2-16-16 Give and Take

Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

Luke 8:18 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a warning to you lukewarm soul

Who merely ponders Jesus on a whim:

You say you are a Christian, play the role.

You think you’ll skate on in; your chance is grim.

If you will truly give your life to Christ

And use with grace the gifts He gives to you,

The salt you are will then be double spiced;

The love you have, much more will you accrue.

If you believe that you have got it made,

Your show of knowledge now will disappear.

What little faith you claim will soon be swayed;

Your mediocre worship won’t cohere.

Be careful how you hear: from heart or head.

The one will find the Lord, the other’s dead.

~~~~~~~~~~~

REMEMBER: You cannot fake your way into the kingdom of heaven. If you don’t think you’re saved, you’re likely not. Go to the cross right now. You’ll gain a lot.

1-1-16 Please Let Him In

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

O sinner, hear Him knocking at your door!

The hour is late; don’t let Him pass you by!

Please let Him in; He’s who you’re looking for!

The beating of your heart means He’s nearby!

O sinner, hear Him calling out your name!

Do you not recognize your Savior’s voice?

Please let Him in; you’ll never be the same!

Just open up your heart and you’ll rejoice!

O sinner, Jesus died that you might live!

When He was on the cross He thought of you!

Please let Him in with all His love to give!

Don’t let another moment pass you through!

O sinner, drink with Christ His cup of bliss!

Please let Him in! Eternity’s His kiss!

~~~~~~~~~~~

REMEMBER: The choice is yours. Choose Christ!

12-28-15 Lost and Found

¹² How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

¹³ And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

Matthew 18:12-13 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

You wandered lost within the wilderness

Before you even knew that you were lost,

And by the time you came to some distress

In jagged rocks and winter winds that tossed,

The Savior had pursued you all along

With such a love that can’t be full explained.

His outstretched hand was there your whole lifelong;

His mark upon your heart so deep ingrained,

And when you finally fall into His arms,

He’ll put you on His shoulders safe and strong,

To bring you Home where nothing hurts or harms,

Rejoicing all the way with cheer and song.

O can you hear Him calling out your name?

Just put your hand in His. That’s why He came.

~~~~~~~~~~~

REMEMBER: The instant you make Jesus your personal Lord and Savior there is a celebration in Heaven that continues forever.

12-1-15 The Haves and Have-Nots

For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

Mark 4:25 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

THE HAVES AND HAVE–NOTS

The light of Christ distinctly shines from you,

And as He grows within it will shine more.

The means of grace and knowledge blessed to few

In time shall be much richer than before.

And O! the love that burns within your soul

Increases til that’s all you will become,

But those that lack the fire true and whole

Will smolder, growing colder, then succumb.

Like Judas they may seem at first one saved,

Yet one day be revealed for their facade.

They’re kind upon the surface, well behaved,

But with no real salvation just a fraud.

To those that have is given more and more;

To those that don’t there’s no accounting for.

Call Now

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 2:21 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s not too late to call upon the Lord,

Though you’re not promised you’ll be here tonight.

Your body’s death is coming; you’ll be floored,

And then it’s just too late to get it right.

The final days are here as you well know:

The Spirit of the Lord on flesh is poured,¹

Now prophesies and visions really flow,

And old men dream of things that once were stored.

Such wonders in the heavens oft explored,²

And signs upon the earth with blood and fire;

The sun grows dark, the blood moon’s not ignored,³

The Lord will soon return, His own acquire.

If you don’t know the Savior, Now’s the time!

Tomorrow might not come, but Now is prime!

1Acts 2:17

2Acts 2:19

3Acts 2:20

9-25-15 The Perfect Example

²¹ For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

²² Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

²³ Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

²⁴ Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

²⁵ For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

1 Peter 2:21-25 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

There is no greater love than Christ has shown,

The perfect model for a perfect life,

Who chose to leave His bright celestial throne

To come and save His sheep through pain and strife.

He had no sin Himself but came for ours,

Enduring all the wrath of God and man,

Who could have freed Himself with awesome powers

But chose to bring salvation as His plan,

And all the torment that our Lord endured,

Reviled, threatened, beaten, crucified,

He did for you so you could be secured.

He loved you so He suffered, bled and died.

O friend, I know He thought of you that day

As He was hanging on the cross that way!

9-13-15 At Hand

¹⁴ Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

¹⁵ And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mark 1:14-15 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

The time was right, the prophesies fulfilled

To usher in the living God on earth,

And there was God Himself midst crowds that milled,

The perfect Son of Man of virgin birth.

He said with joy “I’ve got good news for you!

A liberation from Mosaic law!

Here’s peace and pardon and salvation, too!

Eternal life by grace, with love and awe!”

“Repent!” He said, “Your sins will I forgive!

Here’s all you have to do: Believe in Me!

I AM the Way, the Truth, My Life I give!

The realm of God’s at hand to set you free!”

If Jesus told you this, would you believe?

He sent me here to ask you to receive.

8-31-15 Delivered or Damned?

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;

but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Mark 16:16 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you believe in Jesus as your Lord,

Not just by word of mouth but in your soul,

To die upon the cross and rise restored? ¹

Say, have you let the Savior take control?

Is there a blaze within of love and light,

And have you in the Spirit been enslaved? ²

Were you with water baptized once forthright?

If you are like this now, then you are saved.

But if you are not saved you’re lost and damned,

For Jesus is the only way to God.

Believe another way and you’ve been scammed.

The gate to Hell is wide, the way is broad. ³

The time is short; if you’re not saved, repent!

Christ died for you, my friend; He’s Heaven sent.

~~~~~~~~~~~

1  Galatians 2:20 KJV

2  1 Corinthians 7:22 KJV

3  Matthew 7:13 KJV

8-24-15 Bringing Sight

And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

Luke 18:42 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

The blind are all around you, look and see.

They stumble through their life within the dark,

But tell them this, they bellow “Let me be!”

They take offense at every kind remark.

The light of Jesus lives within you now,

So take the bushel off and let it shine!

It radiates to those who will allow

The gospel to be shared, the truth divine.

Someone will stumble forward reaching out

With faith that Christ alone can give them sight.

The quick’ning of the Spirit makes them shout

As they are saved and finally see the light.

The blind are all around you, but be brave

And let your light so shine; its love will save.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #446

8-15-15 It’s Time to Make a Choice

Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

Joshua 24:14 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

There comes a time when you must make a choice

To put away your worship of the world,

And like a young lad’s ever-changing voice

Becomes in speech mature, a man unfurled.

The gods this world promotes are full of need

And calls to you a thousand different ways,

Imploring you to buy their shiny bead,

But once you do you find it’s made of clay.

There is no better time to choose the Lord;

The hourglass is running out of sand.

The Spirit’s nudging you to leave the horde

And give your life to Jesus; take His hand.

Let go the worldly gods that stole your youth

To serve the Lord sincerely and in truth.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #437