1-28-16 The Need for Thorns

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

2 Corinthians 12:7 KJV

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Thank God for all the troubles you must bear:

Infirmities that keep you from your pride,

The weaknesses that drive you to despair,

That thorn within your flesh that won’t subside.

There’s not much worse within than arrogance,

For it takes your attention off of Christ.

It makes you boast of your great competence,

Some dollar souvenir way overpriced.

And but for your affliction you’d be lost,

Your halo bound so tight to make you dumb.

Be grateful to be saved at any cost,

For weakness makes you strongly overcome.

If Satan buffets you with trials enticed,

God may be telling you His grace sufficed.

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REMEMBER: Thorns humbles the rose.

1-21-16 No Expiration Date

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

John 6:27 KJV

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A man must quickly eat the meat he buys

Or else it rots and does nobody good,

And he must live his life until he dies

And then his body’s done the best it could.

Don’t spend your days obsessing on the flesh;

It won’t endure beyond its meted time.

Work toward that meat that always will stay fresh

With everlasting life that’s so sublime.

What must you do to earn eternal food?

Believe in He whom God the Father sealed.

Let Jesus be the one your faith’s pursued.

Be hungry for the Word of Life revealed.

Seek first the sustenance that fills the soul;

The more that you consume the more you’re whole.

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REMEMBER: Be as hungry for the Word as one who hasn’t eaten in three days.

12-8-15 The Strait and Narrow

¹³ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: ¹⁴ Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matthew 7:13-14 KJV

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THE STRAIT AND NARROW

The path to Heaven’s like a razors edge,

‘Twill shred your flesh to ribbons on the way.

Too few will walk this fine and narrow ledge,

This sacrifice of self, no room to sway.

Then strait ahead is Jesus; He’s the gate.

There is no other way to get inside.

His blood will cover you, your sins negate

As you walk through the Door to then abide.

But many choose the wide and easy road;

The company is gay and jubilant

But leads to sinful ruin and Hell’s abode

Where all you hear is weeping and lament.

Eternal life is found through Christ alone.

You must go through the gate to reach the throne.

10-15-15 On Mindedness

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Romans 8:6 KJV

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The carnal mind is focused on the flesh

And all the things of flesh are doomed to die.

It may look good today while it is fresh

But it will sure be rotten by and by.

There’s nothing wrong with passion in its place:

Creative drive is needed to produce,

But passion gone awry is bankrupt grace,

Like tying knots until you’ve got a noose.

If you want peace and everlasting life

The mind of Christ is really what you need.

The Word leads where the love of God is rife;

Such passion of the spirit should you heed.

The carnal mind will take you soon to death.

The mind of Spirit brings eternal breath.

10-14-15 Fear Only One

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 10:28 KJV

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If your great love of Jesus irritates

All they can do is drag you through the mud.

No need to fear the guns or knives of hate,

For they can only slay your flesh and blood.

No matter if you’re tortured, beaten, burned,

The most that can be done is transient.

Your soul’s immortal state cannot be turned;

One million years to it is time well spent.

Yet fear instead the One who holds your soul,

Deciding you should face eternal hell.

Your God created you in His control

And He decides the place where you will dwell.

Fear God if you are wicked; now repent!

Believe His Son, the Savior whom He sent.

10-0915 Corrupt

And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Genesis 6:12 KJV

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Just like the days of Noah we are here, ¹

Surrounded by corrupted flesh in sin,

Young children run the streets without a fear

Committing theft and murder with a grin.

Morality has been tied up and shot,

And no one cares to bring it back to life.

Debauchery is now the thing that’s sought;

We do not know who’s husband, who is wife.

The color of our skin is cause for hate,

And Satan’s men kill Christians on a whim.

Please find the Lord before it grows too late!

The midnight bell is tolling, loud and grim.

The Second Coming’s nigh and we can tell.

Put all your armor on! We’re fighting hell! ²

1 Matthew 24:37

2 Ephesians 6:11-18

Call Now

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 2:21 KJV

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It’s not too late to call upon the Lord,

Though you’re not promised you’ll be here tonight.

Your body’s death is coming; you’ll be floored,

And then it’s just too late to get it right.

The final days are here as you well know:

The Spirit of the Lord on flesh is poured,¹

Now prophesies and visions really flow,

And old men dream of things that once were stored.

Such wonders in the heavens oft explored,²

And signs upon the earth with blood and fire;

The sun grows dark, the blood moon’s not ignored,³

The Lord will soon return, His own acquire.

If you don’t know the Savior, Now’s the time!

Tomorrow might not come, but Now is prime!

1Acts 2:17

2Acts 2:19

3Acts 2:20

9-23-15 Side by Side

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

Isaiah 11:6 KJV

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When Eve and Adam lived in Eden land,

There were no predators, no blood was spilled.

The glory of the Lord was full and grand,

And everything that lived was love fulfilled.

Then sin arrived, corrupting all it touched

And flesh once sacred now became just meat.

The earth was soaked in blood and death was clutched,

And man became the worst to kill and eat.

The Son of God was born to bring God’s love;

His miracles wrought Eden bit by bit,

And when the Lord returns from up above

The Garden fills the world and sin will quit.

The lion and the lamb lay side by side,

And childlike love will be the earth’s new guide.

9-9-15 Flee Youthful Lusts

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:22 KJV

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The lusts of youth don’t always mean the flesh,

But every one is meant to bring them down.

Their vanity and ego cannot mesh

With those who come to wear a humble crown.

There is a need to hear their peer’s applause,

But that lasts just a moment of their life.

Seek favor from the Lord in faith because

Unlike their friends God’s love remains through strife.

Contentions and contempt will mark their way

Unless they live in peace like Christ did show.

Abide with those whose righteousness won’t stray,

Whose charity defeats the biggest foe.

When youth resists the constant lustful lure,

They join the ranks of those whose hearts are pure.

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8-28-15 Family Ties

³² And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.

³³ And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?

³⁴ And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

³⁵ For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

Mark 3:32-35 KJV

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No matter where you go you’re not alone:

The greatest network in the world exists,

The best connections that the world has known;

The family of Christ are in your midst.

O what a joy to meet a stranger here

Then find out she’s your sister in the Lord!

The loving Spirit linking us so dear

Is much too strong to ever be ignored.

This family of God transcending flesh

All find a common kinship to the cross.

The instant you submit to Christ you mesh,

One body in His Spirit knits across.

My brothers and my sisters, you are loved

More dearly than myself as my beloved.

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sonnet #450