Earlier today on Bellshill Salvation Army Band’s Facebook page I shared some Easter Sunday devotions. I’d like to share those devotions with you tonight.
On this Easter Sunday as we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead, we look at the words of the well-known hymn ‘When I Survey The Wondrous Cross’ by Isaac Watts.
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
The words of this hymn remind us of the great love God, through Jesus’ death, showed each one of us. What an immense cost our redemption cost!
I’m sure we’ve all sung those words many times, but in doing so, do we always faithfully consider the cross with the reverence it deserves? Do we feel the reality of the words in our hearts when we sing them? Even if our honest answer to these questions is we probably do not consider our faith when we sing these words, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up, as we can rectify this now today.
Therefore, we were buried with Him through this baptism into death so that just as God the Father, in all His glory, resurrected the Anointed One, we, too, might walk confidently out of the grave into a new life.
Romans 6:4 (The Voice)
Because of the cross we do not need to beat ourselves up for failing Him, because we can bow down before God today, confessing our sins, and “pouring contempt on all my pride”. That’s because although the cross reveals the depth of our need for God, it also shows us that our need can be fulfilled by His love and mercy.
This Easter, as we “survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died”, may we acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice Jesus paid for our redemption and give thanks to God with grateful hearts for the love and mercy he provides.
We pray that we each proclaim the amazing and divine love of Jesus to the world, so that we can share God’s love for all, with those around us. May all we do, always be because of the wondrous cross, the depth of Jesus’ love of us, and the immense cost of our redemption.
A few years ago the band recorded an arrangement of the hymn tune ‘Deep Harmony’. We’d like to share with you now a video of that recording – In the video you will find we’ve set the words of ‘When I Survey The Wondrous Cross’, set to the hymn tune ‘Deep Harmony’.
We wish you a happy and blessed Easter.
The Distinct Dot 