I WANT TO BE THERE

I WANT TO BE THERE

Life upon earth, wondrous and grand

Is held in a frail, perishing hand

And all of its sweet treasures sublime, I soon will lay down;

But when my life, enters the past

If faithful I’ll see, heaven at last

I want to be there, walking with God, and wearing a crown.

When I must face, trials severe

There’s always a friend, lingering near

Tho loved ones by death, leave me each day, I’m never alone;

Pressing along, looking above

I’m walking by faith, guided by love

My Savior once passed, marking the road I’m traveling on.

Soon I must go, into the tomb

To sleep in that cold, transient room

Until I awake, knowing my work, forever is done;

I will arise, heaven to share

With God in my own, mansion up there

Forever at home, happy at last, the victory won.

When Divine hands, beckon to me

Away from my soul, darkness will flee

The glory of God, filling the sky, will scatter the gloam;

Lifting my soul, out of the night

Away in that sweet, rapturous flight

When angels of God, sent from on high, shall carry me home.

1

READ YOURSELF A BEDTIME STORY

Read yourself a bedtime story

And instead of counting sheep

Feast your soul on heaven’s glory

In the Bible ‘ere you sleep.

‘Tis a precious priceless treasure

And within it you will find

Hope and comfort beyond measure

And a restful peace of mind.

Let those sacred holy pages

Be your soul’s immortal chart

And their wisdom of the ages

Be engraved upon your heart.

It will bring a night of sleeping

Filled with dreams of pure delight

With your soul in heaven’s keeping

As you travel through the night.

2

MY DREAM WILL COME TRUE

Men envision great wealth

With a life of good health

And in Jesus I too have a dream;

Of a city above

With a fountain of love

Flowing on in an unending stream.

Oft my dreaming takes flight

To that city of light

Where no dismaying darkness descends;

It was made without hands

And eternally stands

As a city where life never ends.

In my dream I behold

Many mansions of gold

Where the Savior has gone to prepare;

An eternal sweet rest

For the souls of the blest

In the city that lieth foursquare.

To the world it may seem

An impossible dream

That by faith I with fealty pursue;

But I’ll face the unknown

Dreaming faithfully on

Knowing someday my dream will come true.

3

SINGING UP IN HEAVEN

While the bells of life are ringing

Nothing sweeter will you hear

Than a congregation singing

Praise to God in worship here.

How the longing heart rejoices

O what rapture it conveys

When true worshippers’ sweet voices

Echo heavenward in praise.

Though this world is richly gifted

There’s no music to be found

That compares with voices lifted

Up in sweet harmonic sound.

There’s no earthly blessing given

That inspires an equal thrill

But the singing up in heaven

Will be even sweeter still.

4

HIS EYE IS WATCHING YOU

You may obey the gospel’s call

Or heaven’s word impugn

But there’s a God who sees it all

Knows all you’ve said and done;

As through this present world you go

With Judgment Day in view

‘Tis well for you today to know

God’s eye is watching you.

‘Twas God who made your soul to live

And brought about your birth

Sustains you till at last you give

Account for life on earth;

If you’d be found on that great day

Among the chosen few

You must believe Him and obey

For He is watching you.

God gives you freedom for a time

To choose how you will spend

Your life in this ephemeral clime

But someday it will end;

And if you’d know His blessings still

When this short life is through

You must repent and do His will

Because He’s watching you.

Forsake the thought of getting by

There’s One you can’t deceive

An omnipresent God on high

Who knows what you conceive;

Take heed to what you are allured

And to the things you do

For pilgrim you can be assured

His eye is watching you.

5

BE THE PILOT OF MY SOUL

Savior come and walk beside me

Lead me safely through the gloom

Lest I lose the way O guide me

Where celestial splendors bloom.

Make thy dwelling ever near me

As I daily travel on

Let thy presence ever cheer me

Make on earth my heart thy throne.

Lord I need the light of heaven

Winds of darkness o’er me blow

Let thy love be freely given

Paradise my spirit show.

Show my heart life’s path eternal

Point my feet to heaven’s goal

From this land to realms supernal

Be the pilot of my soul.

6

THAT SPECIAL TREE

Somewhere a seed fell long ago

And with its germination

Both earth and heaven watched it grow

With varied admiration;

And as it reached maturity

By laws of procreation

It came to be that special tree

Required for our salvation.

One day a woodsman cut it down

A day no man remembers

And as it lay upon the ground

He hewed it into timbers;

And as he took the beams away

Perhaps no thought was given

Unto the part his work would play

Within the scheme of heaven.

A cross was fashioned from the beams

That wrote redemption’s story

Fulfilling every sinner’s dreams

Of everlasting glory;

For on it Christ was crucified

And spilled that crimson river

That stained the tree on which He died

To save our souls forever.

That tree was then the focal plane

Of human veneration

For Jesus’ blood removed the stain

Of sin and condemnation;

And though it must have suffered shame

The day His side was riven

That tree on which He died became

Our bridge from earth to heaven.

7

LET THERE BE A CELEBRATION

When life on earth for me has ended

Pray let there be for me no tears

My raptured soul will have ascended

To life unlimited by years.

Let sorrow not attend my leaving

Stain not my memory with gloam

And let no scenes of selfish grieving

Defile my joyous journey home.

Let not your mien exhibit sadness

At this the souls’ sweet interstice

But let your face reflect with gladness

The distant glow of paradise.

O let the light of jubilation

Diffuse the shadow death has cast

And let there be a celebration

I’ve touched my Savior’s hand at last.

8

IT’S ONE DAY NEARER NOW

Somewhere ahead of me my goal

Is beckoning to me

That home eternal of the soul

With endless ecstasy;

And as I daily travel on

This long and weary way

I have this strength to lean upon

“I’m nearer there each day.”

There’s nothing to attract me here

This is a foreign land

The precious things that I hold dear

Are on another strand;

I spurn earth’s artificial bliss

As through this world I roam

My motivation comes from this

“I’m on my journey home.”

This pilgrimage has taken years

And I’ve seen many fall

I’ve known both happiness and tears

And heard temptation’s call;

I’ve felt the losses others feel

But heaven’s lights still glow

This knowledge gives me added zeal

“There’s one day less to go.”

I seek my bed when day is done

And think of what awaits

When this long journey I’ve begun

Shall end at heaven’s gates;

I ask the Lord my soul to keep

And as I humbly bow

This thought enables me to sleep

“It’s one day nearer now.”

9

THIS HOPE SUSTAINS ME

Somewhere ahead a yawning grave

In patient silence waits for me

My soul a moment to enslave

In shackles of indignity.

Dark bells of death will surely chime

But I will there abide in peace

For when God sounds the end of time

The grave its captive must release.

Then I in glory will arise

From its corruption and decay

To meet my Savior in the skies

And unto heaven fly away.

This hope sustains me as I face

Man’s long appointed destiny

Assured that God’s amazing grace

Will turn defeat to victory.

10

YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL HOME

When your friends have all gone

And you’re left all alone

And you wonder, “Does anyone care?”

There is still someone who

Knows and cares about you

And is waiting to meet you in prayer.

When the pitfalls are rife

On the pathway of life

And your burdens are heavy to bear;

There’s a light in the gloam

You can always call home

Through the long distance power of prayer.

When your ship hits a shoal

It is time for your soul

To ascend that invisible stair;

To that privileged place

At the Lord’s throne of grace

And commune with the Father in prayer.

When your working day ends

And the darkness descends

Dial the code of that city foursquare;

Give your soul to His keep

Ere you give it to sleep

And the Father will answer your prayer.

11

HAPPY UNDER HIS LOVE

When my cloak of life is furled

By the reapers divine

All the treasures of this world

Gladly I will resign;

For a crown of life to wear

When forever I stand

On that golden street to share

Heaven’s glorious land.

Some sweet morning I will hear

Heaven’s summons to go

To that land where crystal clear

Living waters will flow;

Heavy heartaches of the past

Never ever to bear

Free from earthly woes at last

In that glory up there.

When my spirit upward flies

To the Father again

There will be no sad goodbyes

Joy forever will reign;

I will live where never gloom

Comes to darken the door

In an everlasting room

On that beautiful shore.

O what singing there will be

‘Round that Heavenly throne

In that golden ecstasy

Living happily on;

Praise eternal to outpour

To the Father above

Safe with Him for ever more

Happy under His love.

12

LORD HELP ME BE USEFUL SOME WAY

The evening of life is approaching for me

When weakness will be my array

But when I no longer can do all for thee

Lord help me be useful some way.

I know that my strength as the morning will wane

My health with the years will decay

But when I no longer can serve thee amain

Lord let me be useful some way.

As twilight grows deeper on Life’s weary road

I know I will falter some day

When I must let others bear most of the load

Lord I can be useful some way.

And when I ascend to that city foursquare

Don’t let me be idle I pray

Although I must serve as the smallest one there

Lord may I be useful some way.

13

KEEP YOUR EYES UPON THE PRIZES

We appear on earth as strangers

As we run the race of life

On a road that’s filled with dangers

Crossing oft the stream of strife;

Every day we meet temptations

To abandon Heaven’s grace

But the prizes of salvation

Go to those who win the race.

Jesus ran the course we’re running

And His footprints mark the way

All of sin’s temptations shunning

Lest our feet should go astray;

Our directions have been given

And His promises are sure

Prizes wait for us in heaven

If we faithfully endure.

