purpose of America's Keswick is to model and teach Biblical victorious living in Christ Jesus, to provide an environment in which Biblical life transformation takes place and to foster active personal involvement in the local church.

Hoping for a Broken Heart

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Hoping for a Broken Heart

“A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17

Dr. Paul David Tripp has written a book based on Psalm 51 that I am working through. I shared some other insights from it back in December, but this one gripped my heart this morning. It is one of those writing that grips your heart as we think about the brokenness we need to have concerning our sin:

I am too satisfied with the things I say the things I do the attitudes of the heart that shape my reactions day after day.

I too easily accept quick assessments of my own righteousness in situations where I have been anything but righteous.

I am too skilled at mounting plausible arguments structured to make me feel okay about what I think, what I desire, what I say, what I do.

I am defensive when a loved one makes an attempt to call me out and suggest for a moment that what I have decided, said, or done, is less than godly.

I am too comfortable with the state of things between You and me. Too relaxed with the nature of my love for You. Too able to minimize my need for Your grace.

In the recesses of my private world there is so much wrong that I am able to convince myself is right.

There are attitudes there that should not be. There are words that should not be spoken. There are thoughts that do not agree with Your view of me and mine. There are desires that take me in a different direction than what You have planned for me.

I make decisions based more on what I want than on Your will. So I am hoping for wise eyes that are able to see through the cloud of self-righteousness and see myself as I actually am.

I am praying for wise ears that are able to hear through the background noise of well-used platitudes and hear myself with clarity. And I am longing for a humble spirit that is willing to accept and confess what You reveal as You break through my defenses and show me to me.

I am hoping for a broken heart.

Pretty powerful thoughts this morning. Dr. Tripp concludes this writing with these two questions: Where specifically is God calling you to spiritual unrest and dissatisfaction? How would this dissatisfaction change the way you live? Good questions to ponder today. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 19; Genesis 46-48; Matthew 13:1-30

DIG THIS QUOTE: We’re brought into God’s kingdom by grace; we’re sanctified by grace; we receive both temporal and spiritual blessings by grace; we’re motivated to obedience by grace; we’re called to serve and enabled to serve by grace; we receive strength to encounter trials by grace; and we’re glorified by grace. The entire Christian life is lived under the reign of God’s grace. – Jerry Bridges

DETERMINED DIGGING: Joshua 1:8; Psalm 15

We Serve a Living God

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We Serve a Living God
“Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, who you serve continually, been able to rescue you?” Daniel 6:20
We sing it mostly at Easter: He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me, and talks with me along life’s narrow way! He lives! He lives … salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives — He lives within my heart!
The question is: Do I really believe HE LIVES? Today’s reading from Streams in the Desert was one I needed to be reminded of:
We find the expression “the living God” many times in the Scriptures, and yet it is the very thing we are so prone to forget. We know it is written “the living God,” but in our daily life there is almost nothing we lose sight of as often as the fact that God is “the living God.”

We forget that He is now exactly what He was three or four thousand years ago, that He has the same sovereign power, and that He extends the same gracious love toward those who love and serve Him. We overlook the fact that He will do for us now what He did thousands of years ago for others, simply because He IS the unchanging, LIVING GOD! What a reason to confide in Him, and in our darkest moments to never lose sight of the fact that He IS still, and ever will be THE LIVING GOD!

Be assured, if you walk with Him, look to Him, and expect help from Him — He will never fail you … Martin Luther, deep in thought and needing to grasp hidden strength during a time of danger and fear in his life, was seen tracing on a table with his fingers the words, “He lives! He lives!” This is our hop for ourselves, His truth, and humankind.

