We might think that in the case of God his offer of forgiveness should then be possible without any demand for retribution or satisfaction. But although such an offer is made, the offender may not be contrite, and the grip of sin is such that sinners are not capable of showing the necessary contrition.
OT sacrifices could be understood as expressions of contrition, with the offering of a (valuable) article as expression and proof of the inner feeling, and these were offered in accordance with a divine direction that this way of dealing with sin was prescribed by God and acceptable to him. The sins in question were publicly confessed, the sinner laid hands on the sacrifice to indicate that it was their sacrifice and was in respect of the actual sins confessed. In this way the sacrifice could be said to take away sin.
In the NT, the danger of thinking that an outward act can deal with sin is clearly recognised (Hebrews 10:4, 11). God, who provided the path of sacrifice in the OT, now intervenes to provide a new offering, himself dying in the person of the Son who has united himself with humanity, to make the offering which will deal with sin. Christ, or his name or his death are integral to the New Testament concept of forgiveness. In Hebrews it is seen as the fruit of sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22, 10:18). In Ephesians 1:7 it is linked to the blood of Jesus. In Colossians 1:14 it is not far distant from a reference to peace being made by the blood of the cross (Colossians 1:20).
Thus God takes the initiative, God himself bears the sin and gives his Son in his sacrificial death as the way or means by which sinners can come to him. The sinner no longer needs to bring an offering to God, for Christ has already made that offering in the heavenly sanctuary. The conferral of forgiveness costs the sinner nothing, but it costs God everything.
- I. Howard Marshall, The Theology of the Atonement
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Monday, 16 August 2010
The Incarnation
Judaism already had a strong incarnational principle, namely the Temple, and that the language used of Shekinah, Torah, Wisdom, Word, and Spirit in the Old Testament - the language, in other words, upon which the earliest Christians drew when they were exploring and expounding what we have called Christology - was a language designed, long before Jesus' day, to explain how the one true God could be both transcendent over the world and living and active within it, particularly within Israel...
When Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven," he is not claiming straightforwardly to be God, but to give people, out on the street, what they would normally get by going to the Temple.
- N. T. Wright, Simply Lewis
When Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven," he is not claiming straightforwardly to be God, but to give people, out on the street, what they would normally get by going to the Temple.
- N. T. Wright, Simply Lewis
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Aug 8 to 14
Aug 8: "Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD." - Proverbs 19:14 (NIV)
Aug 9: "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you for ever." - 1 Chronicles 28:9 (NIV)
Aug 10: "God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honour, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honour, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have."" - 2 Chronicles 1:11-12 (NIV)
Aug 11: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
Aug 12: "Then I realised that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labour under the sun during the few days of life God has given him - for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God." - Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 (NIV)
Aug 13: "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling-block to the weak." - 1 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)
Aug 14: "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NIV)
Aug 9: "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you for ever." - 1 Chronicles 28:9 (NIV)
Aug 10: "God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honour, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honour, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have."" - 2 Chronicles 1:11-12 (NIV)
Aug 11: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
Aug 12: "Then I realised that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labour under the sun during the few days of life God has given him - for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God." - Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 (NIV)
Aug 13: "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling-block to the weak." - 1 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)
Aug 14: "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NIV)
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Baptism and Covenant Theology
Foundational to a biblical theology of baptism is the recognition that baptism's sign character positions it within an ongoing pattern of divine activity. Throughout the history of redemption, God's dealings with his people have always included the use of emblems. His epochal promises were illustrated and confirmed physically and visually as well as verbally.
This pattern appears specifically in the history of divine covenants. To the verbal promise of the Noahic covenant was added the physical token of the rainbow in the sky (Genesis 9:12-16). The token was a sign of the promise and sealed it, guaranteeing God's faithfulness. The rainbow was in fact first a sign of God's promise to God himself. It then reassured Noah that God himself was reminded to remember his promise! Later the Abrahamic covenant had its own sign of circumcision (Genesis 17:11), while the "visible" sign of the Mosaic covenant was the Sabbath day (Exodus 31:16-17).
In their own context each of these covenant signs pointed forward to a fulfillment in the new covenant in Christ. He is the true Noah in whose ark we are saved (1 Peter 3:20-22), the seed of Abraham in whom all the nations of the earth are blessed (Galatians 3:13-22), the prophet-leader like Moses in whom the final Exodus took place (Deuteronomy 18:15; cf. Luke 9:31, where "spoke of his departure" translates elegon tēn exodon autou = ie. spoke of his exodus).