There will no temptation take you

That you cannot turn away

All of hell can never shake you

If you faithfully obey;

We have words by Heaven mentored

That will guard against a fall

It’s a long hard race we’ve entered

But the prizes say it all.

Never leave the road for pleasures

If a crown of life you’d wear

Heaven’s everlasting treasures

All await the faithful there;

Though temptation oft arises

Walk the way that Jesus trode

Keep your eyes upon the prizes

And your feet upon the road.

14

MY LORD WILL TAKE CARE OF ME

As I travel on thru life

O’er the mountain tops of strife

Often the pathway I cannot see;

But I’ve nothing now to fear

Help divine is always near

I have a friend to take care of me.

Oft so lonely here I cry

Sorrows dark keep passing by

Comfort and strength from me often flee

Many loved ones now are gone

But another leads me on

I have my Lord to take care of me.

If alone I’d go astray

But my Savior knows the way

Over the road to eternity

If I do His blest command

In the hollow of His hand

Jesus my Lord will take care of me.

There will come for me a day

When from life I sail away

Into the dark on an unknown sea

But His love is with me still

If I do His blessed will

I know the Lord will take care of me.

15

THIS PRECIOUS OLD BIBLE OF MINE

I hold in my hand, God’s book of command

Revealing salvation’s design

I’ll hear and obey, and cherish for aye

This precious old Bible of mine.

Its cups overflow, God’s love to bestow

A feast where the spirit may dine

It blesses my need, whenever I read


Its sunbeams sublime, will go beyond time

When all other lights are benign

No perishing grace, could ever replace


I treasure with love, this book from above

Containing God’s message divine

More precious than gold, to have and to hold


16

THE SONG OF MOSES AND THE LAMB

Tho blest with life I realize

The sting of death awaits

But some sweet day my soul will rise

To enter Heaven’s gates;

Forever in that endless day

To look upon I AM

And sing that blessed song for aye

Of Moses and the Lamb.

I long to go when time is past

That city to behold

And with my Savior walk at last

Upon that street of gold;

Eternally to stand before

The glory of I AM

To sing that song forevermore


When all the ransomed gather there

By His divine command

In everlasting life to share

With His immortal band;

I want to go where I can be

Forever with I AM

To sing the song in ecstasy


When men and angels join to sing

On Heaven’s golden strand

Where dwells the everlasting King

Of that supernal land;

I want to be amid that throng

Who stand before I AM

And sing the sweet redemption song


17

THE COMFORT OF DEATH

Death is something we fear

But thank God it is near

As a gift sent by Heavenly love;

To provide a release

From the woes that increase

And a portal to mansions above.

How despairing ‘twould be

If no end could we see

To the suff’rings that come to us here;

God has spared us that fate

And we thankfully wait

For the comfort of death to appear.

As we live here below

‘Tis an exile we know

But when all our probation is done;

Death will take us away

From a house made of clay

To another that shines as the sun.

On a glorious day

Our eternal array

Will descend from a city foursquare;

What a joy it will be

To forever be free

From the shackles of woe that we wear.

18

BEWARE OF THOSE WHO CHANGE

Beware of those who change today

The pattern found in holy writ

Defiling God’s unsullied way

As smoke from hell’s abysmal pit.

Their voices cry throughout the land

With words betraying Heaven’s trust

Which set aside the Lord’s command

To surfeit their unholy lust.

They loose what Heaven long has bound

And bind instead commands of men

As earthen shoes on holy ground

They stain the bride of Christ with sin.

But their damnation now is fixed

Who would against God’s word rebel

To drink His cup of wrath unmixed

And spend eternity in hell.

19

HE SPAKE AND IT WAS DONE

I see the stars up in the sky

Go marching to the west

In perfect unison they fly

At God’s divine behest;

And weep that men should be so blind

In heart they cannot see

That stars were by a higher mind

From nothing made to be.

God’s stars declare His glory to

The men of every land

With ancient words forever new

That all can understand;

They form a visible display

Of their creator’s love

And no one but a fool would say

“There is no God above.”

They all in silent symphony

Their maker’s power proclaim

Who blessed them individually

And called them by their name;

Though now innumerable to man

God numbered every one

This universe by words began

He spake and it was done.

Stars bless us wondrously each night

By showing God still reigns

As they with vistas of delight

Our origin explains;

But someday we’ll be going where

No stars will feast our sight

We’ll need no stars to guide us there

God’s glory is the light.

20

WE MUST NEVER FORGET

As we march to the chime

Of the sweet bells of time

We must never forget who we are;

Though we walk from our birth

Wearing garments of earth

We belong to a country afar.

Although beauties unfold

For our eyes to behold

Here on earth while as strangers we roam;

They must not interfere

With our pilgrimage here

They’re just scenery along the way home.

We’ve abodes here and yet

We must never forget

This is only a transient stay;

Though today we appear

Angel hands linger near

And tomorrow they bear us away.

When the Lord calls our name

To return whence we came

And this brief visitation is o’er;

There’ll be cries of delight

When those messengers bright

Come to carry us home evermore.

21

MY SOUL IS GOING HOME

This world is not my dwelling place

While here I’m just a guest

Tho oft thru faith by Heaven’s grace

My soul is richly blessed;

I’ve many things to call my own

And many I hold dear

But to my home I’m pressing on

I’m just a pilgrim here.

I seek not silver here nor gold

Upon the earth to store

But treasures which the heart can hold

And when this life is o’er;

I want no honor more bestowed

Than Heaven’s crown to wear

Forever in that blest abode

My home is over there.

The hand of Heaven has concealed

When darkness shall descend

But dust to dust shall surely yield

And life on earth will end;

But there’s an everlasting land

Somewhere across the foam

And when the sea of time is spanned

My soul is going home.

A house in that supernal clime

Is waiting now for me

It lies beyond the gulf of time

But faith has let me see;

That bright eternal land afar

Beyond this earthly gloam

And guided by the morning star

My soul is going home.

22

IN THE CITY OF DAY

There’s a city up there

In the heavens somewhere

And its splendor some day I’ll behold;

But the glory that waits

At the twelve shining gates

In its fullness can never be told.

There is unending love

In the new earth above

As a fountain that never runs dry;

And the saved will ascend

To a life without end

In the city awaiting on high.

There will be no more tears

Nor the passing of years

‘Tis a city where death is unknown;

There’s no sorrow or strife

Where the river of life

In its beauty proceeds from the throne.

Darkness never appalls

Where the night never falls

I will hear only morning bells chime;

In the city of day

Where I’m going for aye

When I come to the ending of time.

23

O BE A LIGHTHOUSE ON THE SHORE

O be a lighthouse on the shore

Where darkness lingers evermore

Where loud the angry billows roar

O be a burning beacon;

Tho storms assail on every side

Tho fierce the wind and tossing tide

If you should fail, who else would guide?

Your light must never weaken.

Thru strife and turmoil beam your light

Into the dark and evil night

To show the lost their dreadful plight

O let it be extended;

To steer them from the rocky shoal

That wrecks the faith and drowns the soul

And show the way to Heaven’s goal

When life on earth is ended.

O serve to waken all who sleep

Tossed restlessly upon the deep

Undimmed your constant vigil keep

Or darkness will grow deeper;

O make it now your life’s concern

And thru the tempests brightly burn

That they might see your light and turn

To serve the lighthouse keeper.

O will you be the light of men

Adrift upon the seas of sin

The drowning waves that deep within

The darkness ever rages;

Tho many trials echo past

Your light may bring them home at last

Send forth your brightness standing fast

Upon the rock of ages.

24

WE SEE HEAVEN’S BEACONS BURNING

As the years pile up behind us

We display mortality

All our aches and pains remind us

We’re not what we used to be.

Earthly miles start growing longer

And the hills much steeper grow

Our infirmities get stronger

And our footsteps start to slow.

But when hairs to gray start turning

And our wrinkles secrets tell

We see Heaven’s beacons burning

And we know that all is well.

For our aging heart envisions

That new body we will wear

And it strengthens our provisions

For that journey over there.

25

THAT FINAL MOMENT

Though we’re pilgrims here and strangers

From the moment of our birth

In a world that’s filled with dangers

We are loath to leave the earth;

But life is of short duration

By an edict from on high

And to crown our visitation

We’re appointed once to die.

We deplore the thought of leaving

Though we’ve lingered many years

Partings terminate with grieving

And a cavalcade of tears;

But the stream of life is flowing

On to an eternal sea

And each moment finds us going

To that distant destiny.

‘Tis predestined that we perish

And its coming we decry

When to all we dearly cherish

We will have to say goodbye;

But that moment soon befalls us

Each on his appointed day

As death’s ceaseless hunger calls us

One by one we go away

Yet it need not gender sadness

As we contemplate the end

It can be a time of gladness

How it serves us will depend;

If we’re in the right condition

When we hear departure’s drums

It will be a sweet transition

When that final moment comes.

26

AN ETERNAL FAREWELL

Nothing equals the scope

Of a state without hope

In a fire that eternally burns;

But when mercy is spent

All the lost will be sent

To the hell from which no one returns.

Not a soul on that day

Who refused to obey

Has a promised reunion in store;

Our respects when they die

Are a final goodbye

For we’ll see them again nevermore.

Nothing else can impart

Such a fear to the heart

As the soul rending words, “It’s too late”;

‘Tis unknown to our psyche

What their anguish is like

We can only imagine their state.

What could anyone say

There is simply no way

To describe an eternal farewell;

Naught of earth can compare

With the hopeless despair

Of a soul lost forever in hell.