People come and go. Leaders, teachers, and philosophers speak and work for a season and then fall silent and powerless. HE ABIDES. They die, but HE LIVES! They are lights that glow yet are ultimately distinguished. BUT HE IS THE TRUE LIGHT from which they draw their brightness, and HE SHINES FOREVERMORE!
Today you may be questioning what is happening in your life. You may be wondering what in the world is going on. But you need to be reminded this morning, my dear brothers: HE LIVES! We serve a LIVING GOD. Rejoice in that truth today! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 18; Genesis 43-45; Matthew 12:24-50

DIG THIS QUOTE: To the extent that you’re clinging to any vestiges of self-righteousness or putting confidence in your own spiritual attainments, to that degree you are not living by the grace of God in your life. – Jerry Bridges

DETERMINED DIGGING: Joshua 1:8; Psalm 15

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

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TO GOD BE THE GLORY

“Ascribe the glory due His name.” Psalm 29:2

This has been one of those incredible weeks of miracles at America’s KESWICK. We have been having issues with the boiler at our Activity Center and the motor for the boiler burned out resulting in having no heat or hot water in the building for several days.

We serve the local seniors by offering a fitness program that is available Monday through Friday mornings. Many of them are just great people, but some of them can be down right nasty. ANYTHING that disrupts their little world becomes reason to complain and yell.

We were concerned that this motor was obsolete. So obsolete, that it meant building one to fit which could have take over a week plus! Not a good thing. But God in His miraculous way, provided an alternative and within several hours, it was up and running. Later on that day, a dear friend of the ministry sent the money to cover the cost.
That same day, we received a check for $60,000, which is a HUGE gift for us — this will go towards the boiler replacement project. God IS so good.
Today is the Lord’s day, and we could easily praise Him for all the “things” He has done for us — boilers, payroll needs, etc. But today, I want to encourage us to praise Him for the REAL things HE HAS DONE. You catch a glimpse of that in Fanny Crosby’s hymn, TO GOD BE THE GLORY …
To GOD be the glory, great things HE has done.
SO LOVED HE THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE US HIS SON,
Who yielded HIS life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life-gate that ALL may go in.
O perfect REDEMPTION, the purchase of blood,
To EVERY BELIEVER the promise of God.
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from JESUS a pardon receives.
Great things HE has taught us!
Great things HE has done!
And great our rejoicing through JESUS THE SON!
But purer and higher and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when JESUS we see.
Refrain
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the earth hear HIS voice!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son!
And give HIM the glory; great things HE has done!!!
Rejoice, my brothers! Praise HIM today — our audience of ONE! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK
DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 17; Genesis 41-42; Matthew 12:1-23
DIG THIS QUOTE: Well, let’s go on disagreeing but don’t let us judge. What doesn’t suit us may suit possible converts of a different type. My model here is the behaviour of the congregation at a ‘Russian Orthodox’ service, where some sit, some stand, some kneel, some walk about, and no one takes the slightest notice of what anyone else is doing. That is good sense, good manners, and good Christianity. ‘Mind one’s own business’ is a good rule in religion as in other things. C. S. Lewis
DETERMINED DIGGING: Level 1 — Joshua 1:8; Level 2 — Psalm 15

God and God Alone

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God and God Alone

“Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” Isaiah 40:31

I had a text message from a friend this week and I was commending him on the growth I have seen in his life. He made an interesting statement — “It’s all about focus, focus, focus.” I quickly reminded him that he had it all wrong — it isn’t about focus — it’s about God and God alone. When He is the center of our lives — then we are able to focus on all the right things.

Listen to what Dr. Glynn Evans says about this in his devotional book, DAILY WITH THE KING (Moody Press):

I will make YOU the basis of my trust, Lord. I will accept Your demolition of my security, even thought it is painful. When I was a young Christian I thought everything was God — and. It was God — and blessing; God — and power; God — and fruitfulness. Now I see everything is just God — and nothing.

Now I fully understand why God tested Abraham’s faith by telling him to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). God gives, but He also takes away. He must take away. God will not have me trusting ANYTHING other than HIMSELF, not even a good, lovely thing like Isaac. God gives me vibrant health, then He takes it away and leaves me weak and clinging. Why? To show me where my ultimate trust should be. No sooner do I find something in which I can boast than God takes away the object of my boasting. Not bad things, but good things.

