At Thy Feet O Christ We Lay

At Thy feet, O Christ, we lay
Thine own gift of this new day;
Doubt of what it holds in store
Makes us crave Thine aid the more;
Lest it prove a time of loss,
Mark, it Saviour, with Thy Cross.

If it flow on calm and bright,
Be Thyself our chief Delight;
If it bring unknown distress,
Good is all that Thou canst bless;
Only, while its hours begin,
Pray we, keep them clear of sin.

We in part our weakness know
And in part discern our foe;
Well for us, before Thine eyes
All our danger open lies;
Turn not from us, while we plead
Thy compassions and our need.

Fain would we Thy Word embrace,
Live each moment on Thy grace,
All our selves to Thee consign,
Fold up all our wills in Thine,
Think, and speak, and do, and be
Simply that which pleases Thee.

Hear us, Lord, and that right soon;
Hear, and grant the choicest boon
That Thy love can e’er impart,
Loyal singleness of heart;
So shall this and all our days,
Christ and God, show forth Thy praise.

William Bright 1867

Where does your greatest allegiance lie?  What is your greatest hope?  How do we know?

I guess it is in the losses and the gains of life.  Both failure and success uncovers the true state of our hearts.  What happens when things go well, your plans work out, your work satisfies and is praised, you do good and are good?  What happens when life takes a nose dive, when loss is irreparable and trouble (real trouble not inconvenience) comes to stay a while?

Where do your internal eyes turn?  Do you praise yourself in success and wonder where God is in the midst of trouble?  Are you thankful in joy and in sorrow – thankful for knowing God?

There is SO much that competes for our affections, our allegiances.  Mostly it is our own good, our comfort, that competes most fiercely.  We may extend ‘our’ good to our families, our friends or even our church and (at a stretch) our theological buddies.  Is our highest allegiance to God in Christ?  Is it?  Really?

Make the choice (first time or afresh); life is from Him and for Him.  In Him and Him alone is eternal life.  It comes only through faith in Jesus: faith in Jesus as Saviour, Lord and King.  Jesus – our first, last and highest allegiance: through good and bad.

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” John’s Gospel 17:1-5