27

VICTORY AT LAST

What a happy day ‘twill be

When the saints arise

To that endless ecstasy

Waiting in the skies;

Climbing up that golden stair

Singing all the way

To that city built foursquare

Going home for aye.

Every grave will lose its guest

On that happy day

All with life forever blessed

Free to fly away;

What rejoicing will resound

When the tombs they flee

With the angels Heaven bound

For eternity.

Death and darkness, pain and care

Nevermore to see

Everlasting life to share

In that jubilee;

Nevermore a captive soul

Bondage all is past

Singing while the ages roll

Victory at last.

Free at last to rise and shine

From that dreadful night

Raised anew by words divine

Into Heaven’s light;

In that land beyond the blue

Endless glory waits

When the saved go singing thru

Heaven’s pearly gates.

28

LET IT NOT SLIP AWAY

If a Heavenly goal

Is the quest of your soul

You must make it secure in advance;

Now’s the time to prepare

For a mansion up there

After death there is no second chance.

Let it not slip away

Seek forgiveness today

While the candles of mercy still burn;

Opportunity’s door

Soon will close evermore

For from Hades there is no return.

There the souls of all men

Who on earth die in sin

Cannot leave the abode of the lost;

Heaven’s words have revealed

That their destiny’s sealed

With a chasm which cannot be crossed.

Don’t be too late to find

Cause for changing your mind

While you can, now repent and obey;

Ere you draw your last breath

And the cold hands of death

Close the door of salvation for aye.

29

THIS DARK AND LONELY ROAD

As a river ever flowing

To its meeting with the sea

Every soul on earth is going

On toward eternity;

Oft beset by tribulations

And the obstacles of strife

‘Tis a journey of frustrations

On this one way road of life.

It’s a pathway fraught with dangers

Wending through a world of woe

That we travel here as strangers

Thru this wilderness below;

Knowing not in many cases

What the future holds in store

Facing unfamiliar places

Where we’ve never been before.

Often meeting with derision

In the darkness of dismay

Without light to give us vision

We would quickly lose the way;

Pilgrims here till Heaven calls us

With no permanent abode

Pressing on what e’er befalls us

On this dark and lonely road.

But by grace we have been given

An unfailing guiding light

That will lead us unto Heaven

Through the pitfalls of the night;

With the morning star to guide us

And our life in His control

Though the gates of hell betide us

We will safely reach the goal.

30

WHAT A JOY IT WILL BE

We have troubles and strife

But we still cherish life

And defend it as long as we can;

But we all have to face

As a blessing by grace

An event that is common to man.

Every prudent heart knows

When the doors of life close

We’ll be swallowed by Jordan’s dark wave;

To be borne to the gloom

Of a dark silent tomb

As a captive of death and the grave.

But we’re promised a day

When we’ll rise from decay

In a body that will not grow old;

And our rapturous eyes

Will be drawn to the skies

All the glory of God to behold.

When the archangel cries

For the saved to arise

With the dawn of eternity’s sun;


When at last victory

Over death and the grave has been won.

31

THERE IS AN EVERLASTING LAND

This world has many pretty things

And daily beauty to us brings

But they exist on fleeting wings

And yield to time their splendor;

The earthly things which we hold dear

As bursting bubbles disappear

And all the treasures gathered here

We must at death surrender.

But in the Bible we are told

Of things more precious far than gold

And beauties which do not grow old

Whose tenure is eternal;

Each mortal creature’s highest goal

Should be those things God’s words extol

Which everlasting bless the soul

And seek those things supernal.

There is an everlasting land

Where precious things forever stand

Reached only through the Lord’s command

By those who will obey it;

Where riches never fade away

Or lose their glory by decay

And may be seen by faith today

As scriptures now display it.

Somewhere beyond the starry skies

Though still unseen by human eyes

The shining walls of Heaven rise

In wondrous preparation;

For that great day when all the blest

In robes of white for aye are dressed

And enter that eternal rest

In joyous jubilation.

32

NOW’S THE TIME TO PREPARE

When the great day arrives

That will measure our lives

All our souls will be carried away;

To be judged every one

By the deeds we have done

To determine our dwelling for aye.

No excuse may be pled

When the records are read

As you’ve labored the Judge will repay;

There’ll be no way to buy

Any favors on high

You’ll be judged as you are on that day.

When your case has been heard

Nothing will be deferred

‘Tis a judgment that can’t be appealed;

Now’s the time to prepare

For that moment up there

When the verdict for you is revealed.

O today take control

Of the fate of your soul

Let the scriptures divine show the way;

And at Judgment you’ll find

Your reward is in kind

If you truly believe and obey.

33

WHEN HEAVEN STRIKES THE FINAL CHORD

This is a harsh and foreign land

In which we now abide

The sting of death is near at hand

And fears in darkness hide;

But on beyond this world of woe

The lights of Heaven shine

And words of inspiration glow

With promises divine.

The ever onward marching years

Are swiftly passing by

And sorrows washed with bitter tears

So often cloud the eye;

But in that city high above

Eternal life awaits

And all the bliss of Heaven’s love

Is just inside the gates.

The pangs of strife seem always near

And comfort far away

The ways of death as life appear

To lead the soul astray;

But when our work on earth is done

Our troubles will be o’er

If we a crown of life have won

To wear for ever more.

When Heaven strikes the final chord

Upon the harp of time

The saved will rise to meet the Lord

Beneath a sky sublime;

To sing salvation’s sweet refrains

In endless ecstasy

And live where God forever reigns

For all eternity.

34

THIS PRESENT VEIL OF WONDER

We oft are made to wonder

What’s waiting over yonder

Where Jesus is preparing a place;

Today we are unknowing

But some day we’ll be going

To look upon the mansions of grace.

We know that trees are growing

And waters there are flowing

And streets are of the purest of gold;

The face of death will never

Be seen up there forever

And nothing there will ever grow old.

There’ll be no separations

No woes or tribulations

And sin will never enter the gates;

But those on earth forgiven

Will enter into heaven

To feast upon the glory that waits.

When Heaven’s delegation

Completes the Revelation

And God forever calls us away;

His hand will rend asunder

This present veil of wonder

And we will see His glory for aye.

35

DO YOU FOLLOW THE STAR

As you rise up each day

To continue life’s way

Do you follow the pathway of love;

Finding daily delight

In the glorioul light

Of the precepts sent down from above.

As the darkness subsides

And a new day betides

Do you shape it by Heaven’s design;

Giving Jesus control

Of the course of your soul

By obeying His counsels divine.

Do you follow the star

Of the words from afar

As a guide through the wildering gloam;

Of the darkness and strife

You encounter in life

On the way to that Heavenly home.

Are you led by the hands

Of the Father’s commands

Which today in the scriptures are heard;

Ever following Him

By the unerring glim

Of the glorious light of His word.

36

HE GAVE MEN THE KEYS

Our Savior was laid in a manger at birth

And in life He did not own a room

Not even a place of His own in the earth

He was placed in another man’s tomb.

He willingly carried the burden He bore

Never thinking of wealth or renown

For all that He owned was the robe that He wore

And in death even that was laid down.

He carried no money or titles to lands

And He lived without purple to wear

But He has a mansion now made without hands

In a city that lieth foursquare.

He never owned jewels or lavish estates

But He brought to the earth Heaven’s love

And gave men the keys to those bright pearly gates

Of the kingdom of Heaven above.

37

THE KING OF KINGS

What heart could understand the love

Or our redeemer’s grace

To leave that splendor up above

And come to such a place;

When He left Heaven long ago

He laid His glory down

And lived as men live here below

A king without a crown.

He knew that after Eden’s fall

The world was lost in sin

And came to earth to die for all

Within the flesh of men;

No royal banner was unfurled

In shame He stood alone

His judgment taken by the world

A king without a throne.

His place in Heaven’s trinity

He left with God in trust

And put off immortality

To wear a robe of dust;

And on a day of infamy

By wicked hands was slain

He died upon Mount Calvary

A king without a reign.

Now King of kings and Lord of lords

In that supernal land

He rules His kingdom by His words

Today at God’s right hand;

Forever in divine renown

With vestments all His own

He wears an everlasting crown

And reigns upon a throne.

38

THE GIFT HEAVEN GAVE

After we disobeyed

In the garden God made

We were hopelessly lost in our sin;

But the Father above

Sent the gift of His love

And announced it by angels to men.

When the host from on high

Came to earth’s starry sky

It was filled with a glorious light;

And the angels revealed

To the men in the field

That a Savior was born on that night.

Heaven’s gift was a child

Who again reconciled

Us to God after Eden’s great fall;

By the Father’s decree

Jesus died on a tree

And the gift was a ransom for all.

Now we give God the praise

For the hope it conveys

Though we all must go down to the grave;

We can face Judgment Day

With our sins washed away

By the blood of the gift Heaven gave.

39

GOD WILL NOT FORGET US

There’s a burden placed upon us

From the moment of our birth

For the word of God has shown us

We will all return to earth;

And we can’t escape the reaches

Of that edict from on high

For the Bible plainly teaches

We’re appointed once to die.

But to know the day or hour

When our drama here will close

Is not placed within our power

Only God in Heaven knows;

But the closing act is certain

When our lot of life is cast

Death will drop the final curtain

And we’ll march into the past.

Yet that burden need not fret us

Nor make this a life of gloom

We know God will not forget us

Though a captive of the tomb;

He has promised we’ll be living

On the other side of death

And we’ll rest without misgiving

When we’ve drawn our final breath.

