AN AGENT OF MIRACLES?

DATE: FRIDAY 24TH AUGUST 2018

THEME: AN AGENT OF MIRACLES?  

  

MEMORISE:

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:17-18

READ: Matthew 10:1-8

1And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

MESSAGE

We need to fully comprehend what our Lord meant when He said “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). More often than not, we think of giving as being limited to material things, and so we lose sight of the fact that we can also give spiritual blessings to others and make spiritual impact. The early apostles realized this truth and that was why Peter and John were not intimidated by their financial limitation (Acts 3:6). They gave from the spiritual deposits God placed in their lives. One of the attributes our Lord Jesus Christ bestowed upon His early disciples was the ability to perform miracles, and we should not be different. They were specifically commissioned by the Lord to go perform miracles. Matthew 10:7-8 says: 

“And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.”

It is a thing of unspeakable joy to receive a miracle. After I gave my life to Christ, the first notable benefit I received from God was victory over malaria that had hitherto plagued my life almost every month. The first month I did not fall sick was a month of celebration in my family. However, the joy of this cannot be compared to the joy I had the day the Lord first performed a miracle of healing through me. I almost jumped out of the window for joy when a dumb child spoke after I prayed for healing. Ever since then, the Lord has made this a continuous experience in my ministry. Countless miracles that may sound unbelievable have been performed by Him through our ministry. You cannot imagine the joy experienced by an agent of miracles, after God uses him or her to put smiles in the faces of several thousands of women who had been called barren. Many times, some my children would organize a dinner or luncheon for me, not only because they want to be generous to me, but because of the miracles that would follow from the encounter. I am full of joy when this happens. My prayer is that you also will become an agent of miracles today in Jesus’ Name. All you need to do is to surrender your life to Jesus and leave the rest to Him. He knows how He turned a fisherman into a fisher of men and an agent of miracles (Matthew 4:18-19, Acts 5:14-15). He also knows how He turned a person who was a danger to the Church into an apostle, whose apron could cast out demons (Acts 19:11-12). If you desire to graduate from being a consumer to an agent of performing miracles, He will fulfill the desire of your heart. Only believe!

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please make me a channel of blessings and miracles in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 57-63

Matthew 25:14-30

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 18: CONQUEROR AND OVERCOMERS NOW ARE WE

1. Conquerors and overcomers now are we,

Thro' the precious blood of Christ we've victory

If the Lord be for us we can never fail,

Nothing 'gainst His mighty power can e'er prevail.

Chorus

Conquerors are we, thr'o the blood of Jesus

God will give us victory, thro' the blood of Jesus

Through the Lamb for sinners slain,

Yet who lives and reigns again,

More than conquerors are we,

More than conquerors are we.

2. In the name of Israel's God we'll onward press,

Overcoming sin and all unrighteousness;

Not to us but unto Him the praise shall be,

For salvation and for blood bought victory.

3. Unto Him that overcometh shall be given,

Here to eat of hidden manna sent from Heaven,

Over yonder He the victors palm shall bear,

And a robe of white, and golden crown shall wear.

THE SACREDNESS OF LIFE

DATE: THURSDAY 23RD AUGUST 2018

THEME: THE SACREDNESS OF LIFE

MEMORISE:

Thou shalt not kill. Exodus 20:13

READ: Genesis 21:9-21

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.

12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

MESSAGE:

Life is very sacred to God. it is so sacred to Him that its sanctity is guaranteed in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:13). Our Lord Jesus Christ also emphasized the sanctity of life in Luke 9:56a, where He said:

 “ For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.”

As children of God, we must therefore, ensure that we uphold the sanctity of life, irrespective of the philosophy or ideals in vogue in the world.

Today’s Bible reading shows in vivid terms how precious life is to the Almighty, who is the Giver of life. Hagar and her son Ishmael had been ejected from the household of Abraham by God’s instruction, and with a limited provision of water they wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. When their water got finished, the child became so dehydrated that it cried for survival. At the brink of death, God heard the cry of the lad and He supernaturally provided a well of water for them in the midst of the wilderness. One would have thought that the circumstances surrounding the birth of Ishmael would have made him a total outcast in the sight of God. Instead of being an outcast, God heard his cry as the cry of an innocent lad, and this caused God to come to his rescue. God did not only save his life, he also made him an astonishing promise of greatness, saying in Genesis 21:18:

 “Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.”