Sermons, books, and articles tell me constantly that the Christian life is the greatest, the most exciting, the most rewarding life available. But they miss the point! They tell me God ADDS so much to me. As a result, my Christian life can become shambles through false expectancy. What really happens is that God TAKES AWAY so much. He continually removes from my life everything that would make me earthbound, self-dependent, or experience-centered.

Why were so many of the Corinthian Christians “weak … sickly … and dead (1 Corinthians 11:30)? Because a THING had come between them and God. God will tolerate no “thing” between Himself and me — even so dear a thing as my “Isaac.” But He will take nothing away without adding the larger dimension of HIMSELF to take its place. Once I have given my dearest to Him, I will hear Him say, “Now I will REALLY bless you.” (See Genesis 22:17)

What in your life, brother, is more dear to you than God and God alone? Are you willing to surrender that to HIM today? Think about it. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 16; Genesis 39-40; Matthew 11

DIG THIS QUOTE: You have trusted Him in a few things, and He has not failed you. Trust Him now for everything, and see if He does not do for you exceeding abundantly above all that you could ever have asked or thought, not according to your power or capacity, but according to His own mighty power, that will work in you all the good pleasure of His most blessed will. You find no difficulty in trusting the Lord with the management of the universe and all the outward creation, and can your case be any more complex or difficult than these, that you need to be anxious or troubled about His management of it? Hannah Whitall Smith

DETERMINED DIGGING — Level 1: Deut. 31:8 Level 2 — Psalm 1

The Penetrating Word of God

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The Penetrating Word of God

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

Many of you have joined several hundreds of our partners in DIGGING DEEPER into God’s WORD. If you haven’t started the journey, I would love to send you the link for our Daily Bible Reading Plan.

And my guess is, that many of you have discovered that as you meet each day to dig, God’s is speaking to your heart in ways that you can’t even begin to imagine.

Dr, Henry Blackaby writes about the WORD OF GOD in his daily devotional, EXPERIENCING GOD — The Devotional:

Does God’s WORD ever cause you discomfort? When your read the Bible, does it make you uneasy? Do you find, when you listen to sermons, that the Scripture seems aimed directly at you? You are experiencing the reality that the Word of God is ALIVE and can read your THOUGHTS and judge your INTENTIONS.

When God’s Word speaks to you it is always for a purpose. God knows YOUR heart, and knows what YOU need to do to bring your life into conformity to Christ. If you have a problem with sinful talk, the word that comes to you will address the tongue. If you are struggling to forgive, God’s WORD will confront you with His standard of forgiveness. If pride is a stronghold in your life, God’s WORD will speak to you about humility. Whatever sin needs addressing, you will find you are confronted by God’s WORD on the matter.

One way you can escape the discomfort of conviction is to avoid hearing God speak to you. You may neglect your reading your Bible and stay away from places where it is taught. You may avoid those whom you know will uphold the truths of Scripture. The best response, however, is to pray as the psalmist did: “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23). Regularly allow the Word of God to wash over you and find any sin and impurity (Ephesians 5:26).

Always make the connection between your life and what God is saying to you through HIS WORD. Make a habit of taking every word from God seriously, knowing that it is able to judge your heart and mind.

