7^th April 2012

OUR DAILY DISCIPLESHIP - a Study in the New Testament and Methodist Hymn Book

When preparing a Sermon on Luke 9:23-24  23: '

Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.' (NIV)

that word ‘daily' rang a bell as I remembered New Testament verses and lines of hymns in my precious Methodist Hymn Book that I still use in my daily devotions. Let me share this search, and may we all feel and respond to this challenge in our own daily living, also remembering Frances Ridley Havergal's challenging Consecration Hymn that we often sing, ending with this last verse:
‘Take my love; my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.'

Other New Testament verses mentioning ‘daily':
Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3 Give us today our daily bread.
Acts 2:47 The Lord added daily those who were being saved.
Acts 6:1 So that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders.
Hebrews 3:13 Encourage one another daily so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
James 2:15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes or daily food. If one of you says, ‘Go, I wish you well, keep warm and well fed', but does nothing about his physical needs, what
good is it? Faith not accompanied by action, is dead.

Methodist Hymn Book lines mentioning ‘daily':
70: Daily doth the Almighty Giver bounteous gifts on us bestow.
286: Holy Spirit help us daily by Thy might.
417: O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be.
463: O Jesus Christ, grow Thou in me, and all things else recede:
My heart be daily nearer Thee, from sin be daily freed.
Each day let Thy supporting might my weakness still embrace.
O make me daily through Thy grace more meet to bear Thy name!
713: Sweetly each to each combined, in the bonds of duty joined,
Feels the cleansing blood applied, daily feels that Christ hath died.
841: Teach me how to grow in goodness daily as I grow.
867: Day by day we magnify Thee (- the opening line of 6 verses!).
Daily work begun and ended with the daily voice of praise.
Day by day we magnify Thee, till on earth our days shall cease.

(Only two of these are in the later hymn book ‘Together in Song')

Rev Perry Smith, Belmont, NSW