2-17-16 Hidden Treasure

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Matthew 13:44 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

Those blinded by the god of this world fail

To find the gospel set within their reach.

When you show them this treasure might the scale

At last with Spirit’s nudge fall from the breach.

And then to see the light shine from their eyes

As they begin to feel their soul set free,

And, O, the Holy Ghost within them rise

As they come to the cross and like Him dies!

Then nothing in the world could buy them back

For they have given Jesus all they’ve got.

The Savior paid the price; though sins were black,

He made them white as snow, both sought and bought.

There is a man and woman stumbling ’round,

Just waiting for the gospel to be found.

~~~~~~~~~~~

REMEMBER: Commit to telling at least one person today about this greatest of all treasures, the gospel.

11-30-15 Love

These things I command you, that ye love one another.

John 15:17 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

LOVE

No simpler command there is than love,

Yet look at all the hate we’ve had since then,

As if we don’t know what He’s speaking of

Or it’s impossible, beyond our ken.

Just for today I beg you take this test

That all you meet is Jesus in disguise.

No matter what they do, how they’re expressed

They really are the Savior synthesized.

You must love everyone, not just pretend;

This is the reason why you still are here.

The Lord put you together for this end:

So you can share His love, each one endear.

It doesn’t matter if they love you back.

Your job is just to love without feedback.

10-17-15 Strength Renewed

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

A bride, a child, a servant and a friend

All wait upon the One who’s worth the wait;

Anticipation breathes without an end,

And hope in confidence does actuate.

Beyond the veil all faith is magnified,

Baptized in love so deep and then returned,

Borne on the sigh of Spirit undenied

Back to the one who waits a grace unearned.

Climb heavenward on graceful eagle wings,

Called on by strength renewed the promised land.

Come now revived and run to arms that brings

Caresses to the soul at last in hand.

Devotion to the Lord brings fortitude.

Delivered with a kiss is love pursued.

8-26-15 Give and Give

Give to him that asketh thee,

and from him that would borrow of thee

turn not thou away.

Matthew 5:42 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

There is this spark of giving in the saved,

A constant pouring out of love to life,

Not born of duty or of laws enslaved,

Not subject to a custom, stale and rife.

The heart of Christ provides to all that needs

Without a thought of getting something back.

The hand of Christ is busy doing deeds,

For what He has He gives to those who lack.

To those who ask deliver what you can;

To those who wish to borrow, them you lend.

The grace that you exhibit once began

With God whose love we cannot comprehend.

Don’t turn away the beggar, but recall

Christ died for that man, too; He gave His all.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #448

8-13-15 Unconditional

But love ye your enemies, and do good,

and lend, hoping for nothing again;

and your reward shall be great,

and ye shall be the children of the Highest:

for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Luke 6:35 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Savior shed His blood for good and bad;

Remember this when you’ve an enemy,

And anyone who’s lost should make you sad,

So share the love God has to set them free.

Not only lend expecting nothing back,

Give love in deed without thought of return.

Without God’s grace you would be ruin and wrack;

If He would take it back you’d surely burn.

To be this way is not so hard to do;

For all your faults the Lord still gives you love.

He’s kind to evil people, thankless, too;

You are a child of God, who rules above.

A child that wants to please his Father should;

Do this by loving all, both bad and good.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #435

8-4-15 Gone

¹ To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.

Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth;

for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: 

with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

Psalm 12:1-2 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

The days of righteous men are all but gone,

For evil spreads the earth just like a plague.

It’s not that saints are hiding and withdrawn,

There’s just so few they seem both hushed and vague.

The faithful few are buried by the mob:

The carnel, unregenerate and vile,

Who smile at you in passing at your job,

Then stab you in the back with that same smile.

These are the days the wicked strut about;

They’re killing unborn babies just to sell.

They stand upon a rainbow box and shout,

And roam the streets like racist mobs from hell.

O Help us, Lord! The faithful fall away!

There’s very little hope for us today!

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

sonnet #426

7-3-15 Secret Faults

Who can understand his errors?

Cleanse thou me from secret faults.

Psalm 19:12 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

The times that we meander from the Lord

Cannot be counted with our mortal mind.

No matter how we keep our virtue stored

The thieves of sin get in and steal us blind.

Some vain and shameful thoughts just can’t be stopped,

And oh, the words we wish we could take back!

Tis easier to have the ocean mopped

Than to recall the times we’ve gone off track.

Dear God, forgive us of our many sins,

The endless march of wrongs we perpetrate.

Your Grace, sufficient done, our prayer begins

With faith upon the cross to set it straight.

We can’t remember all the sins we’ve done.

Please cleanse us of our faults, Lord, through the Son.

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

sonnet #404

6-24-15 First to Last

So the last shall be first, and the first last:

for many be called, but few chosen.

Matthew 20:16 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

The souls who are forgotten by the crowd:

The meek, the low, the bullied and the plain,

Are lost among the ego-driven proud

And last to find a post they can attain.

The Lord will not ignore the seventh son,

The shepherd boy who one day would be king.

The manger-born became the perfect One

To save a sinful world who hopeless cling.

We all are called to come unto the cross,

Invited to the wedding feast by Christ;

The proud will all be counted as a loss,

The chosen ones are those who’ve paid the price.

Down here we choose the leader of the pack;

If you would follow Christ, then serve in back.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #397

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

~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

sonnet #389

5-18-15 On Seeking Signs

³⁸ Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.

³⁹ But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas

Matthew 12:38-39 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

There still are those today who look for signs,

For they don’t have the Spirit faith reveals;

They seek some thund’rous roar and light that shines

And still would turn to court with their appeals.

But just as Jesus said so long so ago,

The only sign He’d show the cheating crowd,

Like Jonah three days in the fish below,

He’d lay inside a tomb under the shroud.

Then, O, the miracle our Saviour wrought!

Within the gut of death three days gone by,

He then came back to life as He once taught

To show us all we never have to die.

To those who seek a sign ere they believe,

The resurrected Christ their faith should cleave.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #363