Forever

And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’  (II Samuel 7:16 ESV)

To Guarantee a Davidic King on the Throne

When the dentist was drilling out a bad root in my tooth, something was not quite right with the pain killer.  It hurt!  And as I writhed in agony, it seemed that pain would last forever. 

When driving across the Midwest multiple times, many years ago, entertainment options seemed limited.  Alone in the car, late at night, the road seemed to stretch forever.

Recently, we traveled to Iceland.  Each day together was exciting, intimate, and precious.  Whether in an Arctic blizzard, standing before a majestic waterfall, or eating at exotic restaurants, we were stuck in time… the vacation seemed to last forever.

Forever is a long time!

And even though our activities at times seem to last forever, they never do, whether good or bad.

God had promised King David that David’s line would rule God’s people forever.

And it seemed that God’s promise had failed!

Israel had been conquered, and no one from David’s descendants sat on the throne in Jerusalem.  And even before Jerusalem fell, King David’s line had descended into disrepute.

But God fixed that.

A human born into David’s family was impossibly born as God AND man.

And now there was a forever King!

Without King Christ’s Divinity, Jesus would have been another temporary King, however grand.

But Divine… He fulfilled God’s promise to David.

And fulfilled, we have a King!  A perfect King.  An all-powerful King.  A trustworthy King.  A good King.  A loving King.  A King willing and able to sacrifice Himself, even onto death, so that we can live forever as His people.

The Incarnation did that!

Integrity

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26 ESV)

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. (Genesis 1:28 ESV)

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15 ESV)

Integrity

Jesus usually referred to Himself as the “Son of Man.”

Perhaps that seems surprising.  It seems the lesser of the titles that Christ could claim.

Authority is a hard thing to wield well.  It is common, unfortunately, for human leaders to wield authority without integrity.  Selfish use of power and authority is not a display of integrity.  Dishonest use of power and authority is not a display of integrity.  Insincere use of power and authority is not a display of integrity.  Breaking one’s word, overturning past commitments, and taking back what was clearly given are not displays of integrity.

Those who delegate authority, but do not really mean it, are not displaying integrity.

So note… that in Genesis God makes humankind stewards not merely of gardens and cattle… but over all of creation.  Humans are God’s stewards.  Humans are kings of creation.

And because God has integrity, mankind remains steward.  Even though Adam sinned.  Even though mankind has been a poor steward from the beginning.

God has left mankind in place.

If the Messiah was to be King, Lord, and Master… the Messiah should be human.  Or God would have to upset all of creation.  He COULD do that, of course.  But God has integrity.

So when God brought the Messiah to earth, He had two choices.  Remove mankind from our stewardly throne, taking back His gift of stewardship… or make the Messiah in such a way that the Messiah would be fully human. 

And God chose to have integrity, and keep order in the universe.

In fact, the only way for the Messiah to be King was for the Messiah to be Human.

The Incarnation was necessary to bring that about.

Fully God, and fully human.

Promise Keeper

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15 ESV)

Promises

A chasm lurks between, “I might” and “I will.”  “I will try,” is not in the same league as, “I will.”  Every child knows the difference between  “maybe,” and “yes.”

In the first book of the Bible, the first promise that God made to His people was the promise to fix what Adam broke.  And that fixing would be done by a Messiah.  Throughout the Old Testament, God described that Messiah in two ways.

The Messiah was described as divine (Daniel 7:3, and Micah 5:2).

The Messiah was described as human (Isaiah 7:15, Deuteronomy 18:16).

In order that both of these sets of prophecies be fulfilled, the Messiah had to somehow be both divine AND human.

And that is exactly what the incarnation was.

The Divine, becoming Human, without abandoning His Divinity.

The incarnation was necessary lest God be a liar.

And God is not a liar.

He broke the laws of the universe in that Messiah-birth.  Think what He will do for you!

God kept His promises in the Incarnation.

To Reveal the Invisible God

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (John 1:18 ESV)

Why the Incarnation?

