Milo

July 1

HE KEEPS ME SINGING
Words and Music by Luther B. Bridgers, 1884–1948
If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:10–11)
Joy is the flag which is flown from the castle of the heart when the King is in residence there.
—Unknown
Joy should be one of the chief characteristics of our Christian faith. In the New Testament the word chara is used 53 times to mean “joy.” Only a joyful exuberant Christian is a worthy representative of the transforming power of Christ’s gospel. But what is spiritual joy? It is much more than mere laughter or even happiness. It is a life that is at rest in the Lord, regardless of life’s circumstances. Such a life cannot help but have a strong impact on nonbelievers. If there were more singing Christians, there would be more Christians.
Often our finest and most effective songs are sung during the midnight experiences of life. It is easy to sing when all is well. But to sing when all is dark requires the indwelling presence of Christ. Luther Bridgers, a Methodist pastor and evangelist from Georgia, is believed to have written both words and music for this joyful hymn in 1910, following the death of his wife and three sons in a fire at the home of his wife’s parents while he was away conducting revival meetings in Kentucky.
There’s within my heart a melody—Jesus whispers sweet and low, “Fear not, I am with thee—peace, be still,” in all of life’s ebb and flow.
All my life was wrecked by sin and strife. Discord filled my heart with pain; Jesus swept across the broken strings, stirred the slumb’ring chords again.
Feasting on the riches of His grace, resting ’neath His shelt’ring wing, always looking on His smiling face—That is why I shout and sing.
Tho sometimes He leads thru waters deep, trials fall across the way, tho sometimes the path seem rough and steep, see His feet-prints all the way.
Soon He’s coming back to welcome me far beyond the starry sky; I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown; I shall reign with Him on high.
Chorus: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus—Sweetest name I know, fills my ev’ry longing, keeps me singing as I go.

    For Today: Psalm 40:3; Proverbs 29:6; Isaiah 12:3, 5; 52:9; Acts 16:25; Ephesians 5:19

Determine to live with a singing spirit; be a truly “praising Christian.” Carry this musical testimony with you as a help, knowing that—

July

• Results of the Gospel • Joy • Peace • Contentment • Comfort • Security • Heaven • National Holiday/Independence Day

1.
He Keeps Me Singing
2.
In My Heart There Rings a Melody
3.
It Is Well With My Soul
4.
The Star-Spangled Banner
5.
Peace, Perfect Peace
6.
Like a River Glorious
7.
Sweet Peace, The Gift of God’s Love
8.
Come, Ye Disconsolate
9.
Does Jesus Care?
10.
No One Understands Like Jesus
11.
God Will Take Care of You
12.
Hiding in Thee
13.
A Shelter in the Time of Storm
14.
From Every Stormy Wind That Blows
15.
He Hideth My Soul
16.
Jesus Never Fails
17.
Under His Wings
18.
All Your Anxiety
19.
Leave It There
20.
Sweetly Resting
21.
’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
22.
A Child of the King
23.
O That Will Be Glory
24.
My Savior First of All
25.
On Jordan’s Stormy Banks
26.
He the Pearly Gates Will Open
27.
Face to Face
28.
After
29.
Beyond the Sunset
30.
I Know I’ll See Jesus Some Day
31.
I’ve Got Peace Like a River

June 30

WHY DO I SING ABOUT JESUS?
Words and Music by Albert A. Ketchum, 1894–?
Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing to the glory of His name; offer Him glory and praise! (Psalm 66:1, 2)
Fill me with gladness from above,
Hold me by strength divine;
Lord, let the glow of your great love
Through my whole being shine.
—Unknown
The Christian life was meant to be a joyous experience. One of the most effective ways to demonstrate our inner joy is to carry a song upon our lips throughout our daily activities. It was my father who first taught me this truth. As a painter-decorator, Dad became known to his many customers as the “singing painter.” Singing his favorite hymns while he worked became his natural way of life. At his funeral, many of his customers, both believers and nonbelievers, told me of the impact my father had upon them as they observed his cheerful attitude while he worked.
It is important that we carry a song of the Lord with us. The world needs to see and hear the story of Jesus and His love. And the song that we carry on the inside will be reflected on our countenance. An inner song and a cheerful countenance are always the result of a life that is enjoying an intimate daily fellowship with our Lord and Savior—the One who sets us free!
Albert Ketchum, the author and composer of “Why Do I Sing About Jesus?”, wrote this song while a student at the Moody Bible Institute during the early 1920’s. The song first appeared in Gospel Truth in Song, published in 1922. It provides believers a fine vehicle for a musical testimony about their Lord:
Deep in my heart there’s a gladness—Jesus has saved me from sin! Praise to His name, what a Savior! Cleansing without and within!
Only a glimpse of His goodness; that was sufficient for me; only one look at the Savior, then was my spirit set free.
He is the fairest of fair ones. He is the lily, the rose; rivers of mercy surround Him; grace, love, and pity He shows.
Chorus: Why do I sing about Jesus? Why is He precious to me? He is my Lord and my Savior: Dying, He set me free!

    For Today: Psalm 32:7; 40:3; 66:16; Proverbs 15:13; Philippians 2:5–11; 1 Peter 2:7

Determine to allow the warmth of God’s love to be reflected in all of your activities. Carry this musical testimony with you as you seek to be a witness for Christ even in your working attitudes—

June 29

CHRIST LIVETH IN ME
Daniel W. Whittle, 1840–1901
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ liveth in me. (Galatians 2:20)
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). One can almost hear the apostle Paul exhorting the carnal Christians at Corinth with these strong words. How important it is that believers realize with conviction that their earthly bodies are the residence of the living God! Such an awareness should cause us to have an earnest concern for the proper care of our bodies. It is also the motivation we need for Christ-like living—to allow His perfection to be demonstrated in our mortal flesh.
Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord, Oh, to be lost in Thee;
Oh, that it may be no more I, but Christ that lives in me.
—C. H. Forrest
The evidence of true conversion is the growing awareness of Christ within us as the Holy Spirit confirms this fact with our human spirit (Romans 8:16). As we mature in the Christian faith, we appreciate increasingly the biblical truth of the glorious identification and security that are ours: God is in Christ, Christ is in us, and we are in Christ. Nothing can ever defeat or destroy such a divine union.
The author, Daniel W. Whittle, was a most interesting individual. He joined the Illinois Infantry during the Civil War and rose to the rank of major. For the remainder of his life he was known by this title. Following the war he returned to Chicago and became treasurer of the Elgin Watch Company. In 1873, however, he resigned this high position and under D. L. Moody’s influence entered the evangelistic ministry. He was unusually successful as an evangelist as well as the author of a number of favorite gospel hymns, most of which he wrote with the pseudonym “El Nathan.” “Christ Liveth in Me” first appeared in Gospel Hymns #6, which was published in 1891.
Once far from God and dead in sin, no light my heart could see; but in God’s Word the light I found. Now Christ liveth in me.
As lives the flower within the seed, as in the cone the tree; so, praise the God of truth and grace; His Spirit dwelleth in me.
With longing all my heart is filled, that like Him I may be, as on the wond’rous thought I dwell that Christ dwelleth in me.
Refrain: Christ liveth in me. O what a salvation this, that Christ liveth in me!

    For Today: John 17:22, 23; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Galatians 2:19–21; Ephesians 3:16, 17; Colossians 1:27

Live with the confidence of an indwelling Christ who promises to help you do all things through His strength (Philippians 4:13). Sing this musical truth—

June 28

THE HAVEN OF REST
Henry L. Gilmour, 1836–1920
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. (Hebrews 6:19)
What stabilizers are to a ship in stormy water, the conscious presence of Christ is to a Christian during the storms and stresses of daily living. Christians have never been promised an exemption from any of life’s storms. The Scriptures teach that “man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). It is our reaction to life’s storms that reveals the level of our spiritual maturity. We can either become bitter and belligerent, or we can use the experience to develop greater spiritual strength as we learn to rely more fully on our Lord.
Not only do we have the indwelling presence of Christ, but we also have the assurance that Jesus Christ is in heaven today interceding for us. Just as an Old Testament priest stood behind the veil in the tabernacle or the temple to represent the Israelites before God, so Jesus pleads our case in the heavenly realm on the basis of His death and resurrection. What security this gives us!
The author of this text, Henry Gilmour, came to the United States from Ireland as a teenager. He practiced dentistry for a number of years and then spent the last 25 years of his life as a gospel musician. He was a gifted soloist and was greatly respected as a choir director. “The Haven of Rest” first appeared in Sunlight Songs, published in 1890.
My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea, so burdened with sin, and distrest, till I heard a sweet voice saying, “Make me your choice!” And I entered the Haven of Rest.
I yielded myself to His tender embrace, and faith taking hold of the Word, my fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul—The “Haven of Rest” is my Lord.
The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole, has been the old story so blest of Jesus, who’ll save whosoever will have a home in the Haven of Rest!
O come to the Savior—He patiently waits to save by His power divine; Come, anchor your soul in the Haven of Rest, and say, “My Beloved is mine.”
Chorus: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest; I’ll sail the wide seas no more; the tempest may sweep o’er the wild, stormy deep—In Jesus I’m safe ever more.

    For Today: Exodus 33:22; Psalm 34:19; 61:2; Isaiah 66:12; Philippians 4:7; Hebrews 4:3; 6:13–20

Regardless of your circumstances, determine to rely more fully on the indwelling Christ and the awareness of your heavenly advocate. Carry this musical testimony with you—