Earth will once again regain us

But the scriptures have revealed

That the grave cannot contain us

Though by men securely sealed;

We know God will not forsake us

Here forever to decay

But will to His Heaven take us

On our resurrection day.

40

WE CAN’T GET THERE ALONE

We live on earth as strangers

Exposed to all the dangers

Which constantly imperil the soul;

Without a hand to guide us

Through all that does betide us

We’d never reach our Heavenly goal.

Our way is oft benighted

But when we’d have it lighted

We’ve naught with which to strike such a spark;

Without someone to love us

And shine His light above us

We’d never find our way through the dark.

When evils here assail us

Temptations would derail us

And leave us just a wreck on the road;

Without a pilot near us

With words to safely steer us

We’d never get to Heaven’s abode.

But we’ve a friend up yonder

To help us while we wander

As vagabonds adrift in earth’s gloam;

Whose hand will be extended

When life on earth is ended

To take us to our Heavenly home.

41

THE WORD OF GOD

As I climb up life’s great mountain

Waters sweet my thirst allay

Drinking freely from the fountain

Of the word of God each day;

In a stream its precious pages

Stimulate me as I go

Pouring from the Rock of Ages

In a never ending flow.

As I climb His word is shining

To illuminate the road

Its pure light the way defining

To a Heavenly abode;

As a lamp so brightly burning

It is my inerrant guide

To the land of no returning

On the mountain’s other side.

Every word that God has given

Is the bread of life to me

Feeding me this side of Heaven

As I climb to victory;

It completely fills my hunger

And I think it is today

Sweeter than when I was younger

And the summit far away.

Day by day God’s word is chiming

His eternal song of love

Helping me to keep on climbing

To that mountain top above;

If that word to me extended

I will faithfully obey

When that mountain I’ve ascended

It will keep my soul for aye.

42

IT IS ALWAYS AT HAND

As through life we all sweep

There’s a date we must keep

By an order no man may negate;

That appointment out there

In the future somewhere

Where the waters of Jordan await.

Though it seems far away

From the living today

‘Tis a calling no mortal can flee;

If good health we have known

We may think to live on

But the waters of Jordan we’ll see.

We should never embrace

Frivol thoughts of that place

Although youth fills the cup which we drink;

We should all understand

It is always at hand

And we may be approaching its brink.

‘Twill be glory for those

Who in life wisely chose

To prepare for that tryst on its shore;

They’ve no fear to embark

On its waters so dark

‘Tis the portal to life evermore.

43

THERE CANNOT BE A GREATER GIFT

There was a day in Eden when

The human race was lost in sin

Without a hope in death, but then

God saw our sad condition;

And though that awful deed was done

He gave the world His only Son

To suffer death for everyone

And purchase our remission.

The blood of beasts would not suffice

But Jesus came from Paradise

And gave Himself a sacrifice

To meet the terms of pardon;

That we might flee this world of strife

To where eternal fruits are rife

And find the everlasting life

We lost in Eden’s garden.

O what a load He had to lift

To span forever Eden’s rift

There cannot be a greater gift

Than Heaven did surrender;

Though condemnation is deferred

For all the guilt which we’ve incurred

We must obey His holy word

To regain Eden’s splendor.

God heard our souls for mercy cry

And gave what we could not supply

By sending Jesus here to die

But though that gift was given;

We still must face the Judgment Day

Since we in Eden fell away

But if we faithfully obey

He’ll take us home to Heaven.

44

HEAVEN’S GREAT REVELATION

Heaven’s great Revelation

By divine inspiration

In the Bible gives cause for concern;

As we read from its pages

Of the end of the ages

And the Judgment at Jesus’ return.

All our works are recorded

And we’ll all be rewarded

As the books kept in Heaven reveal;

A reward which will never

Be rescinded forever

‘Tis an edict we cannot appeal.

And the time may be nearing

For the promised appearing

Of the Lord and His bright angel band;

When the earth will be shaken

And the dead shall awaken

To arise at the Savior’s command.

Some will find condemnation

In the great separation

But the ransomed have Heaven in store;

All the lost will be taken

Into hell, and forsaken

But the saved into life evermore.

45

ROSEBUDS HERE ON EARTH

Christian lives are rosebuds growing

Now within an earthen womb

Till the day when they’ll be going

To the place where they will bloom.

Here each rosebud has a duty

To obey what God has willed

That they might burst forth in beauty

When their season is fulfilled.

God will take those buds so tender

Where they’ll be forevermore

Seen in all their promised splendor

In His house on Heaven’s shore.

There delivery will be given

And by that celestial birth

They’ll be roses up in Heaven

Who were rosebuds here on earth.

46

THE DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES

Men often travel far and near

And suffer pains untold

To seek out veins of silver here

And mother lodes of gold;

They die for pearl and precious stone

And never understand

The richest treasure ever known

Is often in their hand.

They give themselves to quests in which

Their precious lives are spent

But even if they strike it rich

They never are content;

They lay up treasures here that rust

And lay God’s word aside

And though they gain the world their lust

Is never satisfied.

Desire for wealth beyond recall

Has rendered many blind

And so the richest trove of all

Is one they never find;

They search in vain the world around

As frantically they plod

And overlook the treasure found

Within the word of God.

Men go so far to seek for wealth

Upon the earth to store

They often jeopardize their health

In quest of more and more;

They work their fingers to the bone

And never realize

The greatest treasure ever known

Is right before their eyes.

47

A BETTER WORLD THAN THIS

This life we live upon the earth

Is troublesome and brief

A vexing pilgrimage from birth

Unto a grave of grief;

Our hearts are often stung with pain

And eyes are filled with tears

When death’s dark shadow comes to stain

These transitory years.

It is a short and stressful life

Of woe from day to day

We walk among the thorns of strife

In perishing array;

In sorrow we behold the tombs

Where friends and loved ones rest

And mem’ry’s painful flower blooms

Within our troubled breast.

But life on earth someday will end

And heartaches will be o’er

Our raptured souls will then ascend

To sorrow nevermore;

We’ll leave these wells of woe behind

To drink the cup of bliss

And O what joy ‘twill be to find

A better world than this.

We’re looking up toward the skies

And trusting Heaven’s grace

And someday soon our longing eyes

Will see that better place;

We’ll leave this sojourn of despair

Rejoicing all the way

Unto that better world up there

With happiness for aye.

48

AS A VAPOR WE APPEAR

Many things in life are dear

But we cannot tarry here

‘Tis a temporary pilgrimage we’re on;

Makes no difference what we do

We are only passing through

As a vapor we appear then we are gone.

But beyond the veil of grace

There’s an everlasting place

Where the saved abide with God forevermore;

Reason tells us to prepare

For a future over there

For our visitation here will soon be o’er.

Oh get ready now to go

Where eternal waters flow

When your feet must leave this transitory road;

Only He who made us knows

When the door of life will close

And the soul must go to its eterne abode.

When the chilling hand of death

Takes away your final breath

Will the angels come to carry you away;

On the golden wings of love

To that Paradise above

Till the gates of Heaven open some sweet day.

49

GOD’S GLORIOUS GARDEN

Our God has a garden so wondrously blessed

Its beauties grow brighter each day

Prepared in that land of eternal sweet rest

For Christians that death takes away.

It will reunite us with those that we love

When we labor faithfully on

And follow their steps to that garden above

Where this precious loved one has gone.

Her soul has been borne to that wondrous domain

God’s glorious garden to share

And safe in His keeping till you meet again

Your loved one is living up there.

For God has prepared her a beautiful room

With Heaven’s bright city in view

And there where the splendors of Paradise bloom

Your loved one is waiting for you.

50

I’LL MISS YOU

We’ve come to the moment of saying goodbye

Our time here together is o’er

But when I have followed your steps to the sky

I’ll meet you on Heaven’s bright shore.

We long walked together, but now you have gone

To glory, for me to await

The rest of the way I must travel alone

But I’ll meet you there by the gate.

I’ll meet you where life everlasting appears

And we’ll be together again

Where cheeks never glisten with heart broken tears

Where joy and sweet happiness reign.

A heart full of mem’ries, so precious, so sweet

As lovelight will brighten the way

I’ll miss you, and love you, till I too shall meet

The angels who took you away.

51

THE BIBLE TELLS THE STORY

The Bible tells the story

Of Heaven’s endless glory

That God’s peculiar people will share;

Infallibly assuring

Those faithfully enduring

That they will live in splendor up there.

There’s comfort now in knowing

The faithful will be going

To that eternal city some day;

With crowns of life adorning

Each child of God that morning

With complements of blood washed array.

That blessed delegation

Of Heaven’s holy nation

Will enter thru its gates we are told;

To drink of Heaven’s river

Of life, and live forever

To walk upon a street made of gold.

The saved of all the ages

Whose names are on the pages

Of Heaven’s Book of Life will be blest;

To dwell with the immortals

Inside the shining portals

Of Heaven’s golden city of rest.

52

THE GRAVE IS NOT THE END

Parting moments often grieve us

And we ask the question, “Why?”

When our friends and loved ones leave us

And we have to say goodbye;

‘Tis a pilgrimage of sorrow

When the scars of death we wear

But in Heaven’s sweet tomorrow

We will meet again up there.

One by one our friends are leaving

While in dolor we go on

To continue life bereaving

Broken hearted and alone;

Death’s incessant depredations

And its omnipresent knell

Leaves us torn by separations

As we sadly say farewell.