To Reveal the Invisible God

I do not understand people who like bananas.  I do not understand people who like the two party system.  I do not understand people who like sleeping outside in the winter.  I do not understand people who refuse to like all the things that I like.

But that understanding is bridged by something.  Or rather, by someOne.  The Christ we share overcomes the differences.

And that ability to accept those others began with the Incarnation.  God, through Jesus, showed us how.

God’s holiness, power, and ‘other’ness might have meant eternal distance from His beloved created beings.  A connection was already going to be different, but once mankind broke covenant any chance of community was abolished.

Humans could not comprehend God. 

But when perfect, limitless, divine Jahweh somehow also became temptable, limited, and human Christ Jesus, that ‘other’ness of God became graspable by our minds, hearts, and souls.

We can know the One True Living God because of the Incarnation.

He is still very different, but He reaches out to us and we can grasp Him.

He is still beyond us, but He reaches down to us and we can recognize Him.

He is still beyond our embrace, but He reaches to us in love and we can have peace.

Without the Incarnation we would not know God, and no one can know God without the Incarnation.

So be in awe this Christmas season!

The Necessity of Christmas

And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.  But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:18, 19 ESV)

The Necessity of Christmas

For believers, for God’s people, for Christians, Christmas is necessary, as perhaps is the celebration of the event.

But not our traditional practices of presents, decorations, dinners, and sentimentality.

Rather, the miracle of Incarnation was necessary.  For all of creation, as well as for our very souls, the Incarnation was not just a nice religious event.  The Incarnation was necessary for God’s defeat rebellion, sin, and evil.

Subsequently, our reaction to that Incarnation is necessary.  If we understand the necessity and importance of the Incarnation, a response is not only a good idea, but it is impossible NOT to respond.  And the variety and breadth of our responses is incredibly deep and wide.

For the next few weeks, we will examine WHY the incarnation is necessary, and fine tune our reaction to it.

Mary understood the necessity of the event.  She wondered and treasured because this thing is big!  This thing is miraculous! This thing is amazing!  This thing is worth remembering!

Mornings

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22,23 ESV)

Mornings

My grandfather had an odd methodology when he taught me to play chess.  At any point in my rookie games against him, if I was dissatisfied with how the game was going, we would clear the board and start over.  Without shame, without disappointment, without condemnation, without a sense of failure.

Few things in life allow restarts like that.

Restarting projects costs extra money.  Restarting relationships causes emotional pain.  Restarting a road trip costs time. Restarting a bad day is simply not physically possible.

But God restarts with His people all the time.

He does not remember our sins, because His Son paid for them.

He does not remember our failures because His Son succeeds on our behalf.

He does not remember our unfaithfulness because His Son is faithful for us.

He does not remember our broken promises, broken resolutions, broken relationship with Him because Jesus fixes everything.

Mornings are symbolic of our God’s eager willingness to allow us to restart.  A new day is a fresh start with God.  A new day is a sunlit beginning with God.  A new day is a new receipt of His faithfulness.

Even though I am not generally a  ‘morning person,’ I get to thank God every morning for His mercies.

Thank God!

Work

When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you. (Psalm 128:2 ESV)

Work

God gives us many blessings through supernatural means… things like grace, mercy, forgiveness, adoption, justification, sanctification, and glorification.  All theological words, yes… but all precious and out of our ability to acccomplish on our own.

But God also blesses us in ways that involve some contribution ourselves.  God gives us work, and the results of our work are blessing.

God does not give us tasks, jobs, and work merely to keep our idle hands occupied.  Rather, He blesses us with both the work itself, and the results of our labor.

Many folk today seem eager to avoid work, take shortcuts in our work, and be done with work.  But work is a blessing, and a means to blessing.

The best example is Christ Himself.  He had work to do on earth.  If anyone deserved to not ‘work’ it was Christ.  The Son of God, an amazing heavenly home, power and authority, and He had already been working throughout eternity.