Brothers — I encourage you … stick with it. DIGGING DEEPER IS WORTH IT! Allow God’s WORD to speak to YOUR heart today! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 15; Genesis 36-38; Matthew 10:21-42

DIG THIS QUOTE: None of us wants to admit that we hate someone… When we deny our hate we detour around the crisis of forgiveness. We suppress our spite, make adjustments, and make believe we are too good to be hateful. But the truth is that we do not dare to risk admitting the hate we feel because we do not dare to risk forgiving the person we hate. Lewis B. Smedes

DETERMINED DIGGING: Level 1 — Deut. 31:8 Level 2 — Psalm 1

When God is Irrelevant

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When God is Irrelevant

“Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

Yesterday I shared a devotional from Henry Blackaby on sowing seeds of righteousness. On the same day, I read this devotional from the pen of Dr. Jerry Bridges, and it was a powerful follow-up that I believe will cause you to think this morning about the issues that we might be dealing with that have become known as “acceptable” sins:

When I talk about specific areas of our subtle “acceptable” sins, one comment I often hear is that pride is their root cause. While I agree that pride plays a major role, I believe there is another sin even more basic, more widespread, and more apt to be the root cause of other sins. It’s the sin of ungodliness, of which we’re all guilty to some degree.

We don’t think of ourselves as ungodly. After all, we’re Christians, not atheists or wicked people. How can I say that we believers are all, to some extent, ungodly?

UNGODLINESS may be defined as living one’s every day life with little or no thought of God, God’s will, God’s glory, or our dependence on God. You can readily see that someone can lead a respectable life and still be ungodly in the sense that God is essentially irrelevant in his or her life.

The sad fact is that many of us believers tend to live our daily lives with little or no thought of God. We may read our Bibles and pray at the beginning of each day, but then go out into the day’s activities and basically live as though God doesn’t exist. We seldom think of our dependence on God or our responsibility to Him. We might go for hours with no thought of God at all. I believe that all our other acceptable sins can ultimately be traced to this root sin of ungodliness. Ungodliness ultimately give life to our more visible sins.

Pray that God will make you more conscious of the face that you live every moment of every day under His all-seeing eye, knowing that He sees your every deed, hears your every word, and knows your every thought. (Dr. Jerry Bridges from Respectable Sins — NavPress)

Good message to ponder this morning, brothers. Allow this to work its way into your heart and mind. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 14; Genesis 33-35; Matthew 10:1-20

DIG THIS QUOTE: Let the reader … carefully remember, that grace is either absolutely free, or it is not at all; and, that he who professes to look for salvation either by grace, either believes in his heart to be saved entirely by it, or he acts inconsistently in affairs of the greatest importance. – Abraham Booth (1734-1806)

Determined Digging: Level 1 — Deut. 31:8 Level 2 — Psalm 1

Sowing Seeds of Righteousness

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Sowing Seeds of Righteousness

“But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.” Proverbs 11:18b

I am really looking forward to spring … this has been such a warm winter because of global warming!!! Be that as it may … I love the spring and look forward to beginning my garden. It is great therapy for me. I love to plant seeds and see the results.

Today’s devotional written by Dr. Henry Blackaby was a good one for me, and I encourage you to digest it today for your life as well …

There are many ways to invest our lives, but none offers greater reward than devoting ourselves to the pursuit of righteousness. Every area of our lives should reflect the holiness of God that is ours by salvation:

— our thoughts, so that nothing we think about would be inappropriate for a child of God

— our actions, so that our lives demonstrate that we serve a holy God

— our integrity, so that we are above reproach in all our relationships.

Are you taking God’s righteousness in your life for granted? Righteousness is something you must allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life. Instead of sowing holy thoughts, are you allowing evil and sinful thoughts to grow in your mind? Are you allowing lust to grow unchecked within you? Does enmity, bitterness, jealousy or unforgiveness remain in your life? Jesus said if we seek first God and HIS righteousness, everything else will follow (Matthew 6:33).

There is great reward in sowing righteousness. What are you presently doing to plant holiness in your life? (1 Peter 1:15) How are you putting righteousness in your mind so that your thoughts are holy? How are you cultivating righteousness in your relationships so that you maintain your integrity? Are you instilling righteousness in your activities so that your life is above reproach?

