A Twisted Mind

Perusing Proverbs 12 this morning a verse reminded me of the current kerfuffle with Harvey Weinstein.

Honestly, I did not know who he was until the dust started kicking up.  Maybe you don't know who he is either.  If that is the case, in a nutshell, he was a Hollywood power mogul.  Apparently, he had a lot of money and wielded a lot of power.  If you were on his good side, your movies got made or you got plum roles in potential blockbusters.

This was particularly true if you are a woman.

Apparently, Mr. Weinstein applied tremendous pressure to aspiring A-list actresses to trade him their sexual favors for prominent roles or other advancement in the film industry.

Proverbs 12:8 (NET) - - -

A person is praised in accordance with his wisdom, but the one who has a twisted mind is despised. 

The collective response to Mr. Weinstein's behavior was, at first, muted.  Those "in the know" overlooked it because of his power over them, or because of his contributions to their political campaigns or, ... etc.

Then, as more and more victims came forward to speak out, it became more expedient to condemn his behavior.  And, so, more prominent "former allies" began to speak out against what he had done.

Don't miss this point:  he was not castigated for what he had done.  He became despised because he had become more of a liability than an asset.

That is sad.  And, it is a perfect illustration of what people do who have a "sliding scale" of morality, a view of morality that shifts and turns, based on circumstances.

Before you start tsk-tsking and cluck-clucking, let me ask you this: are we ever guilty of the same?

As Christians, we ought to always, without equivocation, stand against sexual perversion in all of its forms.  One of the reasons Weinstein was thrown down from his pinnacle of success is that his behavior was heterosexual, albeit predatory.  Hollywood is rife with pedophiles, as is Washington, according to some.  Yet, do we hear that behavior called out?  And, what about homosexuality?  Few dare to speak out against the current "pet" perversion of this age.

Yet, the Bible is clear that God established sexuality, and that He intended sexual behavior to be solely between one man and one woman, within the confines of marriage.  (I won't delve into a dissertation here to defend that statement because most of you know it is true, and defense of that is not the point of this post.)

The bigger question, and the point of this post, is whether we will have the faith and the courage to stand up and speak out against "twisted minds".  To do so is not unloving.  To do so is extremely loving, because speaking the truth in love is what Jesus did.  He did not speak specifically to deviant sexual behavior beyond adultery because, in his day, deviant sexual behavior in the Jewish community was in no way allowed.  He did, however, tell both the woman at the well (John 4:1-42) and the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:3-11) that their sin separated them from God and that they should turn their backs on their sinful pasts (repent).  He also made it abundantly clear to the men standing with stones in their hands that their own sins needed confronting as much as did the woman's.

Erick Erickson did a podcast on this topic yesterday1, and his point is the same as mine here.  If we are indeed possessing both faith and God's wisdom, we will not let evil run unchecked.  Instead, we will call it out, in all its various forms, no matter the cost.  Some will say that this is "judging", which Christ spoke against.  But, again, this is a twisting of scripture, a taking out of context to serve nefarious purposes.  When we, as believers, stand strong for the truth of God, even at the risk of disunity in the Body, we are doing what Jesus himself would do.  And, in the context of Matthew 7, Jesus is speaking to a closely-defined group of people, the Jews.  In other words, it was a "family of God" sermon.  The intent was not to avoid judging sin when sin is encountered, but rather to not falsely or sanctimoniously judge the motives of a fellow believer.

An excellent resource to help us engage our culture with both love and truth is Citizen magazine2, published by Focus on the Family.  The lead article in the most recent issue addresses treating with love those plagued by gender-dysphoria.  Celebrating 30 years of ministry next month, Citizen has long been an outstanding partner in assisting the everyday Christian in navigating through cultural minefields with integrity, perseverance, truth and love. I highly recommend a subscription!

It all boils down to the gospel, really.  How much are we willing to sacrifice to proclaim to an unbelieving world that our holiness and our love are genuine, and that they are authentic by-products of a faith-powered relationship with the One and Only?  Will we sacrifice to affirm that hope and freedom from sin's curse are only found in Jesus?


Sources:

1    https://www.spreaker.com/user/ewerickson/dragon-slayers

2    https://www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues

Responsibilities of Citizenship

There is a pervasive view in our country that is distinctly un-American.  Basically and generally, this view says, "Let someone else watch out for us and/or fight for our freedoms."  It's a type of "willful blindness", a hashtag I saw on Twitter this afternoon.

