1-16-16 Beware the Man

³ If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words,even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; ⁴ He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, ⁵ Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

1 Timothy 6:3-5 KJV

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Beware the man who quarrels with the Word,

Who picks at tiny things and contradicts,

Who makes a show to have his feelings stirred,

Displaying traits the Spirit sure convicts.

He thinks that if you claim it, it is yours,

Especially the things that money buys;

He’ll tell a dirty joke beyond church doors

And never seems to look you in the eyes.

Stay far away as possible, my friend,

For all your wholesome words fall on deaf ears.

Associate with him to no good end;

He is a scourge among his friends and peers.

If Jesus isn’t in his repertoire,

The only thing to say is au revoir.

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REMEMBER: Pray for the contentious, but avoid them whenever possible.

11-28-15 Taste

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Matthew 7:20 KJV

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TASTE

It isn’t always easy judging fruit.

Sometimes you have to take a bite to see.

The tree it came from may have good repute,

But in the end it’s taste, don’t you agree?

A man who beats his wife may go to church

And act as pious as the Son of Man.

If you’re attune to Spirit in your search

You’ll see he’s filthy as a garbage can.

The Holy Ghost will lead you to the truth,

Will pull away the curtain of a lie.

Not everybody evil acts uncouth.

Some heavenly discretion trumps the sly.

Most times a rotten fruit’s as plain as day,

But some will fool; let Spirit lead the way.

11-12-15 Lukewarm

¹⁵ I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

¹⁶ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:15-16 KJV

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LUKEWARM

If you’re to be a Christian, do your best!

Don’t claim to follow Christ but wander ’round.

Your Bible gathers dust while you attest

To study scriptures daily so profound.

You wear a sliver cross around your neck,

But gossip, cuss and lie for all to see.

You smile at church and tithe with some bad check;

You blew it all on Friday’s gambling spree.

It would be better were you ignorant;

At least a heathen knows just where he stands.

If you’re to be a Christian let’s be blunt:

You’d better ask for help; your time’s at hand.

It’s never good to be a lukewarm saint;

He’ll spew you from His mouth without constraint.

10-22-15 On Giving

Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.

Deuteronomy 16:17 KJV

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Which one of us can’t say that we’ve been blessed,

For life itself is worth all worldly wealth,

And if you contemplate I’m sure you’ve guessed

Two dozen blessings more including health.

If you’ve been given much then give a lot;

If you’ve not much to give, give what you can.

There’s more than money that a blessing brought;

God’s given certain skills to every man.

A church is not the only place to give:

Look ’round your neighborhood for one in need,

Then be anonymous and help them live;

The secret giver lets more hearts be freed.

So tithing is just one way giving’s done.

First give your all to Christ, God’s first born Son.

10-21-15 Partiality

¹ My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

² For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

³ And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

⁴ Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

James 2:1-4 KJV

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In church we always want to look our best;

We’ve got our Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes,

But there’s a fellow that’s so poorly dressed

His only suit’s so worn his elbows shows.

I promise you someone in church will gasp,

Will roll their eyes, then whisper to a friend.

Don’t be the one to shun the poor man’s grasp;

Please don’t compare him to the latest trend.

The Savior doesn’t see a rag from gloss;

A tattered shirt’s the same as Vera Wang.

It all is level at the bloody cross;

He only wore our sins when He did hang.

A judging heart is evil at its best;

See all alike and you’ll be surely blessed.

9-1-15 On Speaking in Tongues

² For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

³ But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

⁴ He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

1 Corinthians 14:2-4 KJV

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There’s nothing wrong with speaking unknown tongues,

Unless you’re teaching Sunday School in church.

God gave you vocal chords and also lungs

To worship Him, not leave us in the lurch.

The Spirit speaks the truth into the heart,

And sometimes whispers secrets unrevealed.

Such mysteries remain so from the start

Unless a translator is there to yield. ¹

If you’re to lead your brethren into war

It’s so important they know what you mean.

An unknown call in battle they’ll ignore, ²

So speak commands that’s understood and keen. ³

An unknown tongue’s for you and you alone.

If you’re to prophesy, let it be known.

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1 1 Corinthians 14:13

2 1 Corinthians 14:8

3 1 Corinthians 14:15

4-17-15 Who’s a Believer?

The preacher speaks about the Word of God,

On how the Savior died for all our sin.

I look around the church and see heads nod

And wonder who believes and thus are in.

I feel a gentle stir within me start,

That old familiar nudge the Spirit gives,

And Jesus whispers in my soul and heart,

Then I rejoice again to know He lives!

‘Don’t try to guess who has been saved or not,

For you don’t know who hears Me and believes.

Just spread the gospel – I discern who’s caught.

The Spirit sees what senses can’t perceive.’

It’s not our job to guess who has been saved,

Whose name is in the Book of Life engraved.

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Verily, verily I say unto you,

He that heareth my word,

and believeth on him that sent me,

hath everlasting life,

and shall not come into condemnation;

but is passed from death unto life.

John 5:24 KJV

3-9-15 Love Your Wife

The love a husband has for his own wife

Is true and tender, gentle, warm and wide,

Protecting her from harm with his own life,

Attending to her needs as can provide.

This love is as the Savior loved the church,

Unselfish, sacrificial, just and pure,

And if she lose her way then lead the search,

Or if she comes down ill then find the cure.

A husband loves his wife with all he has,

And as the Lord loves him, he has it all.

Forsaking everything exactly as

The Lord forsook His blood for Adam’s fall.

O husbands! Love your wives as Christ loves you,

Becoming then in essence one from two.

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Husbands, love your wives,

even as Christ also loved the church,

and gave himself for it

Ephesians 5:25 KJV

2-21-15 Speak

Let not the fear of men hold back your tongue

When telling of your Savior, Christ the King.

The world’s not like your church where hymns are sung;

Its look is harsh, its words like bees will sting.

Be not afraid, but speak both bold and true;

With Jesus by your side He’ll see you through,

And even if they hold a knife to you,

With your last breath forgive them what they do.

Within a crowd there will be one to save,

But if you don’t speak up they may not hear.

The world may put your body in the grave;

The gospel, though, will never disappear.

Though Satan’s at your door and you feel weak,

The Savior’s here with you – stand up and speak!

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Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision,

Be not afraid, but speak,

and hold not thy peace

Acts 18:9 KJV

2-13-15 Rooftop Peace

Be careful where you lay your weary head:

Contention makes the worst environment.

If it be church or work or even in your bed,

Diversion from the Lord leads to lament.

The corner of a roof is better than

A mansion wide where Satan has his way.

Discarded food within an old trash can

Is worthier than hate cooked steak all day.

Remember that you’ve got a job to do,

For God wants you to bring to Him the lost.

The Holy Spirit cannot breathe through you

If all that you inhale is foul exhaust.

A church would not endure a howling choir,

So do not tolerate another’s ire.

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It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop,

than with a brawling woman in a wide house.

Proverbs 21:9 KJV