Castles in the sand

I remember as a child going to the beach and building castles on the sand. I would labor tirelessly digging trenches, building towers, making elaborate structures, constructing walls. Then, out of the blue, a big ole wave would come rushing up and obliterate part of the castle. The walls no match for the power of the wave. As the walls disintegrated, the water would flood the trenches. The elaborately built towers would start to collapse as the foundation corroded away. In haste, I would do all in my power to rebuild the walls, to restore the structure. But then another big wave would come. Then another. And another. I fought a loosing battle as I watched my castle come crumbling down around me. It was no match for the waves.

I also remember having a sand toy that was a sieve. It had a plastic mesh with square holes. I could fill it up with sand, but in a matter of moments the sand would filter through the square holes, and the sieve would be empty again.

Success. Money and wealth. Fame and fortune. Dating relationships. Marriage. Having kids. Owning a house. That dream job. That exotic sports car. That big screen TV. These are just a few of the things the world says we will find fulfillment in. If we are successful, then we will be happy. If we have lots of money and can buy anything we want, then we will be happy. If you are single, then you need to get into a relationship to be happy. If you are in a relationship, you have to get married to that person in order to be happy. If you are married to someone, then you need to have kids, own a home, and have a car to be happy. But what happens when we get those things? Are we really happy? Are we really satisfied? Maybe for a bit. But we are left wanting more. After a while, we need more to be happy. We need more to find fulfillment. We need more to be satisfied. The things we already have aren't enough because we are told that we always need more. And we buy into it. Hook, line, and sinker. We put so much time and effort into things that, in the end, only bring us a little bit of satisfaction. But that satisfaction quickly fades away, like our castles in the sand, and we are left empty. That's really messed up. Is that anyway to live life? Is that what it is really all about?

Like sand in the sieve, we try to fill out lives with things we think will bring us fulfillment. We want what we want right now. We don't want to wait. We want to have that happiness, that joy, that satisfaction, that fulfillment right now. We want relief from our stress right now, so we smoke cigarettes to relax. We want relief from the pains in life right now, so we get drunk or high to block it all out. We want pleasure right now, so we watch porn, or have sex with people we barely even know. We want to buy cool things to impress our friends right now, so we spend all our money, max out credit cards, and get into debt to get those things. We want so many things right now, and we will do whatever it takes to get those things. But what happens when we get those things? Are we really happy? Are we really satisfied? Maybe for a bit. But like just as quickly as the sand gets filtered through the sieve, so too our happiness and satisfaction quickly evaporate and we are left empty. Is that anyway to live life? Is that what life is really all about?

What is life really about? What are we here for? What will really bring that lasting joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment in life?

In the beginning, God created man and woman in his own image. He placed them in a beautiful garden, the garden of Eden, where they regularly communed with God. They walked and talked with Him, and shared in His infinite love, joy, peace. They found fulfillment and satisfaction in this, and in doing His will; caring for the garden and the creatures living there. It must have been an amazing experience! Imagine, being in a garden far more splendid and beautiful then all of the seven wonders of the world combined, and being able to commune with God! Your own creator who made you in His image and likeness! Real joy, love, satisfaction, fulfillment in doing the Creator's will and just being in His presence! It was perfection!

Well, almost perfection. Then sin came into the picture. Man disobeyed God by eating of the one tree in the entire garden of which they were commanded not to eat. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan came on the scene and convinced man that God was holding back on them. "Did God really say, 'you must not eat from any tree in the garden'? Oh, so God said you couldn't eat from only that one tree now did he? And you will surely die if you do? Naw, you won't surely die. God's holding back on you. He doesn't want you to be like him, knowing both good and evil. Look! The fruit is good for eating! It is pleasing to the eye! You can gain real wisdom! Just eat, and you will truly be satisfied, for you will be like God."

So man ate of the food. But what really happened? Where they really happy? Where they really satisfied? Maybe for the first few bites. But then their eyes were open, and they became self-aware. They realized they were naked and hid themselves. They felt ashamed. They became afraid of God. God knew immediately what had happened and confronted them. Because of their disobedience, they were removed from the garden of Eden, and could not return.

