Sincerity

To the One who chooses us to be his,

The one who you choose and call to yourself is so blessed.
With you is found mercy, redemption, assurance, forgiveness;
You have lifted me, a prisoner, out of the pit of sin
   and declared my release from that jail
      not only in the courts of heaven,
      but also in my heart of hearts;
   You have pronounced me "not guilty" simply because I put my trust in you,
      you have made peace between me and yourself
   and you have caused me to enjoy glorious freedom as your child.
Save me from the false hope of thinking I am something when I'm not;
May I never suppose I am in Christ
      unless I see change in my life as a new creation,
   never think I am spiritually reborn
      unless I heed the things of your Spirit,
   never rest satisfied with professions of my belief
      and outward practices and services,
         while my heart is not right with you.
May I measure my sincerity of my faith
   by my fear to offend you,
   my concern to follow your will,
   my willingness to say no to myself.
May nothing cause me to forget of your glory,
   or turn aside from your commands,
   or shake my confidence in your promises,
   or offend you children.
Please don't let my temporary pursuits hurt my spiritual goals
   or the cares of my life make me neglect the one thing that is most needed.
May I not be inattentive to the design of your dealings with me,
   or unaware of your rebukes
   or unresponsive to your calls.
May I learn the holy art of resting in you,
   of being in the world and not of it,
   of structuring everything in my life to be not only consistent with my profession of belief
      but helpful to it.

Calvary's Anthem

Heavenly Father,

You have led me singing to the cross where I fling down all my burdens
      and see them vanish
   where my mountains of guilt are flattened to a plain
   where my sins disappear, even though they are the worst ones in the world,
      are are more in number than the grains of fine sand;

For there is power in the blood of Calvary
   to destroy sins too numerous to count
      even if it were committed by one of the choir of heaven.
You have given me a hill-side spring
      that washes clear and white,
         and I go as a sinner to its waters
            bathing without restraint
               in its crystal streams.

At the cross there is free forgiveness
      for poor and meek ones,
   and ample blessings that last forever;
The blood of the Lamb is like a great river
      of infinite grace
   with never any diminishing of its fullness
      as thirsty ones without number drink of it.

O Lord, forever will your free forgiveness live
   that was gained on the mount of blood;
In the midst of a world of pain
   it is a subject for praise in every place,
      a song on earth, and anthem in heaven,
         its love and virtue knowing no end.
I have a longing for the world above
   where multitudes sing the great song,
   for my soul was never created to love the dust of the earth.
Though here my spiritual state is frail and poor,
   I shall go on singing Calvary's anthem.
May I always know
   that a clean heart full of goodness
      is more beautiful than the lily,
   that only a clean heart can sing by night
      and by day,
   that such a heart is mine when I abide
      at Calvary.

The Grace of the Cross

O my Savior,

I thank you from the depths of my being for your wondrous grace and love,
   in bearing my sin in your own body on the tree.
I pray that your cross may be to me
   as the tree that sweetens my bitterness,
   as the rod that blossoms with life and beauty,
   as the bronze serpent that calls for the look of faith.
By your cross crucify my every sin;
Please use it to increase my intimacy with you;
Make it the ground of all my comfort,
   the liveliness of all my duties,
   the sum of all your gospel promises,
   the comfort of all my afflictions,
   the vigor of my love, thankfulness, graces,
   the very essence of my faith walk
And by it give me that rest without rest,
   the rest of ceaseless praise.
You have also chosen a cross for me to take up and carry,
   a cross before you give me a crown.
You have chosen it to be my portion,
   but my selfish love hates this cross
      my sinful mind doesn't accept it;
   without the grace of patience I can't bear it,
      or walk with it, or benefit from it.
O blessed cross, what mercies you bring with you!
You are only counted as hateful by my rebel will,
   and only heavy because I refuse to bear your weight.
Teach me, gracious Lord and Savior,
   that along with my my cross of suffering you send promised grace
      so that I can bear it patiently,
   that my cross is your yoke which is easy,
      and your burden which is light.