This background shows that the physical signs of baptism and the Lord's Supper which Jesus instituted belong to a larger pattern and should be interpreted in the light of this biblical-theological tradition. Baptism cannot be fully understood abstracted from this matrix.
- Sinclair B. Ferguson in David F. Wright (ed.), Baptism: Three Views
Link: More on Baptism and Covenant Theology (13 Nov 10)
This pattern appears specifically in the history of divine covenants. To the verbal promise of the Noahic covenant was added the physical token of the rainbow in the sky (Genesis 9:12-16). The token was a sign of the promise and sealed it, guaranteeing God's faithfulness. The rainbow was in fact first a sign of God's promise to God himself. It then reassured Noah that God himself was reminded to remember his promise! Later the Abrahamic covenant had its own sign of circumcision (Genesis 17:11), while the "visible" sign of the Mosaic covenant was the Sabbath day (Exodus 31:16-17).
In their own context each of these covenant signs pointed forward to a fulfillment in the new covenant in Christ. He is the true Noah in whose ark we are saved (1 Peter 3:20-22), the seed of Abraham in whom all the nations of the earth are blessed (Galatians 3:13-22), the prophet-leader like Moses in whom the final Exodus took place (Deuteronomy 18:15; cf. Luke 9:31, where "spoke of his departure" translates elegon tēn exodon autou = ie. spoke of his exodus).
This background shows that the physical signs of baptism and the Lord's Supper which Jesus instituted belong to a larger pattern and should be interpreted in the light of this biblical-theological tradition. Baptism cannot be fully understood abstracted from this matrix.
- Sinclair B. Ferguson in David F. Wright (ed.), Baptism: Three Views
Link: More on Baptism and Covenant Theology (13 Nov 10)
Friday, 13 August 2010
His Story
"Man is in his actions and practice, as well as in his fictions, essentially a story-telling animal." - Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue
I've been attending The Living Word 2010 and the teaching by Rikk Watts is excellent. One thing which I have been reminded of is that without story, there is no personhood. God is a personal God and He reveals Himself in history - His story!
Scripture is all about concrete historical stories, not abstract philosophical ideas. Between biblical and systematic theology, biblical theology is the unpacking of the biblical narrative, the storyline of the Bible. Systematic theology is really philosophy. So Calvinism, Arminianism, Molinism and many other "isms" (with the possible exception of baptism...) are secondary issues. The primary issues are the matters of first importance.
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." - 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (NIV)
Incidentally, history was my favourite subject in secondary school and junior college, and philosophy was my favourite subject at university. I believe there is a place for both biblical and systematic theology, but it would be wise to devote more attention to the former than the latter.
"In a postmodern world, it is important to keep saying that we are not saved by ideas, not even biblical ideas, but by the Jesus whom God sent to the cross on our behalf." - D. A. Carson, Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology
Link: Beginning with Moses (4 Sep 10)
I've been attending The Living Word 2010 and the teaching by Rikk Watts is excellent. One thing which I have been reminded of is that without story, there is no personhood. God is a personal God and He reveals Himself in history - His story!
Scripture is all about concrete historical stories, not abstract philosophical ideas. Between biblical and systematic theology, biblical theology is the unpacking of the biblical narrative, the storyline of the Bible. Systematic theology is really philosophy. So Calvinism, Arminianism, Molinism and many other "isms" (with the possible exception of baptism...) are secondary issues. The primary issues are the matters of first importance.
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." - 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (NIV)
Incidentally, history was my favourite subject in secondary school and junior college, and philosophy was my favourite subject at university. I believe there is a place for both biblical and systematic theology, but it would be wise to devote more attention to the former than the latter.
"In a postmodern world, it is important to keep saying that we are not saved by ideas, not even biblical ideas, but by the Jesus whom God sent to the cross on our behalf." - D. A. Carson, Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology
Link: Beginning with Moses (4 Sep 10)
Thursday, 12 August 2010
He keeps the key
Is there some problem in your life to solve
Some passage seeming full of mystery?
God knows, who brings the hidden things to light
He keeps the key
Is there some door closed by the Father's hand
Which widely opened you had hoped to see?
Trust God and wait - for when He shuts the door
He keeps the key
Is there some earnest prayer unanswered yet
Or answered NOT as you had thought 'twould be?
God will make clear His purpose by and by
He keeps the key
Have patience with your God, your patient God
All wise, all knowing, no long lingerer He
And of the door of all your future life
He keeps the key
Unfailing comfort, sweet and blessed rest
To know of EVERY door He keeps the key
That He at last when just HE sees best
Will give it THEE
- Anonymous
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." - Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
"You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed." - John Bunyan
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Links: The Key to All Doors (30 Dec 09), Waiting on God (24 Dec 10)
Some passage seeming full of mystery?