But His work blessed His people.  His obedience and resistance to every temptation counts as ours.  His miracles helped so many.  Being finite when He was infinite, suffering the physical effects of Adam’s sin in creation, accepting guilt for everything of which He was innocent, were all hard work.

But He blessed us.  Doubly.  He blessed us by doing them, and He blessed  us with the results.

Two things, then, to be thankful for.  Our God-directed work, and the happy results.

Rest

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 ESV)

Rest

I like naps, when I can get them.  But that is not what is talked about here.

I like vacations. But that is not what is talked about here.

I like an occasional slow easy morning. But that is not what is talked about here.

The Rest that God’s people, Christians have, comes in the forms of trust, peace, and joy. Because God is so very powerful, we can trust Him.  Because God is so very good, we can have peace.  Because God unconditionally loves us, we can have joy.

Our work can be tedious, exhausting, endless, painful, intimidating, and unpleasant.  But God, in Christ, gives us rest.  Our work comes from God’s will for us, and so does rest.  Our work comes from necessity, and so does rest.  Our work comes from obedience, and so does rest.  Our work comes from life, and so does rest.

Notice the opportunities for rest that God gives us.  Rest as a teeter-totter response to work.  Rest as a recovery from work.  Rest as a preparation for work. Rest as a pleasant gift from God, in and of itself.

When you see that God gives rest, thank Him.

Order

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you. (Titus 1:5 ESV)

Order

Some days it seems the world has gone wild.

That, perhaps, is the scariest part of watching the news, surfing the internet, or conversing with friends.  Chaos is more loud than security.  Chaos is more visible than normalcy.  Chaos is more prevalent than order.

But the One True Living God brings order to this universe.  Sin’s chaos, was instituted by Asam and Eve in the Garden, and grew more powerful and dangerous right up to the point of the cross. 

And through the cross, God restored order.

Sin’s chaos was defeated through Christ’s atoning work.  Sin’s power was defeated through Christ’s atoning work.  Sin’s punishment was defeated through Christ’s atoning work.  Sin’s presence was negated through Christ’s atoning work.

We might notice the remnants of chaos more than we notice God’s order, but our eyesight is blurred.  We might suffer under the remnants of chaos more than we find joy in God’s order, but our understanding is muted.  We might worry under the remnants of chaos more than find peace in God’s order, but our trust is weak.

As the apostle Paul brought order to his world through bringing the power of the gospel, he illustrated that order through the organization of the church.  The gospel changed lives, and the gospel brought order.

God continues to do that all around us.  Throughout history, as roads extend and improve, travel becomes safer and easier.  Medical knowledge and increased resources have improved and increased life expectancy.  Communication technology has sped response time to emergencies, and enabled assistance and help in crises.  And all of these have paved the Gospel’s way so that the numbers of the redeemed is astonishingly growing, worldwide.

Noticing the order in our church, world, nation, city, and family brings gratitude instead of fear.  Noticing the order brings gratitude instead of complacency.  Noticing the order brings gratitude instead of anger.

Be thankful for God’s order.

God's Presence

…for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13 ESV)

The Presence of God

Things go better with Coke, the commercials used to tell us.

Things go better with bacon.

Things go better with friends.

In so many circumstances we are told, or acknowledge that things go better WITH something else.  But all of us do not enjoy Coke.  All of us (strange as it may sound) do not enjoy bacon.  And all of us do not enjoy the company of friends all the time.

But every aspect of our lives is better with God the Father.

His providential care is necessary.  His omnipotence protects His people.  His foresight and foreknowledge give us peace.  His plans bear fruit, His actions give success.  His love gives joy.

Every aspect of our lives is better with God the Son. His sacrificial love is necessary.  His sovereignty protects His people.  His understanding gives us peace.  His leadership bears fruit.  His commands give success.  His love gives joy.