If you want to harvest righteousness in your life tomorrow, you must plant seeds of righteousness today. (from Experiencing God — The Devotional — Broadman and Holman)

Take some time to review the questions above. It will be a worthwhile exercise for you and me today. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

Join is for Men’s Fellowship tomorrow evening with Chaplain Jack Noel. Dinner at 6:15 PM followed by a great evening of praise and worship, and fun at the Activity Center. Call today for your reservations (732-350-1187)


DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 13; Genesis 31-31; Matthew 9:18-38

DIG THIS QUOTE: Perils as well as privileges attend the higher Christian life. The nearer we come to God, the thicker the hosts of darkness in heavenly places. The safe place lies in obedience to God’s Word, singleness of heart and holy vigilance. When Christians speak of standing in a place where they do not need to watch, they are in great danger. Let us walk in intimate and holy confidence, yet with holy, humble watchfulness. A. B. Simpson

DETERMINED DIGGING: Deuteronomy 31:8; Psalm 1

When God Speaks … It Is So

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When God Speaks … It Is So
“So shall My word be that goes from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
Today is a good day for me to ask the question … are you DIGGING DEEPER with me? How is it going? I would love to hear from you and to hear what God has been doing in your life since joining me on our journey into the study of God’s WORD.
His WORD is amazing. It always speaks to our hearts and is so relevant for the need of the day. When God speaks — it is so!
Listen to what Dr. Henry Blackaby reminds us about when God speaks …
When God speaks, NOTHING remains the same. At the beginning of time, God spoke, and a universe was created out of nothing. God followed a pattern when He created the earth; He spoke; it was so; it was good (Genesis 1:3-4). This pattern continued throughout the Bible.
Whenever God revealed His plans, things happened just as He said, and God considered the result “good” (Phil. 2:13). God doesn’t make suggestions. He speaks with the full determination to see that what He has said will come to fruition.
Whenever Jesus spoke, what He said came to pass:
* Lepers found that a word from Jesus meant healing (Luke 5:13; 17:14).
* The blind man discovered that a word from Jesus meant sight (Luke 18:42).
*Through a barren fig tree the disciples saw that a curse from Jesus meant destruction (Mark 11:20).
*The sinner experienced forgiveness through a word from Jesus (John 8:11).
*How many attempts did it take Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead? Only one (John 11:43).
There was NEVER a time that what Jesus said did not happen! What happens when Jesus speaks to you [and me]? Have you been reading the words of Jesus in your Bible without experiencing His word that transforms everything around you?
Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they assumed that knowledge of the written Scriptures would give them life. They were satisfied having the words instead of experiencing the person who spoke the words (John 5:39). How powerful a word from God is to your life! As you read your Bible and pray, listen to what God has to say to YOU and HIS will for YOUR life! (from EXPERIENCING GOD — THE DEVOTIONAL — Broadman and Holman)
Good reminder, today, brothers. Is God speaking to YOU today? — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK
Join us this Thursday night for our January Men’s Fellowship Night. Chaplain Jack Noel will be sharing God’s Word. Jack will be retiring this month after 18 years of service at America’s KESWICK. Come encourage Jack, and allow God to speak to YOUR heart. Dinner is at 6:15 PM followed by the program. Call today and make your reservation … and bring a friend! — 732-350-1187
DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 12; Genesis 29-30; Matthew 9:1-17
DIG THIS QUOTE: Whenever people do not base their lives on God’s revelation, they “cast off restraints.” That is, they do what is right in their own eyes. They set their goals, arrange their agendas, and then pray for God’s blessings. Some Christians are living far outside of the will of God, yet they have the audacity to pray and ask God to bless their efforts. – Henry Blackaby
DETERMINED DIGGING: Level 1 — Deuteronomy 31:8; Psalm 1

