Sunday, September 30, 2018

Overrule Me



I am a wayward child at times
Presuming on your grace
I've committed oh so many crimes
Like resisting your embrace
Lord prevail over my ignorance
My arguments disallow
Take me to my knees till my spirit repents
Reverse my bad decisions somehow

Oh Jesus! overrule me
For your glory and my good
Though Satan tries to fool me
I'll surrender to you
I will render to you
My obedience just as I should

Make me a man under authority
Change my heart and change my mind
Over whelm my desires till your way I see
And your perfect will may I find
When I am contrary and act like a fool
Your discipline is what I need
So my stubborn stony heart overrule
Teach me to obey as you intercede

Wretched man that I am, who will rescue me
Who in the world will give me liberty
From this life that is dominated by sin?
Thank God for my deliverance in Him
The death sentence is overruled and I am free

Oh Jesus, overrule me
For your glory and my good
Though Satan tries to fool me
I'll surrender to you
I will render to you
My obedience just as I should

Jesus, overrule me
Jesus, overrule me
Jesus, overrule me

1 Cor. 14:15
Romans 7: 24-25
Anthony Foster
September 30, 2018

What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

Drink Deeply (Rejoice in the Lord)



Rejoice in the Lord always-For the Lord is glorified
When we pursue our joy in Him-And know our soul is satisfied.
Our joy in God will make our praise -An honor to our King
When in His glory we delight-We bring our finest offering.

Be glad in the glories of the Lord-Be filled and lift your voice
Immersed within unbounded grace-Drink deeply and rejoice!

Dawning on our understanding-He reveals Himself by grace
A treasure deep within our hearts-As we long to seek His face
So we pursue our deepest joy-Take pleasure in His light
And in that joy our God is pleased-We mirror His delight.

Be glad in the glories of the Lord-Be filled and lift your voice
Immersed within unbounded grace-Drink deeply and rejoice!

True worship yields our very heart and strength and mind and soul
We exalt God as our hearts exult-Then worship is made whole.
We apprehend His beauty-Awed by his power and might
We recognize and understand-When spirit and truth unite

Be glad in the glories of the Lord Be filled and lift your voice
Immersed within unbounded grace Drink deeply and rejoice!

So let Authentic praise abound-In true consummate pleasure
Extol the fame of His Great Name-As your most precious treasure
God manifests His worth to us, Gods glory and our good meet
The essence of true worship sees our joy made complete

Be glad in the glories of the Lord Be filled and lift your voice
Immersed within unbounded grace Drink deeply and rejoice!

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. (Philippians 3:1)
Reading Jonathan Edwards
September 29, 2018
Anthony Foster




Friday, September 28, 2018

Hunker Down


I'll hunker in my bunker
Safe there from the battleblast
The Lord will be my refuge
And He will hold me fast

I'll hunker in my hunker zone
Where I can be touched by God alone
For when I hunker down in Him
I have no real desire to sin.

So hunker down you soldiers
Hunker down and rest
Prepare now for the warfare
Go into battle blessed
Take up your royal armor
The shield, the belt, the sword
And you shall taste the victory
For the battle is the Lord's!

I'll hunker in my bunker
Safe there from the battleblast
The Lord will be my keeper
And he will hold me fast

I will go out when I must
When I fight and I then will trust
The deep place will restore my peace
Where fears subside and battles cease

Bridge:
The wings of God will be a shield and a strong defense
A refuge for the warrior, a true deliverance
This fortress never falters, his shelter never fails
And those who rest within it shall forevermore prevail

So hunker down you soldiers
Hunker down and rest
Prepare now for the warfare
Go into battle blessed
Take up your royal armor
The shield, the belt, the sword
And you shall taste the victory
For the battle is the Lord's!

Anthony Foster
September 28, 2018


Our Good Is His Glory





Our Good Is His Glory Gods glory is our good
This mysterious paradox- It must be understood
The Father deems to bless us With a most peculiar wealth
He gives us all things freely But more- He gives himself.

When blessings pour out on us, It pleased Him to provide
As we receive His grace-gifts Our souls are satisfied
His children cast upon him Their every care and need
It pleases Him to love us And our hungry hearts to feed

So as we live and as we move And find our being in Him we prove
That he is worthy of our trust Who fashions diamonds from our dust.
Of the Most High we partake This privilege for His name's sake
The Lord God is most glorified When in Him we're most satisfied!

He transforms us to glory The likeness of his Son
Till one day we will be like Him When every deed is done
But now as image bearers We seek to glorify
The One who works within us- He'll complete us bye and bye

God's will is working in us to will and do it all
As we learn to walk worthy of the calling to which were called
So We work out what He works in And conform and to obey
The purposes He's willed for us-Until that glorious day

Bridge:
Though He absolutely has no need it pleases Him our souls to feed

So as we live and as we move and find our being in Him we prove
That He is worthy of our trust Who fashions diamonds from our dust.
Of the Most High we partake This privilege is for His name's sake
The Lord God is most glorified When in Him we're most satisfied!