I wounder what that must have felt like. To have been removed from the garden, and separated from that regular communion with God. To have severed that deep, intimate connection with their Creator. To no longer be able to fully experience the Creator's love, joy, peace and the satisfaction and fulfillment that came from that. It might have felt something like this:

Picture yourself having married an amazing person. This person is the one. Your connection with this person is so deep, and intimate that no amount of words in any language could describe it. This person is everything you could have hoped for and so much more. This person may not be a model, but they have such a beautiful heart. You cherish and love each other very deeply.

But then someone else enters the picture. And this person is drop-dead-gorgeous. Incredibly hot and seductive. Their words as sweet as honey and flow silky-smooth. They entice you and you give in. You give in and commit adultery with this person. Then your spouse finds out. And they are utterly devastated. Devastated and crushed. Devastated and crushed and hurt deeply. They had given you something so precious, so pure. They had given you their heart, their love. But in your quest for fulfilling your own selfish desires, you cast it aside for something far less. And you know it. You feel it. It tears you up inside. Your connection with your spouse becomes severed,  and they leave you.

That is only a fraction of what Adan and Eve must have felt. They were created to be image bearers of God. They were created to do His will. They experienced the fullness of God's love, joy and peace. But they blew it. Big time. So too we are created in God's image to be image bearers of God. This is our purpose. That is why we are here.

But wait! If we are called to be image bearers of God, that would require us to be perfect right? To be holy as God is holy. How is that even possible? I mean, we have a hard enough time doing what is right with our flesh constantly pulling us this way and that, let alone being perfect. After all we are tainted by sin and naturally do what is wrong! How then, is it even possible for us to be an image bearer of God?

You are correct. It is impossible. It is impossible for us to do any good on our own. Even the "good" that we do is like filthy rags before God. We are incapable of being image bearers of God on our own power.

So is that it? Are we stuck? Are we doomed to eternal punishment because of our sin and our in ability to perfectly live out our calling?

In our current state, yes. But wait! There is more to the story! Before God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden God gave them a promise in the form of a curse to Satan: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:15). This "he" who will crush the serpent's head is non other than Jesus Christ, God's only son. And Jesus Christ did indeed come into the world to fulfill that very purpose. He came so that we may have life and live it to the full (John 10:10). He did not come to fulfill the desires of his flesh, but to serve others, and ultimately give his life as a ransom for ours (Mark 10:45). He came to die on a cruel cross, to bear the curse of our sin for us, and to be the righteous, perfect substitute for our unrighteousness (1 Peter 3:18, Galatians 3:13). He was the perfect image of God for he was fully God and fully man. He came to do what we could not do and die, not because of anything he had done, but for all that we had done. Through his death, burial, and resurrection, he crushed Satan's head and will cast Satan into the flaming abyss in the end times. Jesus' blood was shed for our sin, and we are washed white as snow (Matthew 26:27 , Isaiah 1:18). Jesus' blood is what makes us holy, and we can enter God's presence with confidence for we are clothed with garments of righteousness (Hebrews 10:19-20, 13:12, Isaiah 61:10). So we are not doomed at all! But instead we are declared holy and righteous before God through Christ's blood shed for us on the cross.We image God not by what we do, but by what Christ has already done for us!

So now we are faced with a choice. Will we accept by faith what God has done for us through the person and work of Jesus Christ? Will we allow Him to work in us and through us? Will we seek to love God and be loved, sustained, and fulfilled by Him alone? Or will we choose to live for our own selfish desires? Will we waste away our lives chasing after what the world says will bring us fulfillment only to receive a small amount of satisfaction that quickly evaporates? Will we try to satisfy our wants only to be left empty over and over again? The castles in the sand will wash away, and the sieve will empty faster than we can fill it, but God's love will always remain. Choose wisely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All Along ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By: Remedy Drive

It’s not everything it seems - the world and its dreams
Slipping like water through my hands tonight
All the things I thought would fill me up inside
Left me empty here - and now I know why

All along I was looking for something else
You’re something else
All along I was looking for something more
You’re so much more
I finally found what I could never see before
You’ve always been the one that I was looking for

All of my castles in the sand - washed away again
And I’m left back where I began tonight
The only thing that can ever fill me up
Has been right in front of me all the time

All along I was looking for something else
You’re something else
All along I was looking for something more
You’re so much more
I finally found what I could never see before
You’ve always been the one that I was looking for

And I won’t miss you - I won’t miss you this time
And I say I want you - yeah I want you in my life

All along I was looking for something more
You’re so much more

 All along I was looking for something else
You’re something else
All along I was looking for something more
You’re so much more

I finally found what I could never see before
You’ve always been the one that I was looking for

I finally found what I could never see before
You’ve always been the one that I was looking for

Thanksgiving. A time to give thanks

Thanksgiving. Gratitude. Thankfulness. Gratefulness. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we often do not take time to sit back, think about all God has blessed us with, and give thanks for those things. Thankfulness. Gratefulness. These are the things that should characterize our lives as Christians. Thanksgiving. Gratitude. What are you thankful for? Here is a list of a few things that I am thankful for:

Challenges.