We behold the tomb with weeping

When it takes a precious friend

But we know they’re only sleeping

And the grave is not the end;

Though no more on earth they wander

When our last goodbyes we say

We will meet again up yonder

On that Resurrection Day.

When we gather at the river

Flowing out from Heaven’s throne

In that blessed sweet forever

God has waiting for His own;

What a glorious reunion

That ingathering will be

Sharing Heaven’s sweet communion

Throughout all eternity.

53

MY DUTY’S NOT IN MYSTERY

It’s hard within this mortal state

Therewith to be content

And let the scriptures just relate

The things that Heaven sent;

To care not what tomorrow brings

As on through life we plod

And seek not for the secret things

Which all belong to God.

Of what was needed, Heaven’s mind

Delivered every jot

And left no cause for humankind

To dwell on what is not;

For duties I am called to do

Lie not in things concealed

Nor in some speculative view

But in what is revealed.

It is not mine to now inquire

Of hidden things above

When God gives all that I desire

Within His law of love;

It is not Heaven’s will today

For me to walk by sight

If it was meant to be that way

Then God would give me light.

I know not how the angels go

About their task each day

It wasn’t meant for me to know

Or Heaven’s word would say;

But what is of concern to me

And this I understand

My duty’s not in mystery

But keeping God’s command.

54

FOREVER BOUND BY HEAVEN’S LOVE

Our days so quickly turn to years

In this short life we live below

And we are often brought to tears

When we see friends and loved ones go.

Their passing leaves us here alone

And makes us bear an added load

As we in faith keep pressing on

Beneath the grace on us bestowed.

But soon there’ll be a sweet reprieve

From all we have to suffer here

We’ll go where none will ever leave

Or say goodbye to those so dear.

Grief nevermore will rend the heart

Nor death invade that home above

Where friends and loved ones never part

Forever bound by Heaven’s love.

55

A DECISION TO MAKE

You’ve a course here to take

A decision to make

‘Tis a choice you inherit at birth;

You alone will decide

Where your soul will abide

When your life is completed on earth.

Whether death shall descend

Or the ages shall end

It will close opportunity’s door;

While you still have a voice

You have freedom of choice

But you must choose ere time is no more.

What an awful demise

Will be greeting your eyes

When the end of the world is defined;

If you waken that day

When the saints fly away

And discover you’ve been left behind.

It is your soul to choose

Now to save or to lose

Don’t delay it until it’s too late;

Let your choice be the Lord

And with Heaven’s reward

He’ll be waiting for you at the gate.

56

WHAT WAITS FOR US IN HEAVEN

I see where God has been each day

In nature’s seasonal display

And marvel at the grand array

To His creations given;

As I behold how they are dressed

I search my heart with this inquest

If soulless creatures are so blest

What waits for us in heaven?

I am persuaded we shall find

Things that exceed our finite mind

That God has lovingly designed

To bless earth’s faithful mortals;

I know that city built foursquare

Has splendors far beyond compare

To bless the ransomed waiting there

Within its pearly portals.

I realize we can’t be told

In earthly tongues what we’ll behold

Upon that street of lucent gold

Awaiting time’s cessation;

It will be wonderful indeed

To see that place of which we read

I know that it will far exceed

Each one’s imagination.

For Heaven’s Holy Scriptures show

That crystal living waters flow

And trees with leaves for healing grow

By that supernal river;

We’ll be immortally arrayed

In garments Heaven’s hand has made

And glories that will never fade

Will feast our souls forever.

57

‘TIS THE FATHER’S DESIGN

There is coming a time

When the message sublime

That the end of the age is at hand;

Will be borne from on high

By the Lord in the sky

And creation no longer will stand.

When the Savior we see


To be numbered that glorious day;

With the faithful who rise

To the Lord in the skies

And with Him are transported away.

We will never more grieve

When we’re called to receive

Heaven’s promise of life evermore;

We’ll rejoice at the sight

When the ransomed take flight

For the journey to Heaven’s bright shore.

‘Tis the Father’s design

And His justice divine

Will reward us that day as we’re found;

O what joy it will bring

If we’re sons of the King

When His children forever are crowned.

58

IT TRULY HUMBLES ME

I watch the sun rise in the morn

And feel the need to pray

And thank my God that I was born

To see the light of day;

This truly is a wondrous world

I’m privileged to see

And as its beauties are unfurled

It truly humbles me.

By day the scenes that I hold dear

Emerge to bless my sight

As nature’s wonders reappear

Responding to the light;

And I thank God that I’m alive

His wonders to explore

And as succeeding days arrive

I’ll thank Him more and more.

I see the sun set in the eve

And lift my voice in praise

For all the blessings I receive

To magnify my days;

As I observe the glowing skies

And homeward humbly plod

I know the scenes before my eyes

Express the love of God.

At night the stars above me roll

And I thank God above

That I was made a living soul

And blessed with Heaven’s love;

But I’ll know higher ecstasy

And blessings greater still

In Heaven in eternity

If I will do His will.

59

THE FLOWERS OF FAITH

While a stranger I roam

On the road leading home

‘Tis a pathway I walk not by sight;

But my heart looks above

Through the message of love

And the flowers of faith give me light.

False apostles appear

Crying, “Lo, He is here”

And their words seek to turn me aside;

But the right way is shown

In the Bible alone

And the flowers of faith are my guide.

Seeds of faith in each line

Of that message divine

Where the way unto Heaven is shown;

Come to bloom in the heart

And direction impart

And the flowers of faith lead me on.

I will soon lose my breath

In the struggle with death

But until I must yield to the tomb;

I will follow the way

Of the Bible each day

Where the flowers of faith are in bloom.

60

IN HEAVEN’S SHINING SPLENDOR

Each passing day on earth we find

More evidence that humankind

Was by intelligence designed

And is, by God’s creation;

The theory we exist by chance

And owe our life to happenstance

Or accidental circumstance

Is man’s imagination.

Too many wonders are at hand

Throughout this earth on which we stand

To now deny that God’s command

Was what gave us our being;

How could a man believe that he

In all of his complexity

Began in some primeval sea

In view of what he’s seeing?

The Bible plainly tells us man

Was part of God’s eternal plan

And that his earthly life began

Inspired by breath eternal;

Naught else enables man to see

His origin and destiny

Or tells him why he came to be

Except those words supernal.

And that same Bible also tells

Us all of this world’s infidels

Will when the bell of Judgment knells

To death and hell surrender;

But those who in this world by choice

In faith obeyed their Maker’s voice

Will live forever to rejoice

In Heaven’s shining splendor.

61

YOU STILL HAVE A FRIEND

When a loss breaks your heart

And your world falls apart

When you feel like you’ve come to the end;

Let a moment of prayer

Take away your despair

For in Heaven you still have a friend.

Simply lift up your face

To your friend’s throne of grace

‘Tis a privilege truly sublime;

For the children of God

As they faithfully plod

On the hazardous highway of time.

Many things may be done

Many victories won

By the strength of an unfailing love;

But there’s naught to compare

With the power of prayer

To the Father in Heaven above.

When your outlook is grim

Pour your heart out to Him

Let your troubles to Him be revealed;

If you’re faithful and true

He will hearken to you

And the breaks in your heart will be healed.

62

THE WOUNDROUS TRANSPORT OF THE MIND

When I have closed my eyes at night

To blind my natural sense of sight

I launch my mind upon its flight

Beyond this life terrestrial;

And by the eyes of faith I see

The portals of eternity

Where waits all human destiny

When life becomes celestial.

No one but God could have designed

The wondrous transport of the mind

A world to which the eyes are blind

Is opened unto mortals;

Although mere words cannot define

The blessings of this gift divine

By it this earthbound soul of mine

May pass into its portals.

But if my being would reach that goal

Which just in mind I now behold

My earthen body and my soul

Must suffer separation;

And this brings me no dark despair

Because my mind has traveled there

I know it is, as I prepare

To meet that expectation.

I know I as a mortal must

Return this temporary trust

From God, again unto the dust

To rise to realms supernal;

And then celestial life I’ll know

Where nothing but the mind can go

While living on this earth below

Then life will be eternal.

63

THE BRIDGE

There is a bridge we all must cross

And just beyond that waiting span

We’ll find eternal gain or loss

‘Tis once appointed unto man.

It spans that chasm deep and wide

Between the earth and destiny

And bears us o’er that ebon tide

From time into eternity.

It is a dreaded bridge we know

And oft its passage we deplore

We’d like another way to go

But in the end, we must pass o’er.

Some day we all will hear the chime

That signals here our final breath

And we will greet the end of time

Or, we will cross the bridge of death.

64

THE PRIVILEGE OF PRAYING

When trials come along the way

And clouds of strife make dark the day

It then is time to kneel and pray

That light divine be given;

Our weaknesses have often shown

We cannot find the way alone

But must have help to travel on

This road from earth to Heaven.

This is a dark and troubled ground

Where evils every where abound

And oft the only refuge found

Is that communication;

When we of earth with Heaven share

That blessed privilege of prayer

Which has been given to us there

By Jesus’ proclamation.

Though often troubled here below

We know that we can always go

To God in prayer because we know

That He will always hear us;

If we within His house abide

And daily in His word confide

Whatever else may here betide

We know that He is near us.

When sorrows here the way bedim

And we need Heaven’s holy glim

‘Tis then that we petition Him

Our needs to Him relaying;

For when by life we’re tossed about

Our helpless nature leaves no doubt

This road would be too hard without

The privilege of praying.