Yesterday morning, I was listening to an interview with an Israeli man.  I learned that all Israeli citizens are required to be in the Israeli military forces (except for the very physically or mentally disabled), and that all Israeli citizens are trained in self-defense, that is, how to use a firearm.
Needless to say, the nation of Israel remains in a constant state of defense, being constantly attacked from enemy forces.  However, their people are as prepared as it is reasonably possible to be!

In America, although attacks are escalating, we are increasingly taking our freedoms for granted and allowing the other distractions of life to prevent us from protecting them.  We are not, by and large, being vigilant.
However, the rights of citizenship are dependent upon the responsibilities of citizenship in order for those cherished rights to be preserved.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Edmund Burke

One American manifestation of this is voting.  In local elections, where elections have tremendous consequences, the voter turnout is shockingly low.  It is not much better in primaries/national elections.

Another example:  When our sons were involved in JROTC in high school, most of the parents of the cadets did not join the booster club.  It was fine with the majority of parents to let others make decisions for them and their children.

Still further: in community organizations, most of the members do not even know what the governing documents say, much less do they know when their rights as members have been infringed.  They view the foundational, guiding documents as mere paper.  As a result, the opposite can occur.  A small group of members can then flagrantly trample on the rights of the members, because the members are "blissfully unaware" of their rights.

In Philippians 3, where we have been studying the past several days, Paul speaks of the Christian's heavenly citizenship, the gift to every believer in Jesus Christ.  He also speaks of the responsibilities of citizenship - - -

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14 (KJV)

That doesn't sound like "sitting back and doing nothing", does it?  Fulfilling the responsibilities of our heavenly citizenship sometimes requires tremendous, supernatural courage: courage to live for Christ, to fulfill our calling, to confront evil, to love the unlovely, to evidence Christ's beautiful holiness and grace.

May it be so, Lord Jesus!  In Your holy name, amen.

Titanium Humility

 

A friend today was sharing a story about a little 'ole church lady, sweetest thing you ever saw, never had an unkind word to say about anyone.  One day he was telling her all about a recent mission trip, how he did this and he did that...She rightly perceived that he was being boastful.  In response she sweetly said, "I'm so glad that God has you to prop Him up, Mark!"  As I blogged about yesterday, that was a "settin' down"!

Was this little lady a humble person?  It seems she was.  However, her humility was not one of weakness.  She knew when to have some titanium in her humility.  In this case, she called on it to disciple a younger brother in the Lord.

Today's scripture is from Philippians 2:3-11 (NET) as we continue our journey through this book.

3  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,  

4  not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5  In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6  Who, being in very nature^a God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7  rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8  and being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

9  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11  and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Godly humility is a very desirable spiritual trait.  I've noticed, though, that there is a lot of the fake kind around.  Let's look at how Jesus Himself modeled this trait for us.

Godly humility is sacrificial.
It requires we put those we love before our own interests - - - Jesus Christ our Savior in first place of course, and then our loved ones, our friends, seeking to build them up, to lead them to salvation in Jesus Christ or to lead them into deeper relationship with Him.
Jesus gave us the ultimate example of this.
If we look at His life, it was a picture of sacrifice, from beginning to the end.  He is our Good Shepherd, who lays down His very life for His sheep.  We see the titanium in his humility in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46).  There, after praying earnestly for God the Father to remove from Him the burden of the world's sins, Jesus obediently humbled Himself for the task set before Him.  Can you even imagine such sacrifice?

Godly humility is not self-seeking.
Humble people do not seek recognition for the good they do.  The dead give-away that someone is not humble is if they want people to recognize them for their humility or good deeds, if they seek title or position in order to receive the praise of others.  No matter how humble their words in such cases, their hearts are not humble.  Jesus talked about this in the context of giving, when he said "don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing" (Matthew 6:3).
I watched the principal of a school stoop to pick up trash on the grounds as he walked on an errand across campus.  It was not his "job" to do that.  He did it unconsciously, without thinking.  He saw a job that needed doing; and, he did it.  That is humility.
You'll notice that Jesus did not exalt Himself, in the verses above.  Have you ever wondered about that?  After finishing the work Father gave Him to do, He certainly had that right.....
But, you see, in every action He took, He was being our example.  He let Father exalt Him, the Son!
So should we.