God Looks for Clay

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God Looks for Clay

“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!” Jeremiah 18:6
One of our favorite spots to visit when we see our kids in New Hampshire is a pottery factory. We have stood and watched as the craftsman picks up a hunk of clay, placing in on the wheel, and then forming with his bare hands a beautiful piece of pottery.
Sometimes it isn’t obvious what he is making. We think it is one thing, and it turns out to be something completely different. Quite the same with us. God sees us clay and He wants to mold and shape us into His image.
I love what Dr. Henry Blackaby says about clay in his daily devotional, EXPERIENCING GOD — THE DEVOTIONAL (Broadman):
God knows how to bring salvation to your family, your friends, your community, and your world. Accordingly, He looks for those who will allow HIM to shape them into instruments He requires to do His divine work. Clay has no plans of its own, no aspirations for service, nor reluctance to perform its given task. It is just clay. Moldable, pliable, totally submissive to the will of its master.
At times we are excited to announce to God: “I’ve discovered my strengths and gifts, and now I know how I can best serve You!” At other times we inform Him, “I am aware of what my weaknesses are, so I know which task I’m not capable of doing for You.”
Yet this is not characteristic of clay. God is not limited to working with our strengths (2 Cor. 12:9-10). He can mold us into whatever kind of instrument HE requires. When God’s assignment demands humility, He finds a servant willing to be humbled. When His work requires zeal, He looks for someone He can fill with His Spirit. God uses holy vessels, so He finds those who will allow Him to remove their impurities.
It is not a noble task being, clay. There is not glamour to it, nothing boast-worthy, except that it is exactly what almighty God is looking for. Compliant, moldable, yielded clay.
If your tendency is to TELL the Father what YOU can and cannot do for HIM, submit to HIS agenda, and allow HIM to shape YOU into the person HE wants YOU to be. Like clay!
So brothers, are we willing today to be “clay in the Potter’s hand” — compliant, moldable, yielded clay? — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 11; Genesis 27-28; Matthew 8:18-34
DIG THIS QUOTE: To the extent that you’re clinging to any vestiges of self-righteousness or putting confidence in your own spiritual attainments, to that degree you are not living by the grace of God in your life. – Jerry Bridges
DETERMINED DIGGING: Level 1 Deuteronomy 31:8; Level 2 — Psalm 1

Praise Him. Praise Him.

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Praise Him! Praise Him!

” … according to His excellent greatness!” Psalm 150:2

This past Thursday we had our monthly hymnsing and the focus was on the hymns written by the blind hymn writer, Fanny Crosby. This amazing lady who faced dozens of challenges in her life from physical afflictions to the loss of a spouse and child, wrote over 8000 hymns and gospel songs.

This morning as we think about the Lord’s Day — we have much to praise Him for as we think about HIM — our Audience of One!

May you be reminded of these powerful words, chocked full of doctrine and spiritual truth. Many of you have it memorized, and may be now singing it on “auto-pilot.” Take a few moments now to read through it, or yes, sing it … and think and meditate on the truths contained in this powerful hymn of praise …

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O earth; His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory;
Strength and honor give to HIS holy name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children;
In His arms He carries them all day long.

Refrain

Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness.
Praise Him! Praise Him, ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus our blessed Redeemer!
For OUR sins HE suffered and bled and died!
He, our Rock, our Hope of eternal salvation.
Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the crucified!
Sound HIS praises — Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus our blessed Redeemer!
Heavenly portals loud with hosannas ring.
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever.
Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet and Priest, and King!
Christ is coming, over the world victorious.
Power and glory until the Lord belong.

Lift up your hearts in praise, my brothers! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 10; Genesis 25-26; Matthew 8:1-17

DIG THIS QUOTE: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of Christians is a God of love and comfort, a God who fills the soul and heart of those whom he possesses, a God who makes them conscious of their inward wretchedness, and his infinite mercy; who unites himself to their inmost soul, who fills it with humility and joy, with confidence and love, who renders them incapable of any other end than himself. Blaise Pascal

DETERMINED DIGGING: Deuteronomy 31:8; Psalm 1