65

MY HAPPY HEART SINGS

Many days have gone by

Since the world heard me cry

For the first time the night of my birth;

But the ensuing years

Have seen many more tears

For my time has been long on the earth.

Now sweet moments sublime

Bless me most of the time

While a stranger and pilgrim I roam;

And they soothe all the strife

Of the darks spots in life

I’ve gone through on this long journey home.

I approach life anew

With a nostalgic view

As my pilgrimage comes to a close;

But I’m pressing toward

That eternal reward

Where the river of life sweetly flows.

So I follow that star

In the distance afar

With my life under Heaven’s control;

And my happy heart sings

Of the glorious things

That await in that home of the soul.

66

THE CROWN OF THORNS

I stand astonished by the love

My Savior has for me

To leave His deity above

And die upon a tree;

He left the royal diadem

That now His head adorns

And stood with sinners mocking Him

Beneath a crown of thorns.

It is a love beyond degree

That over me doth flow

That everlasting sovereignty

Could love a sinner so;

By Heaven’s predetermined plan

He laid that glory down

And took the flesh of mortal man

To wear that thorny crown.

We often suffer pain and loss

And feel the thorns of strife

But we don’t wear them to a cross

To sacrifice our life;

Our thorns are only earthly woes

And those we’re feeling now

Can never be compared with those

That pierced the Savior’s brow.

He gave His blood to write my name

That day on Heaven’s roll

He wore that crown of thorns in shame

To save my sinful soul;

Though He was outwardly abased

It was His heart that bled

That day the crown of thorns was placed

Upon my Savior’s head.

67

THE RIVER OF TIME

There’s a river that flows

From the start to the close

Of creation’s mysterious clime;

And the souls of the earth

From the moment of birth

Launch away on that river of time.

Ever flowing away

It will take us someday

From the earth to a country sublime;

Since it ends our command

We must choose where we land

As we sail down the river of time.

Once we lay down our track

Tho we’d like to go back

‘Tis a river no vessel can climb;

Often memory yearns

But there are no returns

Once we pass on the river of time.

But a city foursquare

With an anchorage there

Waits where Heaven’s sweet harbor bells chime;

There’s a home on that shore

With the Lord evermore

At the end of the river of time.

68

MY ETERNE RETREAT

Sin has many voices falling

Daily on my ears

But my heart rejects their calling

Sweet though it appears;

Day by day my soul is driven

By the scourge of love

To obey the voice of Heaven

Calling from above.

This dark world of sin and sorrow

Holds no lasting food

But a table waits tomorrow

In the home of God;

And if faithful I’ll be given

That divine repast

When the fruits that grow in Heaven

Feast my soul at last.

When with earthen clothes I’m finished

God has let me know

My attire will be replenished

When He bids me go;

To that loom divine in heaven

Where the soul’s array

Of eternal life is woven

And I’ll fly away.

When at eve my Master calls me

All my work to cease

From the toil that here befalls me

I will find release;

Freed of labors I’ll be given

My eterne retreat

Where the golden street of Heaven

Rests my weary feet.

69

WHAT A GLORIOUS SIGHT

What a glorious sight

Is presented each night

As the heavens above westward plod;

Wearing sparkling array

In an awesome display

Of the wisdom and glory of God.

They speak never a word

Yet their voices are heard

In a language all men understand;

As each night they are whirled

‘Round a wondering world

By the touch of their Creator’s hand.

What a sermon they preach

With their passive speech

Truth that only a fool would deny;

Yet so many don’t care

What the heavens declare

From their pulpit above in the sky.

What the heavens proclaim

Every night is the same

As when first their procession began;

And though light years away

We can hear what they say

In declaring God’s glory to man.

70

TOO GREAT TO UNDERSTAND

How wonderful it is to live

And know God’s majesty

I stand amazed that He should give

Such blessing unto me;

Life is a precious priceless thing

We fain would long extend

But it will take predestined wing

And back to God ascend.

God gave to us dominion here

O’er all that He had made

And with this gift we hold so dear

Our frame of earth arrayed;

This gift to us, by minds above

Eternally was planned

And given to us with a love

Too great to understand.

We can’t evaluate its worth

Nor fix on it a price

We cannot purchase here on earth

This child of Paradise;

God gives it to us for a time

To animate our dust

Then we return that gift sublime

To Heaven’s sacred trust.

So when that gift we must release

And unto death give place

Our precious souls can rest in peace

While in the tomb’s embrace;

For someday life will spring anew

And Heaven has in store

A crown to bless its chosen few

With life for ever more.

71

HOW PRECIOUS

How precious is the story

That echoes now from glory

Revealing all of Heaven’s great love;

With promises eternal

Of ecstasies supernal

Awaiting in that city above.

How precious each quotation

Sent down by inspiration

Sweet life unto the dead to impart;

And blessings like a river

Refresh the soul forever

When Heaven’s words abide in the heart.

How precious are the pages

That show the rock of ages

Where whosoever will may be blest;

And look with hope to Heaven

Where crowns of life are given

And mansions in the city of rest.

No mortal heart can measure

That everlasting treasure

That tells us Heaven’s glory we’ll share;

At Jesus’ invitation

We’ll join the celebration

And live with Him forever up there.

72

I CAN’T GO HOME WITH YOU TODAY

We’ve reached the place upon life’s road

So dreaded, yet so near

Where fond farewells must be bestowed

On those we hold so dear;

But come not now with weeping face

To look on my remains

I’m going to that wondrous place

Where God forever reigns.

Let not this parting bring you pain

‘Tis but a brief delay

We’ll be united once again

Where friendships are for aye;

So wipe the teardrops from your eye

And fill your heart with song

For this is not a sad goodbye

It’s just a sweet, “So long”.

I walked with you so many miles

And shared with you my heart

So let no tears erase the smiles

Today when we must part;

And let your heart hold no dismay

As on through life you plod

I can’t go home with you today

I’m going home with God.

So let there be no hopeless tears

For me when I have gone

God gave me many precious years

To share with you alone;

The future will be ours to see

Dwell not upon the past

Be happy as you follow me

To where I’ve gone at last.

73

THE KEY TO OUR HEAVENLY HOME

On the night of His birth

Jesus came to the earth

Wearing flesh in the likeness of men;

That He might know our plight

As we struggle and fight

In our ongoing battle with sin.

Though His life here was brief

And acquainted with grief

Jesus came here to seek and to save;

And He knew when He came

He would suffer the shame

Of a death on a cross, and a grave.

‘Twas for man a great day

When He entered the fray

For the victory now would be won;

When He took His last breath

And surrendered to death

What He came here to do had been done.

He embodied the love

Of the Father above

For the souls who were lost in the gloam;

And the blood that He shed

On the cross in our stead

Was the key to our Heavenly home.

74

FROM EARTH TO PARADISE

When I vacate this house of clay

‘Twill be put in a tomb

To see corruption and decay

In dark and silent gloom;

But from this world my soul will flee

To realms beyond the skies

From time into eternity

From earth to Paradise.

I’m looking forward to that flight

What rapture it will be

A bright new world will feast my sight

In speechless ecstasy;

Which cannot now with words be told

Nor could men understand

The scenes of splendor I’ll behold

In that supernal land.

I’ll have a house not made with hands

Eternally to wear

When glorified my spirit stands

Enraptured over there;

To live a life forever new

Beyond the reach of time

While ceaseless joys pass in review

In that enchanting clime.

I find no cause for fear or dread

In pondering my fate

A blissful future lies ahead

Thru death’s appointed gate;

So when this life comes to an end

And earth shall swallow me

My soul with angels will ascend

To Heaven’s jubilee.

75

THE CRUMBS THAT FALL

If heaven has a place for me

I’ll raise no cries for sumptuous fare

The crumbs that fall up there would be

A feast of joy beyond compare.

I will not ask of God a place

To sit at Heaven’s banquet board

If He will only by His grace

The crumbs that fall to me afford.

It would not be to me less grand

Nor yet my dignity offend

If there my God’s almighty hand

Should naught but crumbs to me extend.

I’ll covet not the highest seat

Nor lift my voice to ask for more

If God will bless my soul to eat

The crumbs that fall to Heaven’s floor.

76

A SHIPWRECK ON A FOREIGN SHORE

My ship must sail the sea of life

With all its angry waves of strife

A ship entrusted now to me

To choose its way across the sea

But if I hark to every wind

I’ll choose amiss and at the end

This sacred trust to God restore

A shipwreck on a foreign shore.

To sail aright this ship of mine

I need the light of love divine

Lest I without that holy spark

Upon an errant course embark

And driven by the tempest’s spray

In nether darkness lose the way

And ‘mid the billows’ angry roar

Be shipwrecked on a foreign shore.

Tho life’s great sea doth far extend

My ship will surely reach its end

And leave for aye this living main

On seas unknown to sail again

My ship to God then I’ll confide

To pilot me and be my guide

Lest sinful waters I explore

And shipwreck on a foreign shore.

So when to earth I say farewell

To sail the ne’er returning swell

I shan’t respond to strange commands

Nor trust the wheel to other hands

Lest I be cast upon a shoal

To lie for aye a stranded soul

And lost from home forevermore

A shipwreck on a foreign shore.

77

HAVE YOU GIVEN CONTROL

As a mortal by birth

We cannot stay on earth

And as pilgrims we keep moving on;

But we’ve time to prepare

For forever somewhere

When from earth we forever have gone.