One lesson from the story of Hagar and Ishmael is that while God was instructing their ejection, He was also preparing for their survival in the wilderness. Another lesson here is for those who abort unborn babies because they do not want them. Such people should know that they are making a grievous mistake against their own future and they are committing a grievous sin against the Giver of life. What they don’t seem to understand is that although they did not prepare for the pregnancy, God who saw what lead to the pregnancy has plans for the life they are bringing to the world, even though they may not know it. That life you do not cherish matters to God who made it, and for this reason, you must be careful about what you do to lives within your sphere of influence. Why take a life you did not and cannot create? Takers of life will not be guiltless before God. Therefore, in whatever form you are taking live, stop it today and cry to God for forgiveness. 

PRAYER POINT:

Father, in whatever way I have disregarded the sacredness of life, please forgive me and help me to appreciate lives around me as you do.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 51-56

Matthew 24:36-25:13

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 12: TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE 

1.Take my life and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in endless praise,

Let them flow in endless praise.

2.Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee,

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3.Take my voice and let me sing,

Always, only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee,

Filled with messages from Thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect and use

Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose,

Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee,

Ever, only, all for Thee.

PERFORMING BELOW POTENTIAL?

DATE: WEDNESDAY 22ND AUGUST 2018

THEME: PERFORMING BELOW POTENTIAL? 

  

MEMORISE:

I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth Ecclesiastes 10:7

READ: Proverb 6:4-11

4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

MESSAGE:

The preacher’s observation in today’s memory verse is worthy of our reflection. It is indeed an interesting sight to see servants promoted to the level of riding on horses; of course, God is more than able to do this for those who love Him. However, it is an evil thing when princes are relegated to the position of walking on foot as servants. For those who profess to be God’s special people, such a situation is an anomaly and must be avoided. It is practically the same as performing below potential. The pertinent question we should consider is how come those who should be served are now in servitude? Thankfully, our Bible reading does not only reveal the cause, it also reveals the cure.

Laziness is the root cause of performing below potential. Any prince caught in the web of laziness will not amount to anything in life. Instead, his or her inheritance will go to other hands that are diligent, because God’s principle set out in Proverbs 12:24 says:

 “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”

Poverty sends people to the field of servitude, and this is inevitable for the indolent. There is the story of two friends who went to the oracle to know their future. The seer turned to one of them and said, “Hail, the future king!” on hearing these words, he went away and began to celebrate himself as the future king, even though he was still in rags. The seer turned to the other man and said, “You will die in abject poverty.” He was dejected, but determined in his heart that he would fight to be successful, and so he went into the jungle and began to farm. After many years, he became prosperous, having plenty goods with male and female servants. A famine came to the town where his friend was living, still waiting for his “kingdom” to come. While searching for food, citizens of this town discovered the hardworking man and his abundance of supplies. They begged him to become their king, promising to serve him in exchange for food to survive the famine. That was how a man who was supposed to die in penury became a king. While an expectant “future king” remained poor for the rest of his life.

In conclusion, please note that diligence itself is time bound. There is time for everything under heaven. When some things are done belatedly, their purpose ends up being defeated. Our Bible text teaches about the ant, which provides food in the summer and gathers what it needs in harvest. What you do today determines what becomes of you in future. The cure for poor performance is proper preparation. For example, if your ambition is to become just a messenger, you don’t need a university education for that. However, if you desire to become a captain of industry, more often than not, you will need more than elementary education to achieve this. A word is enough for the wise.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, Lift me up above mediocrity, and grant me the grace to pay the price of good success. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 45-50

Matthew 24:15-35

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 4:  TRUST AND OBEY.

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

o Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,

But His smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,

But is blessed if we trust and obey.

4. But we never can prove the delights of His love

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;

What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;

Never fear, only trust and obey.

WAITING FOR THE APPOINTED TIME

DATE: TUESDAY 21ST AUGUST 2018

THEME:  WAITING FOR THE APPOINTED TIME.

