What a Friend We Have in Jesus,

The Song and the Story

Irish born Joseph M. Screven (1819-1896) was 25 years old, in love and to be married.

The day before his wedding his fiancé died in a tragic drowning accident. Heartbroken, Joseph sailed from his homeland to start a new life in Canada. While in Canada working as a teacher, he fell in love again and became engaged to Eliza Roche, a relative of one of his students.

Once again, Joseph's hopes and dreams were shattered when Eliza became ill and died before the wedding could take place.

Although one can only imagine the turmoil within this young man, history tells us that his faith in God sustained him.

Soon after Eliza's death Joseph joined the Plymouth Brethren and began preaching for a Baptist church. He never married, but spent the remainder of his life giving all his time, money and even the clothes off his own back to help the less fortunate and to spread the love and compassion of Jesus wherever he went.

Around the same time that Eliza died, Joseph received word from Ireland that his mother was ill. He could not go to be with her, so he wrote a letter of comfort and enclosed one of his poems entitled What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

Many years later a friend was sitting with Joseph, as he was very ill. During this visit, the friend was very impressed when he ran across his poems, including What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

As a result of this visit, almost 30 years after his letter of comfort to his mother, Joseph's poems were published in a book called Hymns and Other Verses. Soon thereafter, noted musician Charles C. Converse (1834-1918) put music to one of those poems: What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

Well-known musician and revivalist Ira D. Sankey (1840-1908) was a great admirer of Joseph Screven. In 1875, Sankey came upon the music and words for What a Friend We Have in Jesus. He included it as the last entry into his well-known publication Sankey's Gospel Hymns Number 1.

After Joseph Screven’s death, the citizens of Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, where he gave so much of himself, erected a monument to his life.

The seemingly sad and obscure life of one man resulted in so many lives being uplifted, both in his own time, and for many years after whenever the beautiful and comforting words of What a Friend We Have in Jesus are sung.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief’s to bear!

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In His arms He'll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear

May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.

Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer

Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.

“Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

God’s Verse for God’s People

God will be with you

Joshua 1:5  

No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Joshua 3:7 

And the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.

Be sensitive to God’s timing:

Exodus 3:2  

There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.

Power with God

“As a prince hast thou power with God”—Genesis 32:28

In a certain town, says the Rev. Finney, there had been no revival for many years; the church was nearly run out, the youth were all unconverted, and desolation reigned unbroken. There lived in a retired part of the town an aged man, a blacksmith by trade, and of so stammering a tongue that it was painful to hear him speak. On one Friday, as he was at work in his shop alone, his mind became greatly exercised about the state of the church, and of the impenitent.

His agony became so great, that he was induced to lay aside his work, lock the shop door, and spend the afternoon in prayer. He prevailed, and on the Sabbath called in the minister and desired him to appoint a conference meeting. After some hesitation, the minister consented, observing, however, that he feared but few would attend. He appointed it the same evening, at a large private house. When evening came, more assembled than could be accommodated in the house. All were silent for a time, until one sinner broke out in tears, and said, if anyone could pray, he begged him to pray for him. Another followed, and another, and still another, until it was found that persons from every quarter of the town were under deep convictions. And what was remarkable was that they all dated their conviction at the hour when the old man was praying in his shop. A powerful revival followed. Then this old stammering man prevailed, and as a prince, had power with God.

Five dimensions of church growth:

Churches grow warmer through fellowship.

Churches grow deeper through discipleship.

Churches grow stronger through worship.

Churches grow stronger through ministry.

Churches grow larger through evangelism.

Thinking about my Purpose:

“You, LORD, give perfect peace in those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.”—Isaiah 26:3

     

Five Bible verses about money every Christian should know.

Philippians 4:19 

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Malachi 3:10 

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

1 Timothy 6:10 

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Acts 20:35 

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Proverbs 22:7 

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Thought

Some of the world's greatest men and women have been saddled with disabilities and adversities but have managed to overcome them.  Cripple him, and you have a Sir Walter Scott.  Lock him in a prison cell, and you have a John Bunyan.  Bury him in the snows of Valley Forge, and you have a George Washington.  Raise him in abject poverty, and you have an Abraham Lincoln.  Subject him to bitter religious prejudice, and you have a Benjamin Disraeli.  Strike him down with infantile paralysis, and he becomes a Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

