If you’re facing a terrible trial, by all means
pray that if it is God’s will, He’ll remove it. But once you’ve prayed, leave
the trial with him and be willing to take up your cross and follow
Jesus down the hard path - it’s the example our Lord Jesus gave to you and me
Joni
and Friends
When in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus fell to His knees and
prayed,“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as
I will, but as you will.”
Jesus was asking
to not have to face the cross.
Moments later,
though, when the soldiers came to arrest Him, Jesus did not resist.
He said to Peter; “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink
the cup the Father has given me?”
Did you get
that? Jesus’ mindset was to no longer avoid the
cross if possible; no, now,
He was ready to
unflinchingly embrace the
cross.
That should
speak to us.
If you’re facing
a terrible trial, by all means pray that if it is God’s will, He’ll remove it.
But once you’ve
prayed, leave the trial with him and be willing to take up your cross and follow Jesus
down the hard path.
It’s the example
our Lord Jesus gave to you and me.
We
share the hope of the Gospel and give practical help to people impacted by
disability. We've been changing the church and communities around the globe for
the past 40 years.
And I love that old cross where the dearest
and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
*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 some day for a crown.
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.
*Refrain
In the old rugged cross, stained with blood
so divine
Such a wonderful beauty I see
For 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered
and died
To pardon and sanctify me.
*Refrain
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.
*Refrain
The
History Behind "The Old Rugged Cross"
by
Eric Wyse
The
year was 1912 and George Bennard, an evangelist traveling throughout the
Midwest, was heckled incessantly by several youth at a revival meeting in
Michigan.
A
Vision, a Melody and the Completion of the First Verse
Troubled
by their disregard for the gospel, Bennard turned to Scripture to reflect on
the work of Christ on the cross. He later recalled, "I seemed to have a
vision ... . I saw the Christ and the cross inseparable."
The
melody came easily, and the first verse was completed by Bennard during a
series of meetings in Albion, Michigan.
Several
months later, the remaining three verses were completed in Pokagon, Michigan,
where Bennard was leading meetings at a local church.
The
First Performance of the Hymn
After
completing the hymn, he performed the song in its entirety for the sponsoring
pastor and his wife, Rev. Leroy and Ruby Bostwick, in the living room of the
parsonage. The Bostwicks were moved to tears and incorporated the song in the
revival service on June 7, 1913.
First,
Bennard sang his hymn with guitar accompaniment, and then a five-voice choir
sang with organ and violin accompaniment.
Today,
that same church building, originally a hops barn, is owned by the non-profit
Old Rugged Cross Foundation and welcomes thousands of visitors annually.
The
hymn quickly spread throughout the region and came to the attention of the
evangelist Billy Sunday, who frequently utilized it in his meetings. Two years
later, Bennard sold the copyright to the song for a payment of $500, forgoing
future royalties. Upon the renewal of the copyright 28 years later, he received
a final payment of $5,000.
George
Bennard: The Early Years
Bennard
was born in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1873 and spent his childhood in Iowa. His father
was a tavern owner and later, a coal miner. Bennard's conversion at the age of
22 through the evangelistic ministry of the Salvation Army in Canton, Iowa, led
to his ordination and commissioning as a traveling evangelist in 1898.
In
1910, stepping out in faith, Bennard resigned and began his own itinerant
ministry. He traveled throughout the Midwest, holding revivals until his
retirement in Reed City, Michigan, more than 30 years later.
Loved
for its lilting melody and words of personal trust in the cross of Christ,
"The Old Rugged Cross" remains one of the most cherished hymns of the
Christian faith. It has since been included in numerous hymnals and recordings
by contemporary artists.
1 I hear the Savior say, "Thy strength indeed is small, Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all."
Refrain: Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
2Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow'r and Thine alone, Can change the leper's spots And melt the heart of stone.
[Refrain]
3For nothing good have I Where-by Thy grace to claim; I'll wash my garments white In the blood of Calv'ry's Lamb.
[Refrain]
4And when, before the throne, I stand in Him complete, "Jesus died my soul to save," My lips shall still repeat.
[Refrain]
. . . to view the Story Behind “Jesus Paid It All”
Author: Elvina M. Hall
Hall, Elvina Mable, was born at Alexandria,
Virginia, in 1818; and was married, first to Mr. Richard Hall, and then, in
1885, to the Rev. Thomas Myers. Her hymn, "I hear the Saviour say"
(Christ All and in All), in I. D. Sankey's Sacred Songs and Solos, 1878, is
somewhat popular in Great Britain and America. It was "written on the
fly-leaf of the New Lute of Zion, in the choir of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, Baltimore, in the spring of 1865." hymnary.org
When in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus fell to His knees and
prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as
I will, but as you will.”
That should
speak to us.