MEMORISE:

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:3

READ: John 2:1-5

And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

MESSAGE:

One Christian virtue that is gradually disappearing from the lives of believers today is the virtue of waiting for God’s appointed time. The story in today’s Bible text reveals the necessity of following the divine time-table for all events, even if it involves waiting. There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and Jesus was invited there, together with His mother, Mary, and His disciples. While the ceremony was going on, they discovered that there was no more wine for people to drink. Mary came to Him and requested Him to do what only He could do. However, it was not yet time for this. Jesus’ response in John 2:4 reveals the importance of waiting for God’s appointed time:

 “……Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.”

Mary’s response was equally noteworthy. She agreed with Him that the hour had indeed not come; nevertheless, the celebrants’ need required attention. She instructed the servants of the house that when the hour had fully come, they should do whatsoever Jesus instructed (John 2:5). In obedience to her, these servants waited. Although we don’t know how long they waited on Jesus, we know that at the appointed time, He gave the instructions that put an end to the need at the feast. God will speak to your need today in Jesus’ Name.

There are lots of lessons to learn from the series of events that occurred at this marriage feast; first of which is that Mary’s instruction to the servants can be regarded as prophetic. She was confident that Jesus would do something about the situation. To avoid losing the miracle, she put the servants on notice to obey any command from Jesus. Another lesson for us is that Mary stopped worrying herself after she had taken the matter to the Ultimate Helper. Many children of God worry so much that they become incapacitated, even after a word of prophecy about their situation has gone forth. A fellow who met me during one of my prayer walks at the Redemption Camp, Nigeria, asked me to pray for him and I prophesy to him, saying “God bless you”. To my surprise, he still asked me to pray for him. I wondered in my heart what other prayer was greater that “God bless you”- a prayer of blessing with no limit. I prophesy to a reader of this devotional today: “God bless you”. May the Lord grant you the faith to receive this blessing in Jesus’ Name. The third lesson is that the expected miracle eventually came, even though they had to wait. This is the promise of God to a user of this devotional today: “All the pleasant prophesies that came to you before today shall come to pass at their appropriate time.” However, please do whatever God commands you to do. Be obedient to God’s word.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, I receive the fulfillment of all Your prophecies into my life today in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 40-44

Matthew 23:29-24:14

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 10: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE.

1. My faith looks up to Thee,

Thou Lamb of Calvary,

Savior divine!

Now hear me while I pray,

Take all my guilt away,

Oh, let me from this day

Be wholly Thine!

2. May Thy rich grace impart

Strength to my fainting heart,

My zeal inspire!

As Thou hast died for me,

Oh, may my love to Thee

Pure, warm, and changeless be,

A living fire!

3. While life’s dark maze I tread,

And griefs around me spread,

Be Thou my guide;

Bid darkness turn to day,

Wipe sorrow’s tears away,

Nor let me ever stray

From Thee aside.

When ends life’s transient dream,

When death’s cold, sullen stream

Shall o’er me roll;

Blest Savior, then in love,

Fear and distrust remove;

Oh, bear me safe above,

A ransomed soul!

BED UNDEFILED II

DATE: MONDAY 20TH AUGUST 2018

THEME: BED UNDEFILED II

MEMORISE:

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 1 Peter 3:7

READ: Malachi 2:13-17

13 And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

17 Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

MESSAGE

Apart from infidelity, one other way of defiling the matrimonial bed is through domestic violence. This can come from the man or the woman. God hates violence generally, but particularly despises it in marriage, and for this reason, He said in Malachi 2:16:

“For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.”

The breakdown of affection between married couples is a highly emotional issue with God, so much so that in today’s Bible reading, the tears, weeping and crying emanating from the agony of broken marriages made Him disregard the people’s worship, as we see in Malachi 2:13:

“And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.”

