A Psalm of Praise and Exaltation

"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
 Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation."
~ Psalm 95:1 ~

"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, 
And all the host of them by the breath 
of His mouth,
He gathers the waters of the sea 
together as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the
world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
The Lord brings the counsel of 
the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, 
The plans of His heart to all generations."
~ Psalm 33:6-11 ~

Fall down on your faces with humble adoration,

Giving glory to the King of kings!

Praise the Almighty all you nations!
Give tongue to His power and might!

All creatures live in awe of the Holy One,
The Ocean storms and the raging wind cease 
at the sound of His voice,
By the Lord's will kings rise and fall,
All is done by Him,
And not happens without His doing,  
The Lord shows mercy to those who fear Him,

In everything God's marvelous works are shown
from generation to generation!
Amen

A Psalm By  L. C. Bryan

Why I started this blog...

Some of you might wonder, "why did she name her blog 'The Opportunity"? Well, it all started with this poem and others like it.
Opportunity
By Edward R. Still
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:-
There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields,
A prince’s banner wavered, then staggered backward hemmed by foes.
A craven hung along the battle’s edge,
And thought, “Had I a sword of keener steel –
That blue blade that the king’s son bears– but this
Blunt thing!”– he snapped and flung it from his hand.
And lowering crept away and left the field.
Then came the king’s son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout
Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.

After I had read this I thought about how much we have changed from the way in which the Reformers and Puritans lived. How we have strayed so far from having that straight line drawn between right and wrong, godly and sinful. We, as Christians, should stand up for our faith, not run when the battle gets hard or looks like we will loose! What kind of example are we to the world if we just shrug our shoulders and say "we'll just live and let live"? Did Christ do that when He spoke to the Pharisees? No, very much the opposite. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Matthew 23:27

So what then should we do as His ambassadors? 

For myself I enjoy writing and talking about issues and at times a bit too much. So I chose to have a blog where I can share what God has put on my hear. I hope this blog is an encouragement and exhorts you in your God given roles. Please feel free to leave a note or thought. Is there something that you disagree with or something that you would like to hear my opinion on? I'd love to hear from you!

I hope you all enjoy my Opportunity. 

Lay Hold of Christ

By L. C. Bryan

 Laying down our sins at His feet

 Aiming for Christ's higher calling
 Yielding to whatever He wills us to do.
        
 Honoring His holy name all life long
 Over all things God's word is truth
 Leaving all the world's lusts behind
 Delighting always in God's glory and power.
                                         
 Offering up praise to the Holy One
 Forever laying aside wanton pleasures.
                           
 Chosen from the beginning of time
 His word we are to spread throughout the world
 Rejoicing through all adversity in Him who concord death
 Irresistible grace while still dead in sin
 Sustained by the blood of the Lamb
 Taking all our sins to the cross.

What Is The World To Me? By Georg M. Pfefferkorn

VS.

What is the world to me,

With all its vaunted pleasure

When Thou, and Thou alone,

Lord Jesus, art my Treasure!

Thou only, dearest Lord,

My soul’s Delight shalt be;

Thou art my Peace, my Rest—

What is the world to me?

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

My body also will rest secure...

You have made known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Psalm 16:9, 11

The world is like a cloud

And like a vapor fleeting,

A shadow that declines,

Swift to its end retreating.

My Jesus doth abide,

Though all things fade and flee;

My everlasting Rock—

What is the world to me?

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens,

And look on the earth beneath.

For the heavens will vanish away like smoke,

The earth will grow old like a garment,

And those who dwell in it will die in like manner;

But My salvation will be forever,

And My righteousness will not be abolished."

Isaiah 51:6

The world seeks to be praised

And honored by the mighty,
Yet never once reflects
That they are frail and flighty.
But what I truly prize
Above all things is He,
My Jesus, He alone—
What is the world to me?

"All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever."
Isaiah 40:6-8

The world seeks after wealth

And all that Mammon offers,

Yet never is content

Though gold should fill it coffers.