Every aspect of our lives is better with God the Spirit.  The connection He brings between God and us is necessary.  The application of God’s Word to our hearts gives us peace. His teaching bears fruit.  His principles give success.  His love brings joy.

God’s presence is what leads to ALL our reasons for thanksgiving.

Give thanks today for God’s presence.

Salvation

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (I Corinthians 9:15 ESV)

Salvation

I have usually been thankful for a paycheck… but it is a restrained thankfulness, because a paycheck is giving me something that I have usually earned.  I am often thankful for birthday presents… but it is a restrained thankfulness because those gifts, in a way, are a reward for making it through another year.  I am sometimes thankful for being able to finish a task or project… but it is a restrained thankfulness because the completion is accompanied by fatigue, effort, and loss of time.

But Paul declares that he is thankful for his salvation.  And all the more because that gift, he says, is inexpressible.  His salvation was not earned, is not a reward, and does not come from hard work.

Paul’s salvation was by grace, through faith.

We would be understandably less grateful if we received eternal life through good financial investments.  Yes, we would be glad, but part of that gratitude would aim towards our cleverness.  We would be understandably less grateful if we received eternal life through high numbers of Bible verses read, memorized, or placed on posters around our home.  Yes, we would be glad, but part of that gratitude would aim towards ourselves.  We would be understandably less grateful if we received eternal life through being nice, thinking kind thoughts, or being generous.  Yes, we would be glad, but part of that gratitude would aim towards ourselves.

But none of those things lead to salvation.

God saves by grace.

God saves because of His love.

God saves because Jesus paid our heaven-blocking sin-debts.

And that is amazing… and that is worth profound thanksgiving!

Troubles

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 ESV)

Troubles

It is easier to be grateful for pleasant, comfortable, and tasty things.   But if we trust that God is always at work in our lives doing what HE knows is best for us, we should also somehow thank God for our troubles.

Because God teaches us through them.  God causes growth through them.  God increases our faith through them.  God blesses us through them.

Our natural response is to complain about troubles, problems, and trials.  But if the lens of our faith and trust can effect our sight, it is possible for us to be content even in troubles, understanding even in troubles, joyful even in troubles, thankful even in troubles.

It is not easy. 

And perhaps we can best begin this change by thanking God in small troubles, and practice.

We receive a speeding ticket, and we thank God for teaching us to be safer when driving.  We get sick, and we thank God for teaching us to take better care of our bodies, His temples.  We lose a job, and we thank God for teaching us to be better stewards through frugality.  We feel the effects of old age, and we thank God that heaven comes soon.

Gratefulness is a choice. 

Choose to be thankful even in troubles.

Imperfect People

 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, (I Corinthians 1:4 ESV)

Imperfect People

The Christians in Corinth were not perfect people.  In fact, their shortcomings, faults, and unrighteousness caused Paul to write two letters to them, redirecting them towards sanctification.

Those folk were schismatic, yet Paul thanked God for them.  Those folk were bigoted, yet Paul thanked God for them.  Those folk were judgmental, yet Paul thanked God for them.  Those folk were purposefully ignorant, yet Paul thanked God for them.

Paul also noted and was grateful for the positive traits and attitudes, and righteous actions of the imperfect people in the church in Corinth.  They strove to understand God, and Paul thanked God for them.  They were joyful worshippers, and Paul thanked God for them.  They leaned on Christ alone for their salvation, and Paul thanked God for them.

In fact, their positives and negatives both reminded Paul of God’s grace, mercy, and love.  And so Paul thanked God for them.

We, too, are surrounded by imperfect people.  Whether those around us share imperfections as described in the books of Corinthians, or whether we see different faults, everyone around us is imperfect.

But like Paul, we get to be thankful for them.  For the mutual meeting of needs.  For the mutual opportunities to forgive.  For the mutual need for learning.  For the mutual drive and pull towards our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Make a list of all the people in your circles, and like Paul, thank God for them.