Many people don’t know that domestic violence particularly among married couples, is a great hindrance and stumbling block to their spiritual growth and blessing. This is the reason why the Holy Spirit sent these words to the Church in 1 Peter 3:7, saying:

“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

Violence, wife battering, husband battering and the likes directly offend the Almighty God. I have on many occasions told the story of a man whose only daughter was maltreated by her husband. This man hated his son-in-law so much that his hatred made him terribly sick. It was not until he forgave his son-in-law that he was able to recover from his sickness. This is how much domestic violence can destroy lives and families. Husbands, you are inviting the wrath of God upon your life when you maltreat the redeemed daughter of Zion you are privileged to have as wife. Note that in Malachi 2:16, when expressing how much He hates divorce and domestic violence, God used the Name He uses in combat. Therefore, stop defiling your bed with violence against your spouse, either physical violence or verbal violence. Wives should learn to submit to their husbands, irrespective of what the world thinks about this (Ephesians 5:22-23). Beloved, the truth is that unless we allow Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, to come into our marriages, the expected peace may continue to elude us. Therefore, I appeal to you to raise an alter of submission and corporate worship to the Lord Jesus Christ in your home, and you will begin to experience peace and prosperity in Jesus’ Name.

ACTION POINT:

Go to God in repentance for any form of violence you have introduced into your home.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 36-39

Matthew 23:1-28

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 17: GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES

1. God, give us christian homes!

Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,

Homes where the master’s

Will is sought,

Homes crowned with beauty thy love hath wrought;

God, give us christian homes;

God, give us christian homes!

2. God, give us christian homes!

Homes where the father is true and strong,

Homes that are free from the blight of wrong,

Homes that are joyous with love and song;

God, give us christian homes;

God, give us christian homes!

3. God, give us christian homes!

Homes where the mother, in queenly quest

Strive to show others thy way is best

Homes where the lord is an honoured guest;

God, give us christian homes;

God, give us christian homes!

4. God, give us christian homes!

Homes where the children are led to know

Christ in His beauty who loves them so,

Homes where the altar fires burn and glow;

God, give us christian homes;

God, give us christian homes!

Amen.

THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

DATE: SATURDAY 18TH AUGUST 2018

THEME: THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

MEMORISE:

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. Ecclesiastics 5:10

READ: 1 Timothy 6:6-11

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

MESSAGE 

Love can be very good if it is geared towards God and the things He approves of. However, love can be very dangerous if it tends towards the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye or the pride of life (1 John 2:15-16). One object we must never cast our affection on is money. In 1 Timothy 6:10, the Holy Spirit warns us of the dangers of falling in love with money, saying:

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many surrows.”

He went further to provide the antidote to the love of money, saying in 1Timothy 6:6-8:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”

Our memory verse says something very profound about the love of money. It warns that if we love silver, it will never satisfy us, and that it is vanity to be obsessed with accumulating wealth, such as houses, cars, landed property, laurels of all kinds, chieftaincy titles, degrees of all sort, etc. These are all vanity in the sense that they will never give satisfaction that our soul craves. Apart from that, we can also die at any time and leave everything behind, as seen in the story of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-20. It is therefore a great disservice to your peace and tranquility to love money or wealth. Based on his personal experience, Solomon spoke on this in Ecclesiastes 6:1-2, where he said:

“There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:  A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.”

Beloved, seek godliness with contentment, which can only be found in Jesus Christ. I encourage you to totally surrender your heart to Him, including that secret lust for money. The rat race for material things that will all fade away will only lead to frustration at the end of the day. However, having Jesus in your heart is a treasure that will never fade. Have you lost so much money or have you been disappointed financially, so much so that you are contemplating suicide? Please don’t do it! Jesus offers you abundant life, and it has provision and contentment in it. Reach out and receive it from Him today. 

PRAYER POINT:

Father, circumcise my heart and cause contentment to take firm root in it, in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 27-31

Matthew 22:1-22

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 9: THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

1. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,

The emblem of suff’ring and shame;

And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best

For a world of lost sinners was slain.

o Refrain:

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,

Till my trophies at last I lay down;

I will cling to the old rugged cross,

And exchange it someday for a crown.

2. Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,

Has a wondrous attraction for me;

For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above

To bear it to dark Calvary.

3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,

A wondrous beauty I see,

For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,

To pardon and sanctify me.

4. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;

Its shame and reproach gladly bear;

Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away,

Where His glory forever I’ll share.