Godly humility is fearless.
Sometimes, to cover our fear, we "put on humility".  But, that is a deception as well as an excuse to shy away from the opportunities we have been given.  Godly humility is manifest when God's children look at the Enemy, allow themselves to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and then pick up their swords to fight for truth, for righteousness, for the gospel.....for love.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had it (Daniel 3:16-18)
Daniel had it (Daniel 6).
Esther had it (Esther 4:12-16)
Those who have given their lives as Christian martyrs had it.
The list could go on and on.... 

Godly humility trusts God. 
After we have been obedient in doing what He calls us to do, humility then continues as it trusts God with the outcome.  (Oh y'all....this one is so hard for me!  Well, humility in all points is hard for me, but this is the hardest.)  If we walk with God, we know deep down in our heart-of-hearts when God fearlessly wants us to sally forth in battle (CHARGE!!!!!), and when He does not.  It's those "does nots" that tie me in knots.  I'd rather "fix it" than pray about it; you know what I'm talkin' 'bout?  This is especially true when it appears "evil is prospering".  You know, the psalmists had the same dilemma.
Honestly, "fixing it" (even when it's not my place to fix it) is much easier than waiting on God to move.  It's comical, really.  I'll pray, "God, glorify Yourself through this situation!"  And, then, I am tempted to act in a way that steals His glory.
But, be sure of this:  godly humility puts the spotlight on God.  It magnifies and lifts up Jesus Christ.
Sometimes, our obedience brings difficult outcomes, scary outcomes.  Look again at that list of people above.  Sometimes, our obedience brings all kinds of personal loss, even physical death.
Daniel escaped the lions' den unscathed.

²³ Then the king was delighted and gave an order to haul Daniel up from the den. So Daniel was hauled up out of the den. He had no injury of any kind, because he had trusted in his God.

  
"Unscathed", though, is not always the outcome for us, nor is it always God's will.
But, don't miss this!
When we are obedient and trusting, even when our obedience brings more trials and tribulations, we will always be safe with God.  Our eternity is safe with Him, even when our road here is rocky and rough.  

Humility is counter-intuitive, isn't it?  It goes against the way "the world" thinks.  But, it is exactly how Jesus lived.
 
Father, learning from my Savior's humility is convicting.  Even so, if I long to be like Jesus, I can't skip over the "humility parts".  If I long to "walk resplendent", I can't take shortcuts along the way.  I love that old hymn that says, "Grant us wisdom.  Grant us courage, that we fail not man nor Thee." In Jesus' name, oh yes!  May it be so! Amen.

God of Grace and God of Glory
 

God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.

Lo! the hosts of evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.

Cure Thy children’s warring madness,
Bend our pride to Thy control.
Shame our wanton selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal.

Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.

Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee whom we adore,
Serving Thee whom we adore.

                   http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/g/o/d/godgragl.htm

A Charge to the Light Brigade

There were times in my childhood when I had to navigate down a dark path.  My memories of feeling safest were when I was led by an adult with a flashlight.  My adult guide would shine the flashlight on the path and sometimes back and forth into the darkness as we walked.  I felt completely safe.  Later, as I got older, I received my own flashlight and gained the confidence to walk down dark paths with Him to guide my steps.

What sensible person carries a flashlight down a dark path but does not shine it out in front, to illuminate the path?  Possessing the light is useless unless it is directed by the light bearer and "shone forth".  This is truly "walking in the light, as He is in the light".  (1 John 1:7)

In Ephesians 5:6-14 Paul is describing the resplendent walk:

⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. ⁷ Therefore, do not become their partners. ⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light— ⁹ for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth— ¹⁰ discerning what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. ¹³ Everything exposed by the light is made clear, ¹⁴ for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said:

"Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead,
and the Messiah will shine on you."

Previously, in the verses just prior to these, Paul exhorted believers to imitate God by walking in His love.  Here, he begins to talk about our associations with others.  There are times when love must be courageous.

