10-12-15 Follow Me

And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

Matthew 9:9 KJV

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If you were at your your job and hard at work,

And suddenly a stranger came to you,

And said ‘Come follow me,’ would you then shirk

The things that someone’s paying you to do?

Would you demand an explanation now,

For no one really does this kind of thing?

If you knew it was Jesus you’d know how

To quit your job and follow Christ the King.

But Matthew did not have that knowledge yet.

He did just what the Master told him to.

Don’t be so dead you take it as a threat.

Let Spirit guide your heart; He’s always true.

Be ever watchful; you’ll see Christ today.

Where there is love, He’s never far away.

9-29-15 Lighten Up!

³⁴ The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

³⁵ Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

³⁶ If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

Luke 11:34-36 KJV

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Your body would be lost without your eyes;

They take in light to get you to and fro.

Take in the light of Christ and darkness dies;

You’ll see the Savior everywhere you go.

Make Jesus your Redeemer and His blood

Like light eradicates your shadowed sins.

His love is an illuminated flood

To guide you on this new life that begins.

Be sure your eyes are single on the Lord

For if you look away you’ll surely stray.

If lost don’t fear, you’re both of one accord;

Just call on Jesus, He’ll turn night to day.

God gave you eyes so you can see His Son;

You’ll see His love is brighter than the sun.

9-22-15 On Addiction

¹⁴ But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

¹⁵ Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:14-15 KJV

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We’ve all been tempted; still we’re tempted now

For Satan pays attention to our lusts.

Then when we fall and break most every vow,

His demons ride our shame, feed our disgust.

Then like a horror movie sin’s revived

As if it will not die by force or will,

Until your prayers seem wooden and contrived,

And then when you give up death has its fill.

Cry out unto the Lord though you feel dead,

And pray until your tears have soaked the ground.

He leads you to the help you need ahead;

Just trust in Jesus – grace much more abounds.

It seems like all is lost; don’t be deceived.

Salvation comes to those who first believed.

6-14-15 On Priorities

²¹ And another of his disciples said unto him,

Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

²² But Jesus said unto him, Follow me;

and let the dead bury their dead.

Matthew 8:21-22 KJV

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When Jesus calls you come and follow Him

And He has set about you plans and goals,

Don’t step aside – don’t drop your voice mid hymn,

To do the work that’s meant for other souls.

You may think it important that you go,

And there are times appropriate for this,

But when Christ marks a path to undergo,

To look behind while plowing is to miss.

When Jesus lived He had no time to wait;

Disciples fell away and ne’er came back.

I pray when you’re with Him you keep His gait,

And let somebody else take up the slack.

The presence of the Master trumps the dead;

Let others do the burying instead.

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sonnet #389

4-21-15 Have Faith

Have faith when all the roads for you are closed,

When all the avenues you’ve tried have failed.

Your faith in Christ will have new ways exposed,

Will open boulevards where none prevailed.

Have faith when everyone has told you No,

When time and time again you face defeat.

Your faith in Christ will help success to grow,

Will show you how to win when you compete.

Have faith when hope is low and all seems lost,

When others walk away in dark despair.

Your faith in Christ will stand at any cost,

Will give you victory when none would dare.

Have faith when even you begin to doubt;

Your faith in Christ makes mountains move about.

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Then Jesus answered and said unto her,

O woman, great is thy faith:

be it unto thee even as thou wilt.

And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Matthew 15:28 KJV

040515 That Moment When

The guards beside the tomb were fast asleep;

The world itself was still, holding its breath,

Anticipating something great and deep

That it had never seen in life or death.

The morning sun was just a tick away;

The birds and crawling things stopped on their own,

When suddenly a brilliant light gave way;

An angel came and rolled away the stone.

Just then the morning sun’s first ray appeared

And shined into the tomb upon His face.

His eyes were open, linen cloth was cleared.

He stood then walked away from that dark place.

O Jesus, to be there that moment when

The angels ministered to You just then!

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² And they found the stone

rolled away from the sepulchre.

³ And they entered in,

and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

Luke 24:2-3 KJV

2-23-15 Blind No More

Your sinful life has made you blind from birth,

A stumbling clown pretending to have sight.

Until you’re touched by Christ you roam the earth,

With arms outstretched you can’t imagine light.

Then Jesus comes, the perfect Lamb of God,

His Spirit mixed with dirt and turned to clay;

He puts it on your eyes with gentle prod,

And bids you go and wash it all away.

And when you do the darkness turns to light!

You’re so transformed you won’t be recognized.

Your friends will ask you how you gained your sight,

And you will say His name so undisguised.

He’s standing here right now to touch your heart,

And when He does you’ll see He won’t depart.

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¹⁰ Therefore they asked him,

“Then how were your eyes opened?”

¹¹ He answered and said,

A man that is called Jesus made clay,

and anointed mine eyes,

and said unto me,

Go to the pool of Siloam,

and wash:

and I went and washed,

and I received sight.

John 9: 10-11 KJV

2-6-15 Call for Strength

When voices round you say it can’t be done,

And Satan whispers ‘Give it up, you fool!’

When both your legs are screaming that you run,

Then call for strength from God and keep your cool.

Sometimes it feels that you should just give up,

Just let go of your hope and walk away,

And even Jesus asked to pass the bitter cup,

But call for strength from God and don’t dismay.

Now God was there when Noah built the ark,

And He told Moses how to part the Sea;

The Lord was there when Paul dared make his mark.

Just call for strength, He’ll be there, just you see.

Just trust in God and harken His commands;

You can’t go wrong when God strengthens your hands.

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Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

Nehemiah 6:9 KJV

1-24-15 Take Comfort

A friend of many years has passed away,

Their pain and sorrow will be borne no more,

Yet there goes half your night and half your day;

Anf half your broken heart is on the floor.

Take comfort in the Savior’s arms today

 And lean your tired head against His chest;

He holds you tight and wipes your tears away,

He whispers in your ear and gives you rest.

The world it seems no longer is attuned;

In fact it seems it’s crumbled all apart.

Take comfort in the Lord, He’ll bind your wound;

In time He’ll even heal your broken heart.

Your friend has left this place for glory’s light;

She’s taking comfort in Christ’s love tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~

He healeth the broken in heart,

and bindeth up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3 KJV

1-15-15 Be of Good Cheer

Whatever trouble has you far from shore,

Whenever you’re adrift in need of aid,

Wherever life has left you with no oar,

The Savior’s standing there; “be not afraid”.

There is no place that Jesus cannot go,

There is no problem that is too severe,

There is no question asked that He won’t know,

Don’t worry half as much; “be of good cheer”.

Just when you think that you are all alone,

Just when you sink your head and start to cry,

Just when your heart’s as heavy as a stone,

You’ll hear the voice of Jesus: “It is I”.

And as you dream of meeting Him one day,

He’s with you even now, not far away.

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And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them,

walking on the sea.

And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea,

they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit;

and they cried out for fear.

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying,

Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Matthew 14:25-27 KJV