Friday, July 16, 2010

Lost Hymn of the week: "What if it were today?"

Jesus is coming to earth again; what if it were today?
Coming in power and love to reign; what if it were today?
Coming to claim His chosen Bride, all the redeemed and purified,
Over this whole earth scattered wide; what if it were today?

Refrain

Glory, glory! Joy to my heart ’twill bring.
Glory, glory! When we shall crown Him King.
Glory, glory! Haste to prepare the way;
Glory, glory! Jesus will come some day.

Satan’s dominion will then be o’er, O that it were today!
Sorrow and sighing shall be no more, O that it were today!
Then shall the dead in Christ arise, caught up to meet Him in the skies,
When shall these glories meet our eyes? What if it were today?

Refrain

Faithful and true would He find us here if He should come today?
Watching in gladness and not in fear, if He should come today?
Signs of His coming multiply; morning light breaks in eastern sky.
Watch, for the time is drawing nigh; what if it were today?

Lei­la N. Mor­ris

2 comments:

Ike said...

Does discipleship mean deploying God’s missiles against the enemy in righteous indignation? Or does discipleship mean following him on the Calvary road which leads to suffering and death? The answer of the whole New Testament is this... the surprise about Jesus the Messiah is that he came to live a life of sacrificial... dying service before he comes a second time to reign in glory. And the surprise about discipleship is that it demands a life of sacrificial... dying service before we can reign with Christ in glory.

What James and John had to learn...what we all must learn....is that Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem is our journey... and if he set his face to go there and die... we must set our face to die with him. One might be tempted to reason in just the opposite way... that since Jesus suffered so much and died in our place... therefore... we are free to go straight to the head of the class.. as it were... and skip all the exams. He suffered so we could have comfort. He died so we could live. He bore abuse so we could be esteemed. He gave up the treasures of heaven so we could lay up treasures on earth. He brought the kingdom and paid for our entrance and now we live in it with all its earthly privileges. But all this is not biblical reasoning.... Luke 9:23, 24 reads: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.” When Jesus set his face to walk the Calvary road.. he was not merely taking our place... he was setting our pattern. He is substitute and pacesetter. If we seek to secure our life through returning evil for evil or surrounding ourselves with luxury in the face of human need... we will lose our life. We can save our life only if we follow Christ on the Calvary road. Jesus died to save us from the power and punishment of sin.. not from the suffering and sacrifices of simplicity for love’s sake.

Wayne...I'm an old man with many wasted years and regrets in my life. I can't go back.. but by His grace...I can finish well. You are a youngster....I pray that you will keep pressing on.. and have a full life...."real" life.. of being His faithful servant.

robert said...

Greetings from Wordwise Hymns. Not sure what you mean by calling Lelia Morris's hymn "lost." :-)

If you mean that it's not used any more, I guess that depends on the particular congregation, and the hymn book they use (if they use one!) In the circles in which I move, and churches I preach in, the song remains in our repertoire, an exuberant reminder that the Lord is coming soon.