Burn him so severely in a schoolhouse fire that the doctors say he will never walk again, and you have a Glenn Cunningham, who set a world's record in 1934 for running a mile in 4 minutes, 6.7 seconds.  Deafen a genius composer, and you have a Ludwig van Beethoven.  Have him or her born Black in a society filled with racial discrimination, and you have a Booker T. Washington, a Harriet Tubman, a Marian Anderson, or a George Washington Carver.  Make him the first child to survive in a poor Italian family of eighteen children, and you have an Enrico Caruso.  Have him born of parents who survived a Nazi concentration camp, paralyze him from the waist down when he is four, and you have an incomparable concert violinist, Itzhak Perlman.  Call him a slow learner, "retarded," and write him off as in educable, and you have an Albert Einstein.

Unknown

The number 666

The number 666 has another remarkable property. It is further marked as the concentration and 

essence of 6 by being the sum of all the numbers which makes up the square of six! The 

square of six is 36 (6x6), and the sum of the numbers 1 to 36 = 666, i.e., 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 

7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 + 18 + 19 + 20 + 21 + 22 + 23 + 24 + 25 + 

26 + 27 + 28 + 29 + 30 + 31 + 32 + 33 + 34 + 35 + 36 = 666.

They may be arranged in the form of a square with six figures each way, so that the sum of 

each six figures in any direction shall be another significant triplicate: the number 111.

6          32        3          34        35        1

7          11        27        28        8          30

19        14        16        15        23        24

18        20        22        21        17        13

25        29        10        9          26        12

36        5          33        4          2          31

Righteousness

Romans 10:10  

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Romans 14:17  

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

1 Corinthians 1:10 

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

1 Corinthians 6:11  

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 15:34  

Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

2 Corinthians 3:9  

If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

2 Corinthians 5:21  

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 6:7  

In truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;

2 Corinthians 6:14  

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

God Loves What Is Right

 “Love . . . does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.” I Corinthians 13:6 NASB

Isn’t it good to know that even when we don’t love with a perfect love, God does? He always nourishes what is right. He always applauds what is right. He has never done wrong, led one person to do wrong, or rejoiced when anyone did wrong. For he is love, and love “does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.” - Max Lucado

God’s Verse for God’s people…

Make Every Effort

Luke 13:24  

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

Makes You Go Hummm

Hebrews 10:25  

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Many Words.

Matthew 6:7  

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

Sharing Christ with Your Spouse

After having read some of the benefits of a Christ-centered marriage you may be wondering how to share Christ with your spouse. What should a believer say and how should he act in front of the spouse who is not a believer?

First, we must understand that having a spouse who is not willing to participate in the most sacred and important aspects of life are a very lonely and fragile place to be. It can be very disappointing and it could be so easy to translate those feelings into bitterness and contempt toward a spouse. But, of course, that is not the answer! Intercessory prayer is critical for this situation. It is active part evangelism. As spouse who is a believer, you must realize that you cannot change your husband or wife. Only God can do that.

Also, be careful not to become distant from your spouse. Pray that God will bring (or keep) you together. Your prayer should be twofold, asking God to help your spouse be responsive to him and to help you display the fruit of the Spirit. The Message describes this so well”  “What happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others…a sense of compassion in the heart…we find ourselves involved in loyal commitments…able to marshal and direct our energies wisely” ( Gal. 5:22-23 Message). When we are active in our prayer life, we will discover that our testimony may be less about what we say and more about how we act.

It is also important to learn how to best approach our spouse concerning spiritual issues. Gary Thomas gives an excellent study on this topic that is defined as “sacred pathways.” Basically, just as in school we learn in different ways, we learn spirituality through different means. It is important to discover what would attract our spouse to Christ. Is our spouse more responsive to a naturalist, traditionalist, or enthusiast? Most spouses will reach out only in the path that is their favorite, not in their partner’s path. Consequently, what brings one spouse the most joy may bring only emptiness and confusion in the life of the other.

Finally, above all else, we must love our spouse. We must stop trying to change our spouse and focus instead on his or her positive qualities. As followers of Christ we have experienced unconditional love. God loved us before our relationship with him ever started. We must love our spouse in the same way. This means respecting her likes, dislikes, interests, and choices. It means being willing to be involved in and support his commitments and dreams, unless these things would violate biblical teachings. Once again, it is how we live out our life—by our words, actions, and attitudes—that will influence our spouse.