First, he warns us of making alliances with phony Christians - - - those ungodly deceivers who talk a good game, but who have souls empty of the Holy Spirit, who have no flashlight at all.  He labels them as still walking in darkness, that is, not having experienced the salvation of Jesus Christ, regardless of their words.  Indeed, their actions stand in direct conflict with their words.  We are not to line up with them or to become partners with them.

Secondly, since we have the light of life in our hearts, we are not to participate in "works of darkness".  Ok, so, we are to walk in the light, down the path of life, and avoid sinful behavior.

Thirdly, and this is very, very unpopular today - - - we are not merely to go skipping down the path shining our light along the way, refusing to participate in sin.  In verse 11, Paul goes a step further, saying we are to expose the sin that surrounds us.

In a recent Sunday School lesson the emphasis was on learning from, and coming back from, failure.  The majority of the discussion focused on the "crash and burn" types of failures, where we made an unfortunate choice, or an error in judgment or a naive decision and came to an unfortunate condition called "failure".  Well and good.
However, I pointed out that perhaps an even worse failure is the kind where we refuse to obey the Word of God.  Verse 11 of this passage is one such example where in modern-day America followers of Jesus Christ have failed.

There is a pernicious lie which has permeated much of Christendom since the mid-1950s.  It says, "Live and let live."  I can remember seeing this slogan on bumper stickers in years past.  A more modern incarnation of this philosophy is the popular "Coexist" bumper sticker.

In other words, "you do your thing, and I'll do mine."  "You leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone."  The problem with this is that it has resulted in an ever-encroaching tide of godlessness across our nation.  It's not quite as egregious as anarchy, "anything goes," because Christian people would have openly rebelled against that philosophy.  However, it is equally pernicious.  Death by inches, as opposed to one, swift blow.

Case in point:
On June 25, 1962, nearly 54 years ago as of the date of this writing, the U.S. Supreme Court removed daily, corporate prayer from the public schools of this nation.  One year later, Bible reading followed.1  The court's reasoning on this matter was that, although Bible reading and prayer had been taught in public schools for the previous 100 years of American public schooling, somehow it came to amount to "establishment of a particular religion." This was a lie, but the American church bought it, and did nothing to stop it.  The truth is that the Bible's tenets, like it or not, formed the foundational moral principles of Western Civilization.  (Ask an American law student, who is familiar with Old Testament law.)   It was Christianity which civilized and modernized Europe in the 1400s-1500s.  It was Christianity that under-girded American civilization for this country's first approximately 175 years.  Instead of standing up to the lie perpetuated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1962 and '63, the American church hid its flashlights under its jackets.  As the past 50 or so years have rolled on, additional losses of freedom have followed, one after another, until this assemblage of 50 states, though still in some ways "united" are certainly not "one nation under God".

Walking down the path, boldly shining the light into the darkness takes tremendous courage.  It is much easier to "go with the flow", to "get on board", to "go along to get along".  The original publish date of this post is Memorial Day, May 30, 2016, a day on which we Americans commemorate and revere those men and women whose courage led them to serve our country and to make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, on our behalf.  They died fighting those who had been identified as enemies to our country and to our freedoms.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade ?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred! 2

The battle this famous poem describes was the result of a British military blunder, a miscommunication between a general and his subordinates during the Crimean War.  Yet, these soldiers did not question their orders, nor did they shrink from the battle.  They charged forth into the Russian army, heedless of the enemy's numbers, and made military history for their bravery, so much so that "all the world wonder'd".

As Christians, a Light Brigade, we have no need to fear that our "General" is wrong-headed or confused.
 
Most of the 12 disciples of Jesus died martyrs' deaths, rather than renounce the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  They were not content to "live and let live".  They were certain and single-minded, shining their lights so brilliantly and blindingly that the darkness, for a time, fled.

The same challenge given to these heroes has been also given to us.  Will we take it?  Paul uses a well-known saying (even we don't know for sure its source) in verse 14, when he shakes us by the collar to say, "WAKE UP! Rise up from the dead souls who surround you!"  Will each of us who claims the name of Jesus Christ, who bears His light shine?  Will we courageously expose the deeds of the unrighteous in our world, as the Lord gives each of us opportunity, no matter the personal cost, so that all the world wonders at our outrageous love for our Lord?