God knows, who brings the hidden things to light
He keeps the key
Is there some door closed by the Father's hand
Which widely opened you had hoped to see?
Trust God and wait - for when He shuts the door
He keeps the key
Is there some earnest prayer unanswered yet
Or answered NOT as you had thought 'twould be?
God will make clear His purpose by and by
He keeps the key
Have patience with your God, your patient God
All wise, all knowing, no long lingerer He
And of the door of all your future life
He keeps the key
Unfailing comfort, sweet and blessed rest
To know of EVERY door He keeps the key
That He at last when just HE sees best
Will give it THEE
- Anonymous
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." - Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
"You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed." - John Bunyan
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Links: The Key to All Doors (30 Dec 09), Waiting on God (24 Dec 10)
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
There is a time for everything
I'm reading the Bible in one year and the Old Testament reading for Aug 11 is Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22.
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
Meanwhile, the Old Testament reading for Aug 12 is Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12.
"Then I realised that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labour under the sun during the few days of life God has given him - for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God." - Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 (NIV)
This is a timely reminder as I graduate from York and prepare to start work in the near future. Incidentally, Ecclesiastes was the book which we studied in college small groups last term - which also happened to be my last term at York. I'll miss York CU (and York for that matter), but there is a time for everything and I trust that God has brought me back to Singapore in Jul 10 according to His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Links: Final Reflections (16 Jul 10), Rehab, Renew, Restart (13 Sep 10), Proverbs 24:27 (25 Sep 10)
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
Meanwhile, the Old Testament reading for Aug 12 is Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12.
"Then I realised that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labour under the sun during the few days of life God has given him - for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God." - Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 (NIV)
This is a timely reminder as I graduate from York and prepare to start work in the near future. Incidentally, Ecclesiastes was the book which we studied in college small groups last term - which also happened to be my last term at York. I'll miss York CU (and York for that matter), but there is a time for everything and I trust that God has brought me back to Singapore in Jul 10 according to His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Links: Final Reflections (16 Jul 10), Rehab, Renew, Restart (13 Sep 10), Proverbs 24:27 (25 Sep 10)
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
I think, therefore I am
There is a flow to history and culture. This flow is rooted and has its wellspring in the thoughts of people. People are unique in the inner life of the mind - what they are in their thought world determines how they act. This is true of their value systems and it is true of their creativity. It is true of their corporate actions, such as political decisions, and it is true of their personal lives. The results of their thought world flow through their fingers or from their tongues into the external world. This is true of Michelangelo's chisel, and it is true of a dictator's sword.
People have presuppositions, and they will live more consistently on the basis of these presuppositions than even they themselves may realise. By presuppositions we mean the basic way an individual looks at life, his basic worldview, the grid through which he sees the world. Presuppositions rest upon that which a person considers to be the truth of what exists. People's presuppositions lay a grid for all they bring forth into the external world. Their presuppositions also provide the basis for their values and therefore the basis for their decisions.
"As a man thinketh, so is he," is really most profound. An individual is not just the product of the forces around him. He has a mind, an inner world. Then, having thought, a person can bring forth actions into the external world and thus influence it. People are apt to look at the outer theatre of action, forgetting the actor who "lives in the mind" and who therefore is the true actor in the external world. The inner thought world determines the outward action.
- Francis A. Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture
"There are two kinds of presuppositionalists: those who admit it and those who don't." - D. A. Carson quoting Carl F. H. Henry
Links: Philosophy and Theology (3 Jan 10), Why Theology Matters (11 Apr 10), Scripture and the Interpretation of Scripture (4 Sep 10)
People have presuppositions, and they will live more consistently on the basis of these presuppositions than even they themselves may realise. By presuppositions we mean the basic way an individual looks at life, his basic worldview, the grid through which he sees the world. Presuppositions rest upon that which a person considers to be the truth of what exists. People's presuppositions lay a grid for all they bring forth into the external world. Their presuppositions also provide the basis for their values and therefore the basis for their decisions.
"As a man thinketh, so is he," is really most profound. An individual is not just the product of the forces around him. He has a mind, an inner world. Then, having thought, a person can bring forth actions into the external world and thus influence it. People are apt to look at the outer theatre of action, forgetting the actor who "lives in the mind" and who therefore is the true actor in the external world. The inner thought world determines the outward action.
