Copper Harbor, MI
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
This past Sunday, our church praised God for 250 years of freedom in America. For the occasion I adapted the hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth” with new verses focused on the blessings God has given to our country. Verse 1 and the refrain are from the original hymn by Folliott S. Pierpoint. Verses 2-6 are new, thanking God for our land, provisions, and many freedoms. Lord of all to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise!
For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies
For the love which from our birth,
over and around us lies
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise
For the beauty of our land,
Towering mountains, plains and trees
Rivers, lakes and coastal sand,
Flow’ring meadows, buzzing bees
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise
For your provident bounty,
Homes and clothes, abundant food
For our opportunity,
Jobs to earn, enjoy such good
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise
For the noble chance to give,
To those in need with much less
For the simple chance to live,
In a land that God has blessed
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise
For the right we have to choose,
Those who lead our free country
And whether we win or lose,
Work as one for liberty
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise
For our freedoms one by one,
To assemble and free press
Free speech and free religion,
For them all our God we bless
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise
Verse 1 & Refrain by Folliot S. Pierpoint
New Verses 2-6 by Brian J. Mikul
To the tune of “For the Beauty of the Earth”
Copyright 2026 Brian J. Mikul.
Feel free to use this hymn with proper acknowledgements.
God raised from the dead our Lord Jesus
Our great Shepherd is with us each day
God’s Law is written deep within us
May God equip us to walk His way
Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son
This exhortation may we receive
Look to Jesus as we run our race
Jesus is better – may we believe
And let us walk in His saving grace
(Repeat Chorus)
© 2023 Brian J. Mikul
(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
(James 1:2-4, ESV)
Notice that there is a purpose in our trials. Our trials are a testing of our faith. Not to see if we have faith, but to test our very real faith. The word has the idea of refining or purifying. You put metal in a fire to melt it down and drain off impurities. In the same way, our times in the fire are designed by God to refine and purify our faith.
And this testing produces steadfastness or endurance. You are more able to endure the same trial today than before because it has developed in you this steadfastness. It is like lifting weights – you can endure more repetitions and more weight as your muscles are developed. And you can endure more trials and harder trials as your faith is developed and strengthened. You are gaining the ability to faithfully endure, to remain steadfast.
And this steadfastness then must have its full effect. It must keep developing so that you might be perfect or mature – mature in this life, and perfect in the life to come. So that one day you will be complete, lacking in nothing.
Your trials exist to help you grow in your faith and steadfastness to make you mature in Christ. There is a purpose in your trials.
So rejoice expectantly. Rejoice when you have trials because you know that it brings maturity. We rejoice not in the trial but in the purpose. We rejoice in expectation that our suffering is for our ultimate good. Which means that we might at same time be weeping, struggling, crying out to God, and lamenting before Him. We are not denying the hardship and all sorrow and struggle of our trials, we are just remembering the purpose. So even as we wrestle, we can rejoice expectantly.
Do not follow strange, diverse doctrines
That subtract from or add to Jesus
He died to cleanse us from all our sins
He’s all we need – just stick with Jesus
Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son
Behold the sacrifice of Jesus
For Him will we gladly do the same?
He has prepared a city for us
So to all do good and praise His name
(Repeat Chorus)
© 2023 Brian J. Mikul
(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
(James 1:1, ESV)
Notice James’ self-description: “A servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” That is his self-description.
Now that is not how I would do it. If I was James, I would open it this way: “James, a brother of Jesus.” Let me just remind you of how close I am to Him. Recall my intimate connection to Him – we are brothers, you know.
Wouldn’t you be tempted to play the brother card?
That is how our world operates. We try to impress each other with our connections – I know so and so, look at me!
James, a servant of God – just a servant. And of the Lord Jesus Christ – not my brother but my Lord! He is the master; I am just a servant. He is the Christ, the promised King; I am just his servant. I am a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is that your self-description? Is that how you see yourself? Would you introduce yourself that way? Hi, I am a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As His servant then, let’s humbly serve him. It’s not about you or me; it’s all about Him. It’s not about what we want, but about what He wants. It’s not about our amazing ideas, but about His truly wise plans.
So let’s join James and humbly serve the Lord. Serve Him in our homes. Serve Him in our church. Serve Him in our community. Serve Him with our time and money. Serve Him with our words and actions. Serve Him even in our suffering. Serve Him with whatever strength God gives us.
We are servants of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. So let’s humbly serve Him with all of our lives.
Hear your leaders speak God’s Word to you
Their faith and life, imitate each day
Pray for them as they watch over you
Follow them as they show forth Christ’s way
Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son
© 2023 Brian J. Mikul
(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)
Jesus has made us a family
Love each other in practical ways
Honor marriage, flee adultery
Don’t live for money or things today
Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son
Our God will never, never leave us
He is the source of ev’ry good thing
So we can share what God gives to us
We need not fear for we know the King
(Repeat Chorus)
© 2023 Brian J. Mikul
(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)
I finished preaching a series in March called “The Truths We Hold Dear.” We were looking at core Biblical doctrines that the church believes. Here is the sermon on the Holy Spirit which fits well with Pentecost Sunday this week:
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
(Matthew 28:20b, ESV)
The Exciting Assurance
Jesus is with us always! All the time. All the days. The whole of every day. He is with us in the good days and the bad days and the so-so days. He is with us in the trials and the blessings. He is with us all the time and everywhere. Jesus is always with us.
Which means, by the way, that Jesus is God. No one else can be omnipresent. No one else could be everywhere, with each of us all the time. Jesus, fully God and fully man, is with us always.
And He is with us to the end of age, or the consummation of the age. He is with us until He returns and brings forth the glorious new heaven and earth. Until that exciting day we have this exciting assurance that Jesus is with us always.
The Encouraging Assurance
No matter what we face in life, Jesus is always with us.
No matter what we face as we carry out the Great Commission, the One with all authority is always with us.
We don’t have to face life alone, and we don’t do the Great Commission alone. Jesus is always with us.
Be encouraged that Jesus is with you this week in your trials and struggles, at work, at home, and on road.
Be encouraged that Jesus is with you as you go and talk about Jesus, as you point people to Jesus, as you seek to obey Him.
He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is always with you, always right there with you – be encouraged!
Brian J. Mikul 