11-9-15 The Peace of Jesus

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27 KJV

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The peace that Christ bestowed unto His friends,

Before He walked the path that lead to death,

And sanctified as soon His blood would cleanse,

Could not be given by some worldly breath.

The moment you accepted Christ as Lord,

The Spirit of His peace did rest in you,

And though the beasts of chaos smashed and roared,

Don’t be afraid, His peace has seen you through.

The peace of Jesus calms the stormy sea,

It comforts men upon the battle field,

Descending on those struggling to be free,

And in your final moments is revealed.

Let not your heart be troubled – here is peace:

To know the love of Christ will never cease.

9-10-15 The Stain Remover

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 1:18 KJV

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Don’t be afraid, do not fall in despair;

You realize the hopeless state you’re in.

Death calls for you – it’s more than you can bear.

You can’t escape the stain of all your sin.

Just take the hand of Jesus, make Him yours.

He’ll wash your sins from scarlet red to white.

Although the stain has sunk into your pores

He’ll take the brand of Satan from your sight.

The Son of God loved you so very much

He took all of your sins upon the cross.

Accept Him as your Savior, feel His touch;

Believe He died for you and bore your loss.

Although your sins are crimson red and full,

The blood of Christ will make them white as wool.

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8-12-15 Grace Through Faith

For by grace are ye saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God

Ephesians 2:8 KJV

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You don’t deserve a single dot of grace,

For Hell is what you’ve earned for all your sin.

The best five minutes of your life’s disgrace;

The best of all the world would not begin.

Fall on your face and know you’re hopeless mud;

Repent and beg forgiveness for it all,

Believe that Jesus shed His precious blood

To pay for all your sins both great and small.

With all your heart accept Him as your Lord,

Then feel the Holy Spirit enter you!

God’s grace, and faith, His gifts you can’t afford,

And with Christ’s blood you’re covered through and through.

You’re saved by grace through faith and nothing more,

With Jesus as your Savior guarantor.

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sonnet #434

6-28-15 The Children of Wrath

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Ephesians 2:3 KJV

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The world is filled with sin up to the brim

And we think we are outside looking in.

I tell you, brother, things are looking grim,

But don’t pretend you’re perfect in your win!

Instead of pointing fingers at the rest,

Remember you were where they are right now.

Right now it is God’s grace that has you blessed;

Without it you’d have hell to pay, and how!

You may have been a step from reprobate

When you chose to accept the Savior’s hand.

Each day such people cross right by your gate.

Please give them love, it may be their last stand!

Don’t be judgmental, be compassionate.

Without Christ’s cleansing blood you’d be unfit.

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sonnet #401

6-26-15 Obedience

³ If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;

⁴ Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Leviticus 26:3-4 KJV

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There’s one true guarantee of your success:

Salvation comes when you accept God’s Son.

No other way will free you from this mess

Resulting from the sin we all have spun.

Obey the Lord in every way you can;

The scriptures and the Spirit show the way.

Be sure that He will bless you in His plan;

You’ll get just what you need from day to day.

Your tears may fall like rain in seasoned strife,

But they increase the yield of later joy.

By following the Savior in this life

The seeds of love bring fruit you will enjoy.

If you will walk the way of God’s commands,

The crops you plant today will soon be grand.

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sonnet #399

6-12-15 Blessed Be He

Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD:

we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

Psalm 118:26 KJV

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Had Jesus lived and taught when David ruled,

The King would bless Him from the temple grounds.

But Christ came when the Priests their hearts were cooled,

And all He heard from them were angry sounds.

But we disciples of the risen Lord

Sing out “Hosanna!” with a single voice.

We worship Jesus whom we’ve long adored;

With blessings loud and strong we do rejoice!

In adoration from a faith full house,

Accept the Savior’s presence in your life.

The temple of your heart and mind espouse

The High Priest Christ whose perfect love is rife.

O blessed be the One who conquered death!

We live for Him and praise Him with each breath!

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sonnet #388

5-19-15 Well Pleased

⁹ And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

¹⁰ And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

¹¹ And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Mark 1:9-11 KJV

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When Christ emerged from Jordan full of love

The Heavens opened wide and He did see

Descending from the sky just like a dove

The Spirit came upon Him graciously.

Then God did say “You’re My Beloved Son,

In whom I AM,” He stated “so well pleased,”

And there the essence of the Holy One

Well marked His favor on the One appeased.

Beloved sister, now that Spirit’s Here!

O, my Beloved brother, He’s in you!

When you accepted Christ your Savior dear

You were baptized by Spirit through and through.

One day when you see Jesus face to face,

He’ll say God’s pleased with you with love and grace.

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sonnet #364

(artwork by David Zelenka)

5-15-15 On His Side

³⁸ And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

³⁹ But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.

⁴⁰ For he that is not against us is on our part.

Mark 9:38-40 KJV

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When you arrive in Heaven one fine day

You just might be surprised at who you find.

There will be those you thought had gone astray,

Believing doctrine you once knew was blind.

There’s one prerequisite to step inside,

And it’s not what you know, but rather who.

If you let Jesus in your heart abide

You will be counted then among the few.

Accept Him as your Lord and Savior now

And He will guide you where you need to be.

If you work in His name He will endow

The things that you will need to set men free.

Don’t tell a child of God to soon depart,

For he that’s not against is on our part.

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sonnet #361

3-10-15 One Spirit One Body

When you let Jesus rule your heart and mind,

Accepting Him as Savior, King and Lord,

And so in faith believe His Love defined,

His blood was shed for you, your sins deplored.

The Holy Spirit washes over you,

And who you used to be is dead and gone;

You’re born again, regenerating new,

Now one within His Spirit to live on.

The body’s compromised of many parts,

Each doing what is needed for the whole;

The blood of Jesus beats within our hearts,

Enabling us to seek the unsaved soul.

Oh friend, believe that Jesus died for you

And drink the Spirit’s cup – be born anew!

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¹³ For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,

whether we be Jews or Gentiles,

whether we be bond or free;

and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

¹⁴ For the body is not one member, but many.

1 Corinthians 12:13-14 KJV

1-18-15 Freed From Sin

When you accepted Jesus as your Lord

The sinner that you were was crucified,

That in your death the sin that God abhorred

Was left upon the cross and there reside.

With Jesus you were taken from the cross,

Then raised with Him a new creation born;

The old man’s life is counted as a loss

With all the law fulfilled the veil is torn.

For now so dead from sin you are then free,

And dead in Christ His love removed the stone;

Now Jesus as your Lord and Savior be,

And stepping from the tomb you’re not alone.

As Jesus took to death all earthly sin,

So you that died with Him new life begin.

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For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Romans 6:7 KJV