10-8-15 Name Above All

Jesus painting by Akiane Kramarik

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:2-5 KJV

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No good can come from Nazareth, they said,

The lowly son of Joseph, carpenter.

He had no place to lay his weary head,

A man of sorrows, none we would prefer.

Despised and unesteemed, our grief he bore;

We hid our face from him and still we do.

He took the wrath of God as none before,

Was wounded for our sins, his blood soaked through.

Afflicted, bruised and beaten, he was hung

Upon a rugged cross between two thieves.

He died there with our names upon his tongue

And lives within all those who still believes.

His name will resonate forever more;

If you but think of Him, your heart will soar.

9-2-15 Consider the Lilies

lilies-of-the-field-mary-gaines

28 And why take ye thought for raiment?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Matthew 6:28-29 KJV

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We worry far too much on earthly things,

The ones of us who are not destitute,

And even indigents and poor who clings

Don’t walk around in their own birthday suit.

We color coordinate, accessorize,

Buy far too many shoes for our two feet,

And then we walk the mall with googly eyes,

And notice what is worn by those we meet.

Just step out side, the wildest flower calls

To show you what the Lord has dressed them in,

And O! their perfect beauty shames the malls,

Yet neither do they work, nor do they spin.

The more time that you spend on what to wear

Is less time that is spent absorbed in prayer.

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6-11-15 For Unto Us

by Akiane Kramarik

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 KJV

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Isaiah spoke of Christ ere He was born,

Assured by prophecy it comes to pass,

Both fully man and God, His message sworn;

A Prince above all Kings, no one surpass.

Both earth and heaven Jesus comes to rule,

The governance of both His shoulders bear;

So Wonderful indeed, most precious jewel,

In glory and in beauty none compare.

The Counselor advising sinners come,

The everlasting Father to the saved;

The Prince of Peace indeed to all, not some,

The Alpha and Omega, Love engraved.

Our Savior and our Lord, our all in all

Is Jesus Christ, the name the saints do call.

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sonnet #386

5-20-15 Glory

alaska landscape

2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Isaiah 6:2-3 KJV

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Imagine standing fore the throne of God,

With seraphims above it shouting praise.

Our best envisionings would still be flawed;

The mind cannot conceive the slightest gaze.

But here we are surrounded by our things,

While just outside the door the world is wide.

So full of God’s great glory nature sings,

And every grain of earth He did provide.

In Eden and again when all’s complete,

The Earth in all her splendor will be known,

Yet even now her beauty’s so replete

God’s glory can be found in leaf and stone.

Right now we can’t see God upon His throne,

But take a walk outdoors, His glory’s shown.

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sonnet #365