Meditation on Piper's Desiring God
Romans 8:32, Psalm 103:5
Anthony Foster
September 28, 2018

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Hymn (Christ Supreme)



Christ is the image of the invisible God, Of all creation- the firstborn
For in him all things in heaven and on the earth were formed
Things visible and invisible, whether dominions or thrones
Or rulers or powers, all things have been created through and for him alone.

He himself is before all things, In Him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church forever and ever!
He's the alpha, the beginning; So that he might have first place
He became the firstborn from the dead, Preeminent in all of time and space

We declare there is no greater Name and no greater mystery
Which is Christ in you, so we proclaim: This is the hope of glory.
So we are reconciled to God: Holy, blameless in God's sight.
We cast ourselves on Gospel hope We receive the Gospel light!.

For in him all the fullness Of God was pleased to dwell,
And through him God was pleased To himself, all things to reconcile
Whether on earth or in heaven, Now peace with men He makes
Through the blood of his cross. This is our hope, for His name's sake.

We declare there is no other Name and no greater mystery
Which is Christ in you, this we proclaim: This is the hope of glory.
So we are reconciled to God: Holy, blameless in God's sight.
We cast ourselves on Gospel hope We receive the Gospel light!

Colossians 1:15-23, 27-28a
Anthony Foster
September 27, 2018

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Pilgrimage


To the people in sin’s bondage
A call goes out to leave
The Lord offers redemption
Deliverance and reprieve
The Lord redeems His people
And each motive purifies
So embark now on your pilgrimage
Walk in the way of the wise.

For our God reigns
Your chains of bondage you can lose
Our God reigns
Become the bearers of good news!
Respond by faith to the call of God
On that pilgrim way,  the path Christ trod
To the holy city set on heaven’s hills
Into the presence of God’s promises fulfilled

Now set your sights on Zion
For the Holy city now depart
No unclean thing may enter
So God will cleanse your heart.
The way is narrow and the way is straight
So you must follow where Christ leads
A long obedience is how He guides
And upon the Rock He will set your feet

Bridge:
Hear the voice of your watchmen—As they lift up their voice;
for eye to eye they see the Lord in Zion.
Hear the voice of your watchmen—Together we rejoice;
for eye to eye we see the Lord in Zion.

For our God reigns
Your chains of bondage you can lose
Our God reigns
Become the bearers of good news
Respond by faith to the call of God
On that pilgrim way,  the path Christ trod
To the holy city set on heaven’s hills
Into the presence of God’s promises fulfilled

Psalm 47:8
Isaiah 57:7-10


Anthony Foster
September 26, 2018

Foretaste


There's a portent of the glory that lies ahead
A sampling of the grace yet to come
Assurance of the blessing that waits in the wings
We see in part till the numbers are summed.

On the day of accounting our longing will end
We reckon this fact as secure
We see through a glass darkly good things to come
Promises of blessings that endure

But we don't have to wait for that glorious day
When shadows become reality
Taste and see that the Lord is so good
Here and now, present tense, we can see...

I want a foretaste, a foretaste, a foretaste of your glory
I want a foretaste, a foretaste, a foretaste of your glory
A foretaste of the glory-Sure as the salvation has begun
He shall reign forever when the day is done.
He shall reign forever when the day is done.
He shall reign forever when the day is done.

On deliverance day we shall know as we're known
On what is seen, we won’t fix our eyes
What we see is temporary but the unseen shall last
And a glimpse of that beauty is here in disguise

Come soon the day when shadowlands fade
The inheritance they point to arrives
These are a shadow of the good things to come,
But the substance all belongs to Christ.

Somehow to perceive a glimpse of the future
A living hope that is guaranteed:
A lingering taste of full assurance faith brings-
That's what we hunger for, that's what we need!

I want a foretaste, a foretaste, a foretaste of your glory
I want a foretaste, a foretaste, a foretaste of your glory
A foretaste of the glory-Sure as the salvation has begun
He shall reign forever when the day is done.
He shall reign forever when the day is done.
He shall reign forever when the day is done.


Col 2:17
Hebrews 10:1
Hebrews 10:22
2 Cor 4:18
September 25, 2018
Anthony Foster

Monday, September 24, 2018

In His Hands


Look on the suffering savior
With the nails piercing His hands
He is full propitiation
He fulfills the law's demands
The sin bearer bore our penalty
When for His own He died
God His Father sees the woundings
And is fully satisfied.