I have a higher good,

Content with it I’ll be:

My Jesus is my Wealth—

What is the world to me?

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:19-21

The world is sorely grieved

Whenever it is slighted

Or when its hollow fame

And honor have been blighted.

Christ, Thy reproach I bear

Long as it pleaseth Thee;

I’m honored by my Lord—

What is the world to me?

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."

John 15:18-19

The world with wanton pride

Exalts its sinful pleasures

And for them foolishly

Gives up the heavenly treasures.

Let others love the world

With all its vanity;

I love the Lord, my God—

What is the world to me?

"But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."

Hebrews 11:13

The world abideth not;

Lo, like a flash ’twill vanish;

With all it gorgeous pomp

Pale death it cannot banish;

Its riches pass away,

And all its joys must flee;

But Jesus doth abide—

What is the world to me?

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."

1 John 2:15-17

What is the world to me?
My Jesus is my Treasure,
My Life, my Health, my Wealth,
My Friend, my Love, my Pleasure,
My Joy, my Crown, my All,
My Bliss eternally.
Once more, then, I declare—
What is the world to me?

"Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved."
Psalm 62:1-2

"He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen."

1 Timothy 6:11

Celebration of God's Mercy and Forgiveness

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it...

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

John 1:1-5,11-13

His Wounds, Our Cure

Matthew Hale

The Prince of Darkness, flushed with vict'ry

In our first parents' first apostasy,

Usurped a lawless sovereignty on man,

Revolted thus from his first Sovereign.

And though by that apostasy he found,

Under the chains of death, his vassal bound,

Yet to secure his empire, he overspread

The world with darkness, and thereby did lead

His captives as he please. Thus he bears

His rule usurped near four thousand years;

Except some small confined plantation,

within a family or nation.

But now to put a period to this reign

Of this usurper, and reduce again

Man to his just subjection, 'tis decreed

That man from this subjection shall be freed.

And this not by the absolute command

Of an immediate pow'r, nor shall the bands

Of angels, glorious hosts, engaged be

To rescue man from this captivity.

But God an unsuspected means intends,

And yet most suitable unto this end.

Sin stained our nature, and the serpent's wile

Did man of innocence and life beguile;

By man his head is crushed; the lawful Lord

Unto His creature man to his life restored;

A virgin's Son is born; this rising sun

The world's enthralling darkness overruns.

A Child to us is born, whose innocence

Our nature's spot and stain doth purge and cleanse;

His wounds, our cure; His bonds, our liberty;

His death becomes our life, our victory.

"But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

Philippians 2:7-11

Puritan Poetry

The Puritans have been poorly portrayed as stern, legalistic, and in general an over bearing group. But in reality a more God honoring people there never was. The poetry that came from them is amazing! I was lent this book for some research and found it to be treasure trove!

Here is a couple of poems that show how fully they trusted in God as their Lord and Master. I hope these poems inspire you to look more fully to God as the merciful, gracious Saviour that He is.

Election - Sovereign and Free

Behold the potter and the clay,

He forms His vessels as He please;

Such is our God, and such are we,

The subjects of His high decrees.

Doth not the workman's power extend

Over all the mass, which part to choose

And mold it for a nobler end,

And which to leave for viler use?

May not the sovereign Lord on high

Dispense His favors as He will,

choose some to life, while others die,

And yet be just and gracious still?

What if , to make His terror known,

He lets His patience long endure,

Suff'ring vile rebels to go on,

And seal their own destruction sure?

What if He means to show His grace,

And His electing love employs

To mark out some of mortal race,

And form them fit for heav'nly joys?

Shall man rely against the Lord,

And call his Maker's ways unjust,

The thunder of whose dreadful word

Can crush a thousand worlds to dust?

But, O my soul, if truths so bright

Should dazzle and confound thy sight,

Yet still His written will obey,

And wait the great decisive day.