Here in time we’re away

From our home though we may

See the mansion by faith that awaits;

At the ending of time

For the faithful who climb

On the pathway unto Heaven’s gates.

‘Tis a journey of strife

As we travel thru life

On the way to our final abode;

Ask yourself as you go

Do you truthfully know

What awaits at the end of the road.

There are byways today

That would lead us astray

As we traffic our way thru the gloam;

Have you given control

Of the flight of your soul

To a pilot who knows the way home.

78

AS THEY WERE SOWN SO SHALL I REAP

When day before the night has fled

I wonder as I lie in bed

If God was pleased with what I said

Throughout the day just ended;

In searching question I retrace

The words released from my embrace

And wonder if my speech with grace

Was manifestly blended.

I wonder if the words I used

Were heard as truth with love infused

So liberty was not abused

In every past occasion;

What did they serve to stimulate

Did they with zeal reverberate

What thought did they communicate

Did they express persuasion?

Was their employ an active sound

As tools to till the Master’s ground

Was revelation in them found

Of matters everlasting;

What action did my words inspire

Did they for God excite desire

And fan faith’s coals to flaming fire

I wonder since their casting.

The words I spoke today are gone

To future realms forever flown

Where still their life continues on

Each one has been recorded;

No more can I recall their keep

Nor wake them from their patient sleep

As they were sown so shall I reap

So shall I be rewarded.

79

LET ME NOT BE TOO PROUD

There is coming a day

When I’ll have to give way

And let others fight on for the truth;

As life’s pages unfold

Give me grace to grow old

And relinquish my burdens to youth.

Help me never to be

Too self centered to see

That my steps have grown weak on the road;

When my strength shall subside

Let me then step aside

And let younger ones carry the load.

When my back becomes bowed

Let me not be too proud

To let some zealous youth take my place;

When my force grows effete

May no trace of conceit

Interfere with the exchange of grace.

With my usefulness past

May I not be downcast

When the hymn of old age has been sung;

Help me take off my crown

When it’s time to step down

And to pass on the torch to the young.

80

MY YESTERDAYS ARE GONE

Sometimes when I am all alone

I wish for days gone by

To have again the years I’ve known

But with a wistful sigh;

I realize the stream of time

Can never backward flow

But must each day with measured chime

Unto the future go.

And as I’m borne along the stream

Although my heart may yearn

To see the past, ‘tis but a dream

I cannot there return;

This onward flowing tide is bent

To that eternal sea

Where waits that glorious event

Appointed once to me.

Through joyous tears I realize

My yesterdays are gone

And to the future’s golden skies

I must keep pressing on;

To where bright living waters spill

From Heaven’s throne for aye

And there’s no yesterdays but ‘twill

Forever be today.

I feel contented then at last

To let the present be

And hold my long and happy past

In hands of memory;

And cast my visionary sight

O’er Jordan’s ebon foam

To see by faith that holy light

From my tomorrow’s home.

81

THAT NEW AND LIVING WAY

When skies of life are cold and dark

And days bring nothing but dismay

Seek new directions and embark

Upon a new and living way.

The ways of earth delusions bring

And sorrows oft our hopes affray

True happiness can only spring

From Heaven’s new and living way.

All life on earth by death is bound

All else is subject to decay

The only lasting things are found

Upon that new and living way.

As to eternity you plod

Remember this from day to day

You cannot reach a home with God

But by that new and living way.

O let your spirit now be stirred

To do God’s will while still you may

For only Heaven’s holy word

Reveals that new and living way.

82

TIME IS PRECIOUS INDEED

Every morn when we rise

We should look to the skies

Thanking God for the love He has shown;

In extending our way

With another new day

When the ending of life is unknown.

As the day is unfurled

We should show to the world

Whence the day all its glory derives;

And if children of day

Then we ought to display

All the glory of God in our lives.

Every day that we live

We should thankfully give

God a share of our moments in praise;

For the wonders He’s done

From the rise of the sun

To the darkness which closes our days.

Time is precious indeed

And we ought to give heed

To the giver when with it we’re blessed;

Who in rapture sublime

When there is no more time

Has for us an eternal sweet rest.

83

KNOCK ON HEAVEN’S DOOR IN PRAYER

When great burdens here oppress you

And it seems you can’t go on

Hands divine await to bless you

If you’ll take them to the throne;

Lift your eyes and look above you

Send your heart’s desire that way

There are friends up there who love you

And will hear you when you pray.

If the skies around you darken

Fan the coals of prayer to flame

God has promised He will hearken

When you pray in Jesus’ name;

Lest the weigh of life defeat you

Flee to His appointed place

He will never fail to meet you

There at Heaven’s throne of grace.

Let your voice from earth to Heaven

On the wings of prayer ascend

Precious promises are given

By that everlasting Friend;

There’s a mediator near you

And thru Him your words will fly

To a Father who will hear you

And will faithfully reply.

When temptations overtake you

And the load is hard to bear

If your earthly friends forsake you

Knock on Heaven’s door in prayer;

Call on God with your petition

Everything to Him confide

Sound the trumpet of contrition

And the door will open wide.

84

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY AND DO

You have a duty here below

To those who follow where you go

Be careful what you say and do

Because they’ll want to be like you.

Take care until young minds have grown

Just what their tender eyes are shown

And where you lead that precious few

Whose trusting faith looks up to you.

Young lives tomorrow will display

The things they see in you today

So choose your words and deeds with care

And ask for guidance oft in prayer.

But most important let them see

You living Christianity

And always show the pathway true

To those whose feet will follow you.

85

HEAVEN’S FOUNTAIN OF LOVE

Beyond the final mountain

Of life there is a fountain

Where waters everlasting are rife;

And some day I’ll be going

Up there where it is flowing

To live beside the river of life.

When angels come to wake me

From death, their hands will take me

More swiftly than the wings of a dove;

To drink without cessation

Those waters of salvation

That stream from Heaven’s fountain of love.

That fount of Heaven’s giving

For aye will bless the living

With waters that will never run dry;

Where hands divine replenish

No ages can diminish

That everlasting fountain on high.

When death at last surrenders

I’ll rise to Heaven’s splendors

And when I reach that city above;

My soul will drink forever

Sweet waters from the river

That flows from heaven’s fountain of love.

86

THERE’S A BETTER PLACE

While flying over life’s great sea

On wings of youth sublime

We think not of eternity

Beyond the end of time;

But as the years go fleeting by

We come to realize

That some day soon we all must fly

Into eternal skies.

As we live here in God’s employ

Beneath the cloak of grace

There’s much on earth that we enjoy

But there’s a better place;

The fellowship that we have shared

On earth in Christian love

Will be as nothing when compared

To that which waits above.

So we begin to think ahead

To that great moment when

Sweet words of parting must be said

To life as mortal men;

And we to Heaven fly away

To share its ecstasy

When we put on eterne array

And join that jubilee.

No human tongue could here express

That rapture ‘round the throne

‘Twill be a higher happiness

Than man has ever known;

‘Tis not within the finite mind

To see beyond the gloam

The things the youth of time will find

In that eternal home.

87

LET THE LIGHT DEPART GENTLY I PRAY

The road will soon end that I’m traveling on

At the border of some other land

And as I draw nearer to regions unknown

Blessed Lord let me cling to thy hand.

So much Lord awaits me that I cannot see

On the way to my future abode

Till I meet the messengers coming for me

Let me walk close to thee on the road.

As footsteps grow weary I know that the end

Is awaiting not too far ahead

Dark shadows of evening already descend

With the sound of the messenger’s tread.

O Lord when transition replaces my breath

Let the light depart gently I pray

And when I must enter the darkness of death

Send the angels to show me the way.

88

I’M GOING HOME AT LAST

I’m drawing nearer to that time

Appointed unto all

When bells of death and Judgment chime

And when I hear them call;

I’ll bid familiar scenes goodbye

No more this world to roam

And take my journey thru the sky

To my eternal home.

Although I’ve many precious friends

To bless this life below

There’ll be no rancor when it ends

And friendships cease to flow;

Beyond this life eternity

Holds Heaven’s bliss to share

And if I’m faithful life will be

Forever over there.

There is so much that I hold dear

But with it all I know

I’m only on a visit here

And soon I’ll have to go;

My vesture will be laid aside

And when shall come the day

I’ll catch the ebb at eventide

And gently sail away.

O let there be no hopeless tears

For me when I have gone

The part of me that disappears

Will still be living on;

The future holds such ecstasy

Look not unto the past

Be happy and rejoice with me

I’m going home at last.

89

HEAVEN’S AMBASSAGE

My years are now showing

That soon I’ll be going

To live in a city sublime;

My mansion eternal

In regions supernal

Lies over the great gulf of time.

I anxiously ponder

That country up yonder

Across the dark waters so wide;

Tho wild waves be tossing

I must make the crossing

If I would in Glory abide.

With darkness descending

I’ll come to life’s ending

And gaze upon Jordan’s dread foam;

As mortals forsake me

Bright angels will take me

From earth to my Heavenly home.

Tho my home forever

Is over death’s river

Away on the far distant shore;

With Heaven’s ambassage

Providing me passage

I know I will safely cross o’er.

90

I HAVE RESERVATIONS MADE

When I lay down to sleep at night

I know my works could all be done

The hand of death could touch my sight

And hide from me the morning sun.

Its solemn bell tonight could chime

For life is winding down for me

I now could go to sleep in time

And wake up in eternity.

But I have reservations made

For one of Heaven’s golden rooms

Where now the tree of life arrayed

In everlasting splendor blooms.