- Francis A. Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture
"There are two kinds of presuppositionalists: those who admit it and those who don't." - D. A. Carson quoting Carl F. H. Henry
Links: Philosophy and Theology (3 Jan 10), Why Theology Matters (11 Apr 10), Scripture and the Interpretation of Scripture (4 Sep 10)
Rationality vs Feeling
*From Spencer's blog*
In a recent discussion with a friend, we mused that there were two types of Christian: the 'happy clappers' (ie. those who disproportionately stress the Holy Spirit above biblical teaching) and the 'Bible nerds' (ie. those who disproportionately stress analytical rigour over the Holy Spirit). Why this needless division? To either prioritise the good feeling that the Holy Spirit imparts, or the logical stability that the Bible confers, is to focus on earthly wisdom and desire.
These two ways of living can be reconciled if the Word of God is both the inspiration for divine knowledge and the source of holy sentiment. Consider tongues. In the Bible, the first example of tongues being spoken on a wide scale occurred at Pentecost. Was this a random, feel-good orgy of mumbo jumbo, as is sometimes the case at modern processions where tongues are spoken? No. Tongues were used for a specific purpose, which was so that the diversity of languages present at the meeting could all understand Peter's sermon. Paul in his letters outlines very specific guidelines for the instrumentalisation of tongues, as a gift to be used in order to communicate God's wisdom to the masses, and not simply as a means of getting one's 'Holy Spirit fix' in some hypnotic and incomprehensible high.
Similarly, Jesus tells us that Love fulfills the Law. So what is the point of academic rigour, even of God's Word, if we are unable to live lives of Love? For this reason Paul tells the Church that he communicates to them through his actions, and intentionally avoids intellectual constructions, so that they can see the Word for what it really is - not a logical curiousum, but the ultimate reality.
In a recent discussion with a friend, we mused that there were two types of Christian: the 'happy clappers' (ie. those who disproportionately stress the Holy Spirit above biblical teaching) and the 'Bible nerds' (ie. those who disproportionately stress analytical rigour over the Holy Spirit). Why this needless division? To either prioritise the good feeling that the Holy Spirit imparts, or the logical stability that the Bible confers, is to focus on earthly wisdom and desire.
These two ways of living can be reconciled if the Word of God is both the inspiration for divine knowledge and the source of holy sentiment. Consider tongues. In the Bible, the first example of tongues being spoken on a wide scale occurred at Pentecost. Was this a random, feel-good orgy of mumbo jumbo, as is sometimes the case at modern processions where tongues are spoken? No. Tongues were used for a specific purpose, which was so that the diversity of languages present at the meeting could all understand Peter's sermon. Paul in his letters outlines very specific guidelines for the instrumentalisation of tongues, as a gift to be used in order to communicate God's wisdom to the masses, and not simply as a means of getting one's 'Holy Spirit fix' in some hypnotic and incomprehensible high.
Similarly, Jesus tells us that Love fulfills the Law. So what is the point of academic rigour, even of God's Word, if we are unable to live lives of Love? For this reason Paul tells the Church that he communicates to them through his actions, and intentionally avoids intellectual constructions, so that they can see the Word for what it really is - not a logical curiousum, but the ultimate reality.
Monday, 9 August 2010
The Grace (and Duty) of Giving
I'm reading the Bible in one year and the Old Testament reading for Aug 9 is 1 Chronicles 28:1-29:30.
"But who am I [David], and who are my people [the Israelites], that we should be able to give as generously as this [in building a house for the LORD]? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." - 1 Chronicles 29:14 (NIV)
May we be faithful stewards of all that the Lord has entrusted us with.
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?" - Luke 16:10-12 (NIV)
"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" - Luke 17:7-10 (NIV)
"What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe - as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." - 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 (NIV)
Every good gift, all that we need and cherish
Comes from the Lord in token of His love
We are His hands, stewards of all His bounty
His is the earth and His the heavens above
Praise to Thee, O Lord, for all creation
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share and every blessing
All things come of Thee
All things come of Thee
Link: Building for the Kingdom (8 Jan 09)
"But who am I [David], and who are my people [the Israelites], that we should be able to give as generously as this [in building a house for the LORD]? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." - 1 Chronicles 29:14 (NIV)
May we be faithful stewards of all that the Lord has entrusted us with.
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?" - Luke 16:10-12 (NIV)
"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" - Luke 17:7-10 (NIV)
"What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe - as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." - 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 (NIV)
Every good gift, all that we need and cherish
Comes from the Lord in token of His love
We are His hands, stewards of all His bounty
His is the earth and His the heavens above
Praise to Thee, O Lord, for all creation
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share and every blessing
All things come of Thee
All things come of Thee
Link: Building for the Kingdom (8 Jan 09)
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