Then shall He make His justice known,

And the whole world before His throne

With joy or terror shall confess

The glory of His righteousness.

Isaac Watts

From The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts

The Glorious Gospel of the Blessed God

What wisdom, majesty, and grace,

Through all the gospel shine!

'Tis God that speaks, and we confess

The doctrine most divine.

Down from His starry throne on high,

The almighty Savior comes;

Lays His bright robes of glory by,

And feeble flesh assumes.

The mighty debt that sinners owed,

Upon the cross He pays;

Then through the clouds ascends to God,

'Mid shouts of loftiest praise.

There He, our great High Priest, appears

Before His Father's throne;

Mingles His merits with our tears,

And pours salvation down.

Great God, with reverence we adore

Thy justice and Thy grace;

And on Thy faithfulness and pow'r

Our firm dependence place.

Samuel Stennett

From The Works of Samuel Stennett, D.D.

The Higher Will

By Edgar A. Guest

There is much we cannot see.

There is much we cannot know.

Why the sorrow has to be?

Why the heart must suffer so?

But faith blossoms out of pain

As the flowers after rain.

If God granted every prayer,

Made the will of man supreme,

Then more terribly unfair

Would the hurts and sorrows seem.

By the good allowed to me

Countless others wronged might be.

Falty judgment ours at best,

Since so much we cannot know.

None has ever rightly guessed

Whether good or ill the blow.

To grant all for which we plead

Might to greater sorrow lead.

Since we cannot understand

Why the disappointments fall,

For what purpose they are planned,

Faith must strengthen one and all,

Trusting God's will rather than

The self-serving will of man.

Be Strong!

Maltbie Davenport Babcock

Be Strong!
We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;
We have hard work to do, and loads to lift;
Shun not the struggle - face it; 'ts God's gift.

Be Strong!
Say not,"The days are evil. Who's to blame?"
And fold the hands and acquiesce - oh shame!
Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God's name.

Be Strong!
It matters not how deep intrenched the wrong,
How hard the battle goes, the day how long;
Faint not - fight on! To-marrow comes the song.

The Old-Time Family By Edgar A. Guest

It makes me smile to hear ‘em tell each other nowadays
The burdens they are bearing with a child or two to raise.
Of course the cost of living has gone soaring to the sky
And our kids are wearing garments that my parents couldn’t buy.
Now my father wasn’t wealthy, but I never heard him squeal
Because eight of us ere sitting at the table every meal.

People fancy they are martyrs if their children number three,
And four or five they reckon make a large sized family.
A dozen hungry youngsters at a table I have seen,
And their daddy didn’t grumble when they licked the platter clean.
Oh I wonder how these mothers and these fathers up-to-date
Would like the job of buying little shoes for seven or eight.

We were eight about the table in those happy days back then,
Eight that cleaned our plates of pot pie and then passed them up again;
Eight that needed shoes and stockings; eight to wash and put to bed,
And with mighty little money in the purse, as I have said,
But with all the care we brought them, and through all the days of stress,
I never heard my father or my mother wish for less.

Happy Memorial Day!

Show The Flag
By Edgar A. Guest

Show the flag and let it wave
As a symbol of the brave;
Let it float upon the breeze
As a sign for each who sees
That beneath it, where it rides,

Show the flag and signify
That it wasn’t born to die;
Let its colors speak for you
True in sight of God and man
To the work that flag began.

Show the flag that all may see
That you serve humanity.
Let it whisper to the breeze
That comes singing through the trees
That whatever storms descend
You’ll be faithful to the end.

Show the flag and let it fly,
Cheering every passer-by-
Men that may have stepped aside,
May have lost their old-time pride,
May behold it there, and then
Consecrate themselves again.

Show the flag! The day is gone
When men blindly hurry on
Serving only gods of gold;
Now the spirit that was cold
Warms again to courage fine.
Show the flag and fall in line!

The Reply To Gray's Elegy

Before you read this I wanted to explain who this man was. He was a teacher who discovered a why to teach geography to children by doing rhymes and poetry.

