Tag: hymn

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HOPEFUL or HOPELESS: HOPE RIGHTLY PLACED

Hope is a good thing. Hope is a needed thing, but it matters in whom or what my hope is placed. I believe it makes all the difference in the world.

Hope misplaced is, well, hopeless. Hope rightly placed results in whatever — or Whomever — hoped for being reached or received.

If my hope lies in something or someone false or even non-existent, will I receive that for which I hope? Of course not! My hope must lie in that which has the ability or capability to fulfill my hope. My hope must be rightly placed.

Perhaps the saddest thing in life is being hopeless. To live without hope is hardly living at all. Hopelessness may be the reason for many suicidal deaths.

How different is the life promised to believers who have chosen to place our hope in Jesus Christ. The difference is abundant living versus hopelessness. (That’s only in this life on earth. It gets even more important in the  afterlife, because the difference is eternal life versus eternal death.)

Jesus said, “…I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Why would anyone choose less when it is so freely offered?

Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, so in Him hope is rightly placed. Hope will not be disappointed when placed in the One whom God gave for that purpose.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus) that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) That’s reason for hope!

As Edward Mote, the author of the beloved hymn, “The Solid Rock,” professed in 1834: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness….” Amen!

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IN CHRIST ALONE: MY HOPE IS FOUND

In 2001 Keith Getty and Stuart Townend wrote a song, “In Christ Alone,” that explains the life of Christ. It’s a beautiful song that is full of hope.

In 2005 it was named the 9th best loved hymn of all time by BBC Songs of Praise survey and in their 2010 survey was named 2nd best hymn of all time. It ranked number one on the UK CCLI charts in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009, number two in Australia, number seven in Canada, and number 15 in the United States.  It was nominated by British Hymn Society as one of the top 5 hymns of all time and as a top 10 hymn in 2012 by BBC One’s Song of Praise.

IN CHRIST ALONE

“In Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song.
This Cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace;
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.

This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied,
For every sin on Him was laid.
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the World by darkness slain,
Then bursting forth in glorious Day,
Up from the grave He rose again,
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.
For I am His, and He is mine,
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand.
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand,  I will stand, I will stand.

All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand,
So I’ll stand.”

(Keith Getty and Stuart Townend)