Material Blessings

Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. (I Chronicles 29:12,13 ESV)

Material Blessings

When Bing sings that we should count our blessings instead of sheep to help us fall asleep, he was more helpful than we might think.  Yes, it is Hollywood, vapid and simplistic. 

Yet lack of sleep is often caused by worry.  And worry is often caused by a perceived lack of physical blessings.

Realize, instead, how God has blessed you physically.  We readily note our have-nots.  Instead notice our haves.  We readily notice any decline in wealth.  Instead notice our wealth itself.  We readily notice when others have more.   Instead notice today’s incredible physical blessings, irrespective of any comparison.

Our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10).  And He has put a lot of those cattle in our pastures.  That is a reason for a lot of gratitude.

And our future physical blessings are even better!  Every physical blessing we receive and notice today, are merely a hint of the wonderful blessings God’s people will experience eternally with King Jesus!

It is not unspiritual to focus a bit on our physical situation.  But rather than dwell on shortages and lacks, open your eyes to how much He has blessed you.

And thank Him.

SIng

A Brief Foray Into More Thanks-Giving

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! (Psalm 147:7 ESV)

Sing

And suddenly the season of Thanksgiving is upon us.  The official, sanctioned, calendric day that modern Americans set aside for expressing thanks is in one week.

Obviously, you do not need me to utter than we should be thankful more than once per year.  But even with that knowledge, we do not really have a season of thanks, we have a day.  Somehow fit in between meal preparation, turkey-eating, and football.  Maybe you do, but my thanks giving on thanksgiving is not as heartfelt as my complaint-giving, or my worry-giving, or my discontent-giving.

But scripture can help us get out of that rut.

More than knitting our brows and TRYING harder to be grateful, we can be encouraged and challenged by God’s Word to develop that attitude of gratitude. 

Psalm 147 begins our journey by urging us to use music to cultivate thanks-giving.  Music has a strange and wonderful effect on our heart, our psyche, and our mind.  I listen to most of my music on the radio.  Lately, I have noticed that music amplifies my mood.

If I am cheerful, almost any song can seem more cheery.  If I am worried, almost any song can seem more concerning.  If I am bored, almost any song makes me want to change the station.

If we begin each day intending to be thankful, perhaps the songs we listen to can amplify that desire.  Perhaps the word can remind you of God’s goodness, regardless of the lyricist’s ideas.  Perhaps the melody can lift our hearts towards true joy, regardless of our dire circumstances.  Perhaps our listening, even behind our consciousness, can get us started this year to have more than a day of thanksgiving.

The Psalmist seems to think so.

Give thanks in all things.

Wrath

In that day, “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it!   I, the Lord, am its keeper; every moment I water it.

Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day; I have no wrath.” (Isaiah 27:2-4 ESV)

Wrath

The Bible mentions vineyards around 65 times.  Usually, vineyards are metaphors for God’s people.  We are planted by the Lord, nourished by the Lord, sustained by the Lord, and harvested by the Lord.

But the best part of being the Lord’s Vineyard is this:  God’s vineyard does not receive His wrath.  We deserve God’s wrath, of course.  We ignore the vine-keeper, rebel against the vine-keeper, and even cause the death of the vine-keeper’s only begotten Son.

But God chooses to send His wrath against the Messiah, instead of against His people.

And that is the gospel in a nutshell… or a grape.

God’s love for His people causes Him to defend us against His own wrath.  And that defense was found on the cross, where God’s wrath, which deservedly would have been aimed at sinners, instead was aimed at Christ.

God does, in fact, have wrath.  A lot of it.  But He has no wrath left to put on His people, those who have believed in Christ.  Because He put all His wrath on Christ, instead.

His love for His people redirected His wrath away from us.  His love frees us from His wrath.  And that makes a pleasant vineyard.

Vineyard

In that day, “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it!   I, the Lord, am its keeper; every moment I water it.

Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day; I have no wrath. (Isaiah 27:2-4 ESV)

Vineyard

Someone I know takes careful care in caring for a plant.  Personally, I do not think I could care long term for a plant in the way this woman does.  She has nurtured, protected, and provided for her collection of particular plants.  And with the way she cares for them, I would not mind being one of her plants.

These verses make me think that God is more like HER than like me.  We are the Lord’s vineyard.  And being the Lord’s vineyard is a fantastic thing.  Because God looks after His vineyard even more than the woman looks after her plants.

Maybe because plants, vineyards, and God’s people need a lot of care to survive.

Maybe because plants, vineyards, and God’s people relish being on the receiving end of unconditional love.

Maybe because plants, vineyards, and God’s people thrive when looked after.

Maybe because plants, vineyards, and God’s people are helpless, temporary, and weak… but when a caregiver gives care, they are helped, long lasting, and strong.

God loves like a gardener, and we plants are glad.

Death

He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8 ESV)

Death

God’s love is not a minor thing.  His love is immeasurable.  His love is limitless.  His love is infinite.  And while He shows that love to His people in tiny ways every day, His love is not only found in the small details.  Don’t get me wrong, I praise Him for those small, often unnoticed actions. 

He holds oxygen and hydrogen together in the correct proportion so His people have water.

He makes gravity, strangely considered by physicists as the weakest attraction, so that we can walk, and run, and sit.

He empowers electricity so that God’s people can see at night, be warm in the cold, and dry our hair quickly.

But His love also has taken care of more dramatic things.

The biggest of all, the most shocking thing that His love caused, the most important result of His love, is that death is no longer simply the result of sin’s curse… terrible, painful, and final.  God’s love, displayed as He gave up His Son’s life for us, swallowed up death.

Now death is merely the doorway into God’s complete Kingdom.

Yes, it still has sting.  Yes, it still causes sorrow.  Yes, it is still connected to Sin.

But God, in love, through love, and because of love, swallowed it, digested it, and changed it.

God’s love was powerful enough to destroy death.

That is a lot of love.

Empires

The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers, that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution. (Isaiah 14:5,6 ESV)

Empires

Empires are easy to see in today’s world.  They usually are.  Mankind’s governments tend towards tyranny, and oppression, and even evil.  Throughout history, human rule (and man’s inhumanity to man) tends to decline and fall.  And on the way, things get ugly.

But those kinds of empires always fall, because the Lord breaks them.

Always.

Think about the worst tyrannical empires in history.  They are gone. 

On the other hand, the Kingdom of God grows.  It prospers because of God’s favor, not because of wealth, or military might, or clever politics.  Even if oppressed and forced underground, the Kingdom of God grows.  Even if mocked or ignored, the Kingdom of God grows.  Even when it seems to be losing, the Kingdom of God grows.

And God inevitably breaks what is not the Kingdom of God.

And God builds His Kingdom because He loves His people.

His love is what guarantees His Kingdom’s growth.  Nothing else. 

The safe place, no matter how powerful the Empire, is in God’s Kingdom.  His love is here.

Song

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2 ESV)

Song

Sometimes I sing on purpose.  Sometimes I sing by accident.  Sometimes I sing carefully.  Sometimes I sing thoughtlessly.  Sometimes I sing loudly.  Sometimes I sing… well, I usually sing loudly.

Because my the ‘sing’ part of my brain is closely connected to the ‘feel’ part of my brain.  And the ‘sing’ part of my brain is closely connected to the ‘think’ part of my brain.  And the ‘sing’ part of my brain is closely connecte to nearly every other part of my brain.

Today, I am in the mood to sing.  But when I examine all the things that make me sing, today, I realize that all of them are connected to God’s Love… all of them are derived from God’s Love… all of them are empowered by God’s Love… all of them are because of God’s Love… all of them are responses to God’s Love… all of them are expressions of God’s Love.

In love, He created me and my world, so He is my song.  In love, He redeemed me, though unworthy, so He is my song.  In love, He blesses me, so He is my song.

It is a good song.  Know God’s love, and sing it, too!