We have been researching our heritage from Ireland to peasant-day and through that research we found Needham Bryan Cobb. Not long after we found a book that he had writen on the geology of North Carolina! At the end of which contained a few poems of his Christian faith! I hope you enjoy this one.

Reply To Gray’s Elegy

By Needham Bryan Cobb
Shelby, N.C., August 29, 1871

The Unseen Rose – The Hidden Gem

Thoughts suggested by reading the following lines in “Gray’s Elegy in a Country Churchyard:”

“Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathomed caves of the ocean bear,
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.”

No Flower on earth “is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air,”
No ocean “gem of purest ray serene”
Is planted in the deep to perish there.

The eye of Man may ne’er behold that gem
“The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear,”
His keenest sense ne’er note the sweet perfume
That rose distills upon the desert air.

Still not one sparkle of that gem is lost;
And not one breath of fragrance from the rose,
For round about them are a countless host
Who in their splendor revel or repose.

Those “dark unfathomed caves” of ocean’s deep
Are not so dark as poets sometimes write;
There myriads, moving, mingling monsters creep,
And doubtless to them all that gem is bright.

With the caverns of the grains of sand
That lie around that desert rose’s feet,
A thousand living things, fed by God’s hand,
Find joyous homes. To them that rose is sweet.

But still, if not a creature wandered where
That rose is blooming, or that gem is laid,
The great Creator, God, who placed them there,
Would take delight in works His hands have made.

Think not thy worth and work are all unknown,
Because no partial penman paint thy praise.
Man my not see nor mind; but God will own
Thy worth and work, thy thoughts and words and ways.

The desert rose, though never seen by man,
Is nurtured with a care divinely good.
The ocean gem, though ‘neath the rolling main,
Is ever brilliant in the eyes of God.

A Story Of Old

A Story of Old
By Leanne C. Bryan

The King of kings came down,
He who ruled over all,
Creator of creature great and small,
Coming down from heaven above,
From God to child He changed,
Born of a virgin; sinners to be saved,

The Shepard of shepherds He is,
To the cross He must go,
Fulfilling the prophecies
First he must be brought low,
On that rugged cross he died,
Saving sinners like you and I,
The third day He arose,
Bringing joy, peace and repose.

To all who trust in Him alone
Giving them the right of heaven to go,
A home to make to heaven He went,
Till our time on earth is spent,
Bringing our children up in His ways,
For Godly men and women to be,
Taking the stand against tyranny,
Walking the straight and narrow
With Christ as their guide
They’ll stand against the worlds crushing tide.

As the shepherd guards his sheep
In this poem you did see,
The hardships and trials of Christ,
For He was brought low for us to meet,
Our Friend and Protector,
Our King and Sustainer.

This poem has no end,
The Story of old
Will forever be told,
Until His return,
When we are called home.

Merry Christmas!

Bethlehem
By Edgar A. Geust

No doubt they thought in Bethlehem
The world would never hear of them,
They had an inn where sometimes stayed
The wondering caravans of trade,
And near it was a stable kept
Wherein at night the cattle slept;
But last to splendor and renown,
Theirs was alittle wayside town.

On night a man and woman worn
Asked to be sheltered till the morn.
The keeper of the inn replied:
"My ecery room is occupied.

There is no space that I can spare."
The man said: "We must rest somewhere,
What of the stable, yonder, sir?
Ther I can make a bed for her."

"Yes," said the keeper, "go ahead!
Tos down some straw and make a bed."
No doubt he was surprosed at morn
To hear a baby had been born,
And shepherds wandering from afar,
Guided to Bethlehem by a star,
Had come the little child to see,
As if important He could be.

The caravans of trade moved on,
The grat officials soon were gone.
Nor did it once occour to them
That fame had come to Bethlehem.
The poor innkeeper never knew
He should be long remembered, too,
Because on that first Christmas morn
'Twas in his stable Christ was born.