Being challenged in my faith during this period of waiting.

Friends.

Close friends I can talk to and confide in.

Heath.

Not presently being sick, no having any other physical aliments.

A job.

A job with flexible hours, fringe benefits, and health/dental/eye insurance.

A place to live.

A place to live that is close to work, Meijers (practically in my back yard!), and Church.

Food.

A fridge and cupboards stocked with food.

Water.

Clean, running, drinkable water.

Cloths.

Clean cloths and access to a washer and dryer.

Family.

Family who loves me and is looking out for what's best for me.

Laughter

Friends to laugh with and share jokes with (hurray for inside jokes!).

Modesty.

Women who know the temptations men face and dress modestly to prevent that temptation.

Church.

A place of fellowship, encouragement, worship and nourishment in the word.

Sunsets.

Declaring the beauty of God's creation, and marking the end of a day filled with God's blessings.

Prayer.

People who pray for me, and the ability to come into the presence of a holy God and offer up my praises, and requests.

Justification.

That Jesus Christ, the son of God, would die on a cross in payment for my sins, and by whose blood I am cleansed of all unrighteousness, allowing me to stand holy and blameless in the presence of almighty God.

God's love.

That crazy, unending, unconditional, unwavering, always-ever-present love in spite of all my sin and rebellion.

That love that lifts me up when I am weak.

That love which is the only true source of joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment in life.

Thanksgiving. Gratitude. Thankfulness. Gratefulness. What are you thankful for?

Marriage

"Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday..." - The Princess Bride

Marriage. True love. We see it portrayed countless times in many Hollywood and  Disney movies. Man meets woman. They fall in love. Then tragedy befalls them. But against all odds, love triumphs and the two become married and live happily ever after. The end. Marriage and love becomes like a fairy tail, and we wish and hope it will turn out that way. We long to fall in love. We long to find that special someone that we will spend the rest of our lives with. We long for that prince charming or Cinderella to come into our lives, whisk us off our feet, and take us to a place where the love never ends. But it all seems like a fairy tail meant for the movies. Our relationships with the opposite sex crash and burn. We face breakups and heartaches. Just when we think we have got something good, it falls apart. It all seems too good to be true. And yet, we put ourselves through the same situations time and time again, thinking we will find happiness, joy, and satisfaction in another relationship. Well, that's what the media says anyways. The media says we need to find that special someone, get married, buy a house, and have children in order to be happy. The media says we need to dress, talk, and act a certain way in order to attract that special someone. The media says we need to follow the latest trends, wear the right cloths, be slim and fit in order to be desirable. The media says allot.

But what does God say? In the midst of all the voices, pulling us each and every way, God is still speaking. Ever so genteelly. Saying that there is more to life than this. Saying that we don't have to fit a certain mold. Saying that He accepts us for who we are. God has something far greater to offer us. Something far greater than any fairy tail marriage can offer. Something far greater than anything the world offers. He offers us His love. Not just any kind of love. Unconditional love. Love with no strings attached. Love that never ends. Love that doesn't run out. Love that overcomes all barriers. Love in spite of all we have done. Love in spite of all our rebellion and sin. Love in spite of all the times we push God away, saying that we have found something better to fill our lives with. Love made possible through the death of His son on the cross. "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10. This is true love. This is real love. True love, true joy, true satisfaction in this life can only be found in God. Until we are satisfied in the Lord alone; until we are content with being loved by God alone; until we give ourselves fully to God alone; we won't be able to experience real love with another. We won't be able to show unconditional love to another. We won't have full satisfaction and fulfillment in life.

Marriage. True love. Good things come to those who wait. Good things come to those who wait on God. Good things come to those whose source of love, joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment in life come from God.

