For God Alone

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  (Galatians 5:22-23) Recently, our son and I were driving and saw a sticker attached to the gas cover of the car next to us at a stop light. The sticker read: KINDNESS MATTERS. Years ago, we sang a song based on Proverbs 17:17 to children in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, A Friend Loveth at All Times. A friend loveth at all times, when things are good or bad; A friend loveth at all times, rejoiceth when we’re glad. A friend helpeth in trouble, a friend is always true; A friend loveth at all times, a friend I’ll be to you! Margaret Hammon Songs for Children, Broadman Press, 1950 The Scriptures are chock full of verses regarding kindness: Love is patient and kind … (1 Corinthians 13:4a) A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.  (Proverbs 11:17) N...

Thomas W. Hunt (1929-2014) taught music and missions, and music in worship, at Southwestern Seminary’s School of Church Music from 1963-1987, and it was God’s gracious blessing for me to study with this faithful man of God. (T. W. Hunt authored several books, including The Mind of Christ.) One day, Dr. Hunt walked into class - a bit late, as was his usual custom, placed his large stack of books on the piano, turned to his full class, and said: The Lord awakened me early this morning and placed the following stanza on my heart: Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by thy help I’m come, And I hope by thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.* Then, our humble, yet deeply profound professor who was a devoted man of prayer said: I struggle with these words: prone to wander Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. After guiding his studen...