So I will go to sleep in peace

For I have kept my Lord’s commands

And if my soul should find release

I’ll trust its flight to angel hands.

91

THE HEAVENS

When I behold the starry sky

I cannot help but wonder why

A finite mortal would deny

The witness of creation;

Each night the heavens still declare

The glory of their Maker there

And blind are they who will not share

Their wondrous proclamation.

They shout without a spoken word

Yet in all lands their speech is heard

Thus understanding is conferred

That hands divine displayed them;

Their passive oratorio

Sets all the firmament aglow

And men of earth may truly know

That it was God who made them.

How one could view that sparkling strand

In infinite perfection planned

And not see God’s creative hand

Defies imagination;

No other voice could ever tell

The origin of things so well

As that unheard celestial swell

Except by inspiration.

That ordered vibrant astral span

Reveals the parentage of man

And as the day it all began

It still declares His glory;

Thru time its splendors have appealed

To what so plainly is revealed

To find the Creator concealed

In that supernal story.

92

GOD KNEW IT LONG AGO

When ‘twas but a thought supernal

In the mind of God alone

He foreknew the fate eternal

Of each mortal time would spawn.

He foreknew the very hour

Death would seal our destiny

Long before His mighty power

Caused this universe to be.

He knew where we’d all be going

When we still were but a plan

Yet it is not God’s foreknowing

That decides the fate of man.

Though God did our lot envision

We determine where we go

Each man makes his own decision

But God knew it long ago.

93

EVERY THORN BEGETS A FLOWER

Often things become distressing

When it never should be so

And we miss a precious blessing

That is hidden in a woe;

For we know a higher power

Good in all things has designed

Every thorn begets a flower

And each cloud is silver lined.

We let blindness come upon us

And what joys we often miss

In the picture life has shown us

But we must remember this;

There’s a rainbow in the shower

And it always brings to mind



We view death with consternation

And forget a seed must die

To bring forth a new creation

And its blessings we decry;

In each mortal’s darkest hour

Precious things are there to find



Many blessings wear disguises

We must look beyond the veils

And it always brings surprises

Finding Heaven’s golden grails;

Even in our fallen tower

Is our unity defined



94

WE’RE JUST PILGRIMS

Earth is not our habitation

For our home is in the sky

Heaven is our destination

We’re just pilgrims passing by.

All our thoughts to God are given

As our journey we pursue

Going to our home in Heaven

We’re just pilgrims passing thru.

All our hopes and our desires

Upward are to heaven drawn

By the light His word inspires

We’re just pilgrims passing on.

This is just a visitation

We on earth as strangers roam

To a waiting celebration

We’re just pilgrims going home.

95

I KNOW HE’LL ANSWER

When clouds of sorrow fill the skies

And teardrops stain my face

Upon the wings of faith I rise

To Heaven’s throne of grace;

Where waits a helping hand divine

That reaches through the pain

To soothe this broken heart of mine

And bring me joy again.

When I am overcome with grief

That men cannot allay

I know where I can find relief

Not very far away;

An Intercessor’s waiting there

In Heaven’s holy glim

And by the avenue of prayer

I go to God through Him.

Sweet friends are always standing by

Who’d love to help me too

But there are things, although they try,

They simply cannot do;

‘Tis then by faith I look above

Where those immortal live

To find that special kind of love

That only God can give.

Though I entreat Him every day

He never fails to fill

My cup with comfort when I pray

In keeping with His will;

And when my prayers are said and done

Though many they may be

I know He’ll answer every one

The way that’s best for me.

96

WE’RE ONLY DUST

What glory now attends our way

That we should be of God so blest

Our Father’s image to display

While with the dust of earth we’re dressed.

We are most wonderfully made

The acme of creation’s sway

But years will find us all decayed

For dust cannot endure for aye.

We are of earthen things most high

The likeness of our God to share

But each one will, as time goes by

Return to earth this dust we wear.

And so we seek a higher clime

We’ve nothing here in which to trust

And can’t endure the storm of time

For in this world we’re only dust.

97

WHAT’S THE PURPOSE THEN OF LIFE

As we travel through the ages

Human nature stays the same

Evolution’s theory rages

Still denying whence we came;

Streams of unbelief are flowing

From the mouths of skeptics who

Fain would tell us we’re not going

Any where when life is through.

But their words are most deceiving

Which by faith we must dispel

And continue on believing

There’s a Heaven and a hell;

If both good and bad are equal

With no Judgment in reserve

And if this life had no sequel

Then what purpose would it serve?

What’s the use of even living

If at death we disappear

If we live with this misgiving

There’s no purpose for us here;

Why are we today suspended

On this present earthen ball

If when life on earth is ended

It’s oblivion for all?

Truth is often met with laughter

And the Bible is dismissed

But if there is no hereafter

Why do all of us exist?

And what reason could be given

For enduring earthly strife

If there is no hell or Heaven

What’s the purpose then of life?

98

THAT SECRET CLOSET

I have a very secret place

And to its arms I oft repair

To bow before God’s throne of grace

While I commune with Him in prayer.

A place no other mortal knows

Secluded deep in secrecies

And when its hidden portals close

I then possess the only keys.

I enter there when woe betides

And taste the peace of higher climes

While its security provides

A brief escape from troubled times.

I treasure that sequestered glen

Naught else such comfort can impart

As that I find when I go in

That secret closet in my heart.

99

WHEN JESUS LEADS ME THRU HEAVEN’S GATE

My soul will soon be sleeping

Somewhere in heaven’s keeping

To rest until the ending of time;

Some morning to awaken

In glory to be taken

Where bells of life eternally chime.

When dust in dust shall tarry

Sweet angel hands will carry

My soul across the dark stormy tide;

Where all the blest are given

To see the light of Heaven

And ever with the Savior abide.

How sweet will be the morning

With Heaven’s hand adorning

My soul to meet the Lord in the air;

At last to be ascending

To life that has no ending

Inside the shining city foursquare.

A golden home forever

Beside a living river

The saved of all the ages await;

That city will be ringing

Eternally with singing

When Jesus leads me thru Heaven’s gate.

100

WHY?

Why did God lay His glory down

And put on dust instead?

Why trade His everlasting crown

For thorns upon his head?

How could He give up Heaven’s bliss

His everlasting home

And come to such a world as this

A vagabond to roam?

Why leave the house immortals wear

Our flesh to occupy?

Why leave a life eternal there

And come to earth to die?

We get no answer from mankind

But when we look above

This is the answer that we find

It was a thing called love.

101

INDESCRIBABLE WOE

We abhor death although

Deep within us we know

God has willed that we give up our breath;

Lest that find you distraught

Let your mind weigh this thought:

“What if hope did not go beyond death?”

Such a prospect would give

Us no reason to live

If a grave was our ultimate goal;

Why endeavor to win

The great struggle with sin

If oblivion swallowed the soul?

If we could not prepare

For a future somewhere

It would leave us no motive to cope;

And would make life below

Indescribable woe

If in this life alone we had hope.

But the saved will rejoice

When the archangel’s voice

Calls the dead to arise from the tomb;

And we’ve hope now in store

That when time is no more

Life eternal will burst into bloom.

102

I STILL CANNOT TELL

Many questions I find

Bring the picture to mind

Of a chasm that’s never been crossed;

I have searched, but in vain

For I still can’t explain

Why so many would rather be lost.

We can see, unless blind

That the bulk of mankind

Choose to enter destruction’s wide gate;

There’s no doubt they will die

And the question is why

They would willfully choose such a fate.

Some indeed are deceived

Having truly believed

What they heard was ordained from on high;

An articulate man

With his subtlety can

Often make men subscribe to a lie.

But so many dismiss

Heaven’s unending bliss

And instead pay the purposeless cost;

Of a soul lost in hell

And I still cannot tell

Why so many prefer to be lost.

103

OUR RESPONSIBILITY

What a precious gift did God bestow

On a lifeless lump of dust

For He formed from it a man we know

With a soul to keep in trust;

Then He blessed him with dominion o’er

All the creatures He had made

And His love continued to outpour

On the man as he obeyed.

But with his free moral agency

With which man alone was blessed

Came his own responsibility

For the soul which he possessed;

It is now our soul to save or lose

While with life ‘tis unified

But the time when we may freely choose

Will expire when we have died.

How we use our life while earth we trod

Should be viewed with this in mind

We’ll be called to give account to God

For the trust He gave mankind;

Nothing has a soul on earth but man

Nor the opportunity

To return his soul to God again

To be blessed eternally.

If we place our life in Jesus’ hands

He will cleanse our precious soul

But we must give it to His commands

While it’s still in our control;

If our life in sinfulness we spend

We expend the soul as well

For a wasted life on earth will end

With a wasted soul in hell.

104

IF WE’LL CALL ON THE LORD

Once we lived without fear

In a paradise here

When the orchards of Eden we trod;

But we sinned in that place

And in shame and disgrace

Were expelled from the garden of God.

Now without our consent

There’s a common event

Which espouses the great and the small;

Whether royalty

Or a beggar we be

The same sepulcher swallows us all.

But our God so loved man

He extended a plan

And though all will be joining the dead;

If we’ll call on the Lord

By obeying His word

There’s a glorious future ahead.

Though enslavement to death

Has deprived us of breath

We’ll be blessed when new life we assume;

With a mansion sublime

At the ending of time

Where the orchards of Paradise bloom.

105

Date post:	08-Jan-2022
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