"I am still confident of this:
   I will see the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
   be strong and take heart
   and wait for the LORD."
 - Psalm 27:13-24

Exiled

Exiled. It's been 70 years. This is the year that God promised through Jeremiah's letter that the people would be set free. Set free from this captivity in Babylon. Will God remember? Will He follow through? Will He keep He keep His promises?

Exiled. "The Persians are coming!" Comes the call. There is much excitement from the Israelites. Could this be it? Will they set us free from this bondage? Is this the fulfillment of God's promises? Some are cynical and scoff, "They haven't come to set us free. They will only put us under more bondage. Things won't change. This is our life now." But others are moved. Their eyes are alight with joy. Their hearts are stirred. They know they are going home.

Exiled. King Cyrus, King of the Persians, is coming. The one whom Isaiah calls "anointed". His army marches into the heart of Babylon without contention. His rule and reign over Babylon secure. The proclamation is made:

"The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem."

Exiled. Much excitement sirs amongst the people. People frantically scurrying about to gather their belongs. They are headed home. The cynical mock and scoff, "It's too dangerous! There is nothing to return to! Have you forgotten how Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple? The way is too hard. You won't make it. Stay here. Our home is here now." But they are moved. Their eyes are alight with joy. Their hearts are stirred. They know they are going home.

Exiled. The journey is hard. The road is long. Some loose heart and turn back. The others stay strong and press on. Their eyes are lifted to the hills. Their help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

Exiled. Home. Home at last. Their is much work to be done. Much to repair. The work is toilsome. The enemies great. But still they stand their ground. Their hearts are not moved. They are not shaken.

Exiled. Although they are home, they are not really home. They are still pilgrims in the land. Pilgrims on their way to an eternal home. They are still exiled. Waiting to be called home. Waiting for the return of Christ. 

We are the exiled.

I will worship while I'm waiting

Waiting. Patience. Perseverance. Waiting. Waiting is not easy. Especially in today's society, where we have instant access to everything. It's all at the mere touch of a finger. Many people today have smart phones that give them instant access to anything on the internet instantly. We don't want to wait. We don't want to wait for our food, so we go to fast food places. We drive over the speed limit because we want to get places faster, and we get upset when we hit all the red lights and how long they make us wait. We want to see instant results, and if we can't see the results right away, something must not be working properly. We are always on the rush. Always on the go. We want things when we want them, and we don't want to wait. As the course to a famous song by Queen goes: "I want it all and I want it now".

This attitude, unfortunately, as permeated our spiritual lives. We expect God to act like our smart phones and give us the information we need when we want it, the way we want it. We pray to God, asking Him to bring healing to the sick loved ones in our lives. We ask Him to take the pain that we are experiencing away. We ask Him to provide for us a job so we can pay the bills. We ask Him for a new car when ours breaks down. We ask Him to bring that special someone into our lives whom we can love and cherish, and one day marry. We ask Him to show us the path He wants us to take for our lives. But when He doesn't answer our prayers; when our loved ones don't get better; when the pain doesn't go away; when we don't get the things we ask for; we get upset at God, thinking He doesn't care or isn't listening. We expect a timely response from God, but often times that isn't the case. Bottom line is: we don't want to wait.

Waiting. Waiting on God requires trust. Waiting on God requires faith. If we don't trust that God has the best in mind for us, it makes it very hard to wait on Him. But He does have the best in mind for us. Jeremiah 29:11 says this: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" This was written as a part of a letter penned to the exiles from Judah who were dragged off into captivity by the Babylonians. They had been separated from God and put into exile because of their continuous rebellion and disobedience to God. So at this point they feel the weight of their guilt and the pain of being far from home. But it's in the midst of this storm that God brings them a message of hope: "I have a plan for you". And not just any plan, but "plans to prosper you". God says in the previous verse that "When seventy years are complete for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place (Jerusalem)." God wasn't just going to leave them in captivity, He was going to bring them back home. But in the mean time, they would have to wait.

God has a plan for us all. A great and glorious plan. He can do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20). His plan involved sending His son, so that through his life, death, and resurrection, we "may have life and live it to the full" (John 10:10). He can see this wonderful plan that He has for us and is calling us to wait on Him. To wait on Him, and allow Him to reveal it to us in His time. Does this mean that we sit around twiddling our thumbs while we wait on God? Certainly not! While they were in exile, God called the Israelites to "build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper" (Jeremiah 29:5-7). They weren't just going to sit around until God brought them back. So we too are called worship and serve the Lord while we wait. To continue to give thanks and praise to God for what He has done for us. To continue to serve the Lord where He has placed us.

