Marilyn's Musings
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
I always consider Sunday the beginning of the week. When actually it was when God took a day for rest. Does that mean it should be the end of the week? The world was created and on the 7th day He rested. In Genesis 2:3 it says “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all the work of creation.” Maybe I should follow what that verse says and rest on the 7th day and start my week on Monday’s. All the running around we do during the week to get necessary things done such as food shopping, clothing shopping, taking kids to school and sports and keeping up with our houses and yards are important to get done. Everyone needs to eat; our children need to go to school and have fun either in sports or spending time with friends. But come the 7thday we need to fill our spirits with the reminder of how much God loves us. Some of us worship from the comforts of our home and others meet in church to worship together and hear God’s word. We need to take that hour of being with God and others worshiping together to remind us of the most important thing in life and that is God’s love. Sometimes we do the errands because they have to be done, but other times we do them to take care of the people we love. That word “love" comes into our lives every day.
A friend of mine once told me that “God never looks into the face of someone He doesn’t love”. I apologize if I don’t have that worded correctly, but I think you all can get the point. It was told to me as I was wondering how some people get along with everyone, and I mean “everyone”. I don’t know about you, but I can’t say that is true for me. There are some people that have been in my life over the years I just can’t “click” with for a number of reasons. But when I think that God loves them as much as he loves me it makes me stop in my tracks. If this person is worth God’s love and, they are, why should I treat them any differently? God looks at both of us in the same way being worthy of his love. This conversation could go in many different directions but yet, it is so simple and beautiful. God loves us all. That simple.
I was fortunate to see God’s love in a friends face this morning. I met a friend for breakfast today and started my week off in a “good place” as the saying goes. We just met and caught up with what we both were doing. She listened to what I had going on in my family and I listened to her and her plans for a vacation with her son. It was nice to just sit and relax and talk before a busy week started. When I went to the rest room I came back to the table and there was a little box by my plate. She said she thought of me when she saw it in the store and wanted me to have it. It was a simple cross for my garden with a Garden Blessing saying that says “May this garden be blessed with light and love, a place of growth and renewal to nurture and cherish with gratitude”. I took this little cross and nailed it to my deck above the new roses that my daughter had bought me for Mother’s Day this year. My week has started off with the love of a friend and a reminder of how close to God we can be any place and any time. I was close to Him this morning at breakfast and will remember Him when I enjoy my gardens.
The hymn I’d like to choose for this week is “What A Friend We Have in Jesus”. It was written by Joseph M. Scriven. Of course, I did my “googling” to find a little more about this man.
“Joseph Scriven wrote several hymns and other short papers with the titles The Church of God, Priesthood, The Ministration of the Spirit, Our Assembly, The Coming of the Lord, Discipline, all published by James Sackville. It was he who discovered What a friend we have in Jesus. One night he was looking through Scriven’s papers and asked him ‘Who wrote this?’ Scriven replied, ‘I wrote it. The Lord and I did it between us. Many years ago, my mother was going through a time of great sorrow and I wrote it to comfort her’. He had not included it in a collection of 115 hymns he had published in 1869, but after his death it came to light in a copy of The Port Hope Guide, a local newspaper which had been used to wrap a parcel sent to New York. It quickly attained widespread popularity. The composer Charles Converse wrote its beautiful and appropriate tune. Ira D. Sankey stated that wherever he had sung it, it was a greater favorite than any other. It has been called ‘beyond question the best-known piece of Canadian literature’.
Although the other hymns written by Scriven are almost unknown, very few hymns have become as well-known as this one, and found such an affinity with so many Christians worldwide. In 1920 it was said that over 50 million copies of it were known to have been made. For over 100 years now it has been sung with its characteristic tune: quietly in lonely homes in times of sadness, harmoniously in vast congregations in times of rejoicing, appropriately in prayer meetings far and near; by children too, able to relate to its simple yet profound truth. It has been the request of criminals on the scaffold and of soldiers on battlefields. It has brought encouragement and strength to many different people in all of life’s varied experiences and situations.”
Let’s remember as we take the time to think about God and his love that His Son, Jesus is the best friend we could have. Sunday mornings when we are in worship together or at our homes enjoying that hour worshiping together, remember we all have the best friend and He is the same being that looks in all of our eyes with His love.
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