Father, thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of my Lord, the Light of Life.  Every day You give me opportunities to shine Your Light into dark places, to expose and opposed wickedness.  May I shirk not the challenge or shrink from the battle!  May I emulate the example of my Lord, who did not retreat from the agony of the Cross, as well as those courageous saints who have gone before me in this ages-old war.  In Jesus' name, amen.


Sources:

1
http://religionandpolitics.org/2012/06/25/when-the-court-took-on-prayer-the-bible-and-public-schools/

2
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/45319

Evangelists, Activists and Paper Tigers

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday weekend is on the horizon, and mentioning him here today fits with a verse I want to hone in on this morning (Galatians 4:16).  Growing up in the South, I remember not so much of when Dr. King was evangelizing and actively campaigning for social change.  (I was in the single digits of years...) But, I do remember the controversy surrounding making his birthday a national holiday. And, back then in the South, especially, there was a lo-o-o-ot of controversy.

The main reason for this was that Dr. King advocated for social change, and in so doing, made many enemies (including the one who assassinated him).  As he lay dying, he could have mouthed Galatians 4:16 - - -

16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Now, not all versions of "social change" are good.  You can argue with me about whether Dr. King's version of the truth was the whole truth or not. That would be a distraction, and not at all the point of my illustration.  The point is that the truth changes people and often makes the truth-teller a target.

This is what was happening in Galatia, concerning Paul.  Paul had started the Galatian church, but found himself (and the truth) being marginalized and fiercely criticized after he moved on to deliver the gospel elsewhere.

I admire Paul and others like them, whose hearts burn with the message they've been given to share. No shrinking violets are they!  Even if I disagree with the content of the message, I admire those who are willing to take a stand and "put it out there".  Paul says a couple of verses later ... (Galatians 4:18 KJV)

It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing!

Or, as The Message puts it:

It is a good thing to be ardent in doing good.

As far as the gospel is concerned, it is not a good thing to keep quiet about it.  We were commanded by the Master to be bold in sharing it, with everyone (Matthew 28:19-20).  What we often fail to anticipate, though, is the opposition we will face when we do.  Jesus saw that coming, and told us so in John 15:18-19...

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

No surprise, right?  The message of the gospel is antithetical to the ruling philosophies of this world.

The false teachers of Galatians wanted to shut the baby Christians out of the freedom that is God's grace, so that they would always be dependent upon the Judaizers for approval and direction (4:17).
The Galatians were unprepared for the battle, apparently, because look at their response to the law-bringers, the rule-peddlers, the enemies of the truth.  Paul says in 4:8-11 (The Message) ...

Earlier, before you knew God personally, you were enslaved to so-called gods that had nothing of the divine about them. But now that you know the real God—or rather since God knows you—how can you possibly subject yourselves again to those paper tigers? For that is exactly what you do when you are intimidated into scrupulously observing all the traditions, taboos, and superstitions associated with special days and seasons and years. I am afraid that all my hard work among you has gone up in a puff of smoke!

Not an effective battle strategy, I'm afraid, this bowing down to paper tigers, this returning to enslavement.  Yet, it is one that the redeemed of the Lord, Christ-followers, sometimes devolve to, losing ground in the process.  Our spiritual progress is sometimes "two steps forward, and one step back".  We willingly enslave ourselves to forces which have no power over us.  I know I've been guilty.  Old habits die hard.  Often the truth dies on the altar of the comfortable.

In response to the Galatians' veering far off the path, Paul was fearless in proclaiming to them (again) the liberating truth of the gospel.  The character trait of truth-bearers: fearlessness in the face of opposition, courage in delivering an unpopular message.

The same God who told us to "Love one another" (John 13:34) also told us repeatedly to "Fear not" (Luke 12:32, e.g.)  So, I'm not talking about those who just love to be disagreeable.  I'm talking about being fearless in telling the truth, but doing so with love in our hearts.  Soon, we'll be examining the fruits of the Spirit, in the next chapter, in fact.  They are indispensable for all Christ-followers, all of whom are, like it or not, truth-bearers.

Lo! the hosts of evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.1
     God of Grace and God of Glory, Henry E. Fosdick, 1930.

Lord, give us wisdom, courage and opportunity to share the gospel.  Empower us with your Sprit and deliver us from our backsliding into the more familiar, unrighteous ways of living.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/g/o/godgrace.htm