Waiting. It's not easy, but it will sure be worth it in the end.

~~~While I'm Waiting~~~
John Waller

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am hopeful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it is painful, but patiently I will wait

And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race even while I wait

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am peaceful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it's not easy no, but faithfully I will wait
Yes, I will wait

And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race even while I wait

I will move ahead bold and confident
I'll be taking every step in obedience, yeah

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint

And I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You Lord

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting

Praise you in this storm

Storms. The wind, the rain, the lightning. Frightening in power, awesome in beauty. Storms can destroy. They cause floods, uproot trees, down power lines. Storms can build up. Often grass will be greener after a lightning storm. Deserts spring to life and are filled with beauty.

Storms. We all face them in life. We experience the pain, hardship, and trials that they bring. Sometimes the storms are short; other times they last years. Sometimes we question God and ask why we are going through this. Why would God cause this or that to happen in our lives. We are frightened by the storm, but forget the beauty in the storm. God is calling us in our storms to reach out and take His hand. To trust fully in Him. To trust that all things will work out to our good. Good not as we see it, but as God sees it. To have faith and believe that God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or ever imagine. To trust that after the storm, the grass will be greener. The arid dry land turned into a beautiful oasis.

~~~ Praise you in this storm~~~
Casting Crowns

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus:]
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus]

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

[Chorus x2]

The fireplace and the spirit

Imagine a room with a fireplace. The only source of light in this room is the fireplace; and when the fireplace is not lit, the room is in total darkness. But when the fireplace is lit, the darkness is dispelled; and as the flames get bigger, the light from the fire gets stronger. And as the light gets stronger and brighter, the darkness becomes less and less until it is all but eliminated completely. But as the fire slowly dies, the darkness slowly encroaches on the fireplace, and the shroud of darkness thickens in the room. The only way to suppress the darkness is to re-kindle the flames and to feed the fire in the fireplace.

The room represents you, your body and soul; and the fireplace represents the spirit. Before we come to know Christ; before we accept him into our lives; before we acknowledge him as our personal Savior and Lord; the fireplace is not lit. The spirit is dead. We are consumed with darkness, and are enslaved to sin and our sinful nature.

But when we come to know Christ; when we accept him into our hearts and lives; when we acknowledge him as the Lord and Savior of our lives; the fireplace is lit and the spirit comes to life. We are born again. We are a new creation. The old has gone, and the new has come! We are free from the shackles of slavery to sin. We are free! The son has set us free and we are free indeed!  

And as the spirit grows within us, as the fire become bigger, and as the light becomes stronger, the power of sin in our lives grows weaker. As we feed the spirit in our lives, as we fix our eyes on Jesus, as we seek to live for him, the flesh becomes weaker. It becomes starved, and slowly dies away until it is all but gone.

But if we stop feeding the spirit; if our eyes wander away from Jesus; if we seek satisfaction and joy and love in the things of the world; the fire slowly begins to die. And as the light from the flames weaken, darkness begins to fill the room. The sinful nature grows stronger and more powerful in our lives. It drags us down; shackling and binding us. The things we were once free from we are now enslaved to once again.

We cannot simply fight the darkness. We cannot hope to overcome our sinful nature by trying to suppress the sinful nature by our own means. We cannot remove our chains and shackles by our own power. I used to think this way. I used to think that I could conquer my sin on my own. I used to think that if I would just do this or that, I could overcome by sinful nature and the desires of my flesh. But I can't. I've tied that numerous times and have failed over and over again. I have discovered that the only way I can suppress the darkness; the only way I can overcome my flesh; the only way I can eliminate the sinful nature is to feed the spirit. To feed the flames. To feed the spirit. To turn my focus back to Jesus. To seek to live for him. To seek to give him each and every area of my life.  And as my focus returns to Jesus; fixing my gaze on his loving face, and walking towards him on the water, the flame in my heart re-ignites. The chains become loose and fall to the floor. The darkness shrinks away. The fire blazes and brings warmth to the body and soul.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace.

~~~Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus~~~
Words and music by: Hel­en H. Lem­mel

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

Refrain

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Refrain