But though they tore this temple down
He raised it in three days
In the carpenter's mighty hand
True power He displays
In meekness He laid down his life
But in Glory He arose
Now regard the nail-scars in His hands
From which love and mercy flows

Look upon the revelation
Of the Sovereign glorified
With a voice-cry like trumpet
Flowing hair and glowing eyes
In the midst of seven lamp stands
Seven stars in his right hand
He is holding His beloved
Who have followed His command

He has the whole world in His hands
The sovereign wields the word
He raises high his holy stars
He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Look upon the living one
The first and the last authority
The alpha and omega
He is holding Davids key 
As He holds the keys to life and death
Heaven's Kingdom he will plant
He will rule the New Jerusalem,
For He fulfills the covenant

He has the whole world in His hands
The sovereign wields the word
He is the door who holds the keys,
He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Look now upon the warrior
Who is wielding Judgments sword
He is clothed in bloodstained garments
The agent of Gods wrath outpoured
This lamb slain from the worlds foundation
Here is the worthy one revealed
He alone has the authority
To break open Judgments seals

He has the whole world in His hands
The sovereign wields the word
He raises high his two edged blade
He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Revelation 1:16-18; 3:7
Anthony Foster
September 24, 2018



Tremble



Enter now into the throne room
Of your great Creator King
With a holy fear approach him
Feel your heart begin to sing
Let His wonder make you tremble
Let His promise make you bold
As you come into His temple
As His glory you behold

Filled with awe, filled with amazement
At this access, full and free
When you greet him as your Father
You  will meet your destiny
The One who spoke creation
Who reigns in light above
Is the One who laid His life down
So that you might know His love

Tremble with joy-The closer you draw
Tremble with wonder-Tremble with awe
Tremble in sober reverence-As in Majesty you stand
He will shake your soul with glory-As He holds you in His hand.

The mighty Majesty on high
Laid down on a cruel cross
Became a servant and a reject
Suffered sin's heartbreaking cost
His atoning blood was offered
As a final sacrifice-
To cover our obscenities
Death was the purchase price

All the sin that separates you
From the Father he has borne
He who knows s as he knows himself
Took on a crown of thorns
So that he might reign in glory
Be exalted to the throne
Interceding for His beloved
Till he harvests what He's sown

Tremble with joy-The closer you draw
Tremble with wonder-Tremble with awe
Tremble in sober reverence-As in Majesty you stand
He will shake your soul with glory-As He holds you in His hand.

On a hillside called Golgotha
The serpent's skull was crushed
Christ has left this broken angel
Ruined and writhing in the dust
He ransacks the devil's prisons
He has set the prisoners free
He has broken his dominion
At His name see Satan flee

Turning mourning into dancing
Bringing triumph over death
Changing agony to comfort
As we breathe His Spirits breath
He'll not leave you or forsake you
In your suffering and strife
So take courage as He guides you
Through the battlefield of life

Tremble with joy-The closer you draw
Tremble with wonder-Tremble with awe
Tremble in sober reverence-As in Majesty you stand
He will shake your soul with glory-As He holds you in His hand.

September 24, 2018
Anthony Foster



Thursday, September 20, 2018

Down a Rat Hole


"Devoting a life to material comforts and security and thrills is like throwing money down a rat hole."- John Piper

This hit me and prompted me to write this little ditty:

Down a Rat Hole

You can be generous or you can be greedy
But its tragic if mammon you trust
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy
Or reserve them for  moths and for rust
Flee from those objects of lust

Quit being satisfied with the 2% yields
Of pleasures and all that you please
Invest in the blue-chip, eternal, high-yield,
Divinely insured se-cu-ri-ties.

Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.
Choose ease, comfort, and pleasure or heavenly treasure
You can be generous or you can be greedy
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.

If material comforts are your main goal
Security and this week's thrills
That's like throwing money down a rat hole.
Gluttony never fulfills
Life's more than just paying your bills.

To live in luxury satisfies-- never
It is much more blessed to love
More blessed now, and more blessed forever.
So set your mind on -things -a-bove.

Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.
Choose ease, comfort, and pleasure or heavenly treasure
You can be generous or you can be greedy
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.

By storing up treasures here and not above
It's everlasting rewards that you spend
But investing a life in the labor of love
Yields joy unsurpassed without end:
An eternal dividend!

Buckets of blessings that never grow old
Returning rewards without measure
So will you be content with your silver and gold
Or will you seek e-ter-nal trea-sure?

Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.
Choose ease, comfort, and pleasure or heavenly treasure
You can be generous or you can be greedy
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.

“Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. [And thus] provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail”

Luke 12:33, Matthew 6:19–20

Anthony Foster
September 20, 2018



Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Promises of God




Praise to the goodness of the Lord,
Who rules his people by his Word,
And there, to those who in Him live
His kindest promises He gives
Each promise, empowered by that Word
All creation heeds as it is heard
Much stronger than any other force
It makes all nature takes its course

Chorus: On the promises of God we stand
We know his Grace and understand
He cannot break His Word or lie
He fulfills every promise bye and bye.

Praise, everlasting praise, be paid
To him that earth's foundation laid;
Praise to the God whose strong decrees
Sway the creation as he may please..
The promise of the Lord is sure
This Word that forever endures
His Word is our security
Though life fades fast and friends may flee.

Chorus: ­On the promises of God we stand
We know his Grace and understand
He cannot break His Word or lie
He fulfills every promise bye and bye.

Then should the earth's old pillars shake,
And all the wheels of nature break,
Our steady souls should never fear
The times and trials that draw near.
Our everlasting hopes arise
To the world where the soul never dies
Where the eternal Maker reigns,
And His own courts his promise sustains.

Chorus: On the promises of God we stand
We know his Grace and understand
He cannot break His Word or lie
He fulfills every promise bye and bye.

After Isaac Watts
Anthony Foster
September 19, 2018

You are I AM



You are the God who is love and light
You owe nothing to any one
You never change, you are always right
You are the Father the Spirit, the Son

Infinite in power, unrivaled in might
All creation must conform to you alone
All life in the universe in the depths and heights
Flow through You and to You and from Your throne

You are I AM, your glory we declare
You are I AM, your majesty is beyond compare
Oh the unspeakable privilege to taste and to see
And to know the God of Eternity!

You hide us in the cleft of the Rock
The pierced, exalted Son
You declare your Name and we are struck
Devastated and undone.

You are the triune Three in One
Holy and Righteous, Gracious and Just
Your person and power is beholding to none
Your manifold mercies are true to our trust

You are I AM, your glory we declare
You are I AM, your majesty is beyond compare
Oh the unspeakable privilege to taste and to see
And to know the God of Eternity!

By Your own power were all things made;
By You supported all things stand;
You are the whole creation's head,
Its foundation laid by your right hand.

Your wonders work in heaven and earth
To declare your glory to the nations
Praise to the God whose matchless worth
Is revealed In all creation

You are I AM, your glory we declare
You are I AM, your majesty is beyond compare
Oh the unspeakable privilege to taste and to see
And to know the God of Eternity!

Psalm 9:10
Anthony Foster
September 19, 2018

Monday, September 17, 2018

Maranatha Morning


In the glorious light of your return
Our spirits long to see your face
Hearts that ever seek Him yearn
For God to shed his richest grace.

When trumpet sound shall tear the skies,
And mountains fall into the sea
Saints, you may lift your joyful eyes,
There a new heaven and earth will be

Maranatha morning, rend the skies,
Bring that delightful, dreadful day;
Cut short the hours, thrill our eyes;
Maranatha, Lord we pray.

The lightning of your sharpened sword
Will cleave the skies as you appear
They will see the pierced, risen Lord
And this dark world trembles in fear

Haste, then, upon the wings of love,
Rouse all this anxious sleeping dust,
That we may join in heav'nly joys,
And sing the triumph of the God we trust.

Maranatha morning, rend the skies,
Bring that delightful, dreadful day;
Cut short the hours, thrill our eyes;
Maranatha, Lord we pray.

Some words after Isaace Watts
Anthony Foster
September 17, 2018

Zechariah 2:12
Luke 17:24

For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.” (Luke 17:24)

Sunday, September 16, 2018

The Soul's Final Feast



Oh how we long for perfection
Lord how we long for your touch
We long to have you draw us to your side

Sure is our hope in election
Of your promises Lord we make much
We long for your throne-room, there to abide.

We are hungry for the bread of life
We are thirsty for salvation's cup
To taste and see and know the prize
Eternal praise we will lift up

As we partake of the soul's final feast
To dine with our perfect high priest
When you come for your bride
And we're taken inside
And celebration shall never decrease!

v2
Oh how we long for your presence
There where our faith becomes sight
When we forever gaze on your beauty

There we will bask in your essence
With pleasure, with joy, and delight
Your glory manifest fully to see

We are hungry for the bread of life
We are thirsty for salvation's cup
To taste and see and know the prize
Eternal praise we will lift up

There our hungry hearts will be filled
There our thirsty souls will be drenched
There your glory we will behold
As we dine our desires are all quenched

As we partake of the soul's final feast
From the limits of flesh we're released
At the feast of the lamb
From eternity planned
And forever our joy will increase.

As we partake of the soul's final feast
To dine with our perfect high priest
When you come for your bride
And we're taken inside
At your banquet that never shall cease.


Meditation on a reading from Desiring God by John Piper
Psalm 37:4, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 27:4
September 16, 2018
Anthony Foster