2-18-16 Worth the Wait

⁷ Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. ⁸ Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

James 5:7-8 KJV

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This food you eat some farmer took the time

To grow the crop from seed to harvest day.

He must have patience for the rainy clime

Like grace upon the thirsty soul convey.

The best things are worth all the waiting for:

A baby takes nine months to come to term.

When mother holds the child she bore before,

The time it took for this she will affirm.

Be patient for the day when Christ returns.

Establish now your heart to persevere,

And love no matter what be your concern,

For when that day arrives will all be clear.

The coming of the Lord is drawing nigh.

The harvest soon will come to glorify.

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REMEMBER: Jesus might come today. Be diligent!

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.

1-14-16 Faith in Action

¹⁴ What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

James 2:14-16 KJV

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A couple poor as dirt with hungry child:

The husband says, “I’ve faith we’ll get some food.”

The wife replied, “O fool! You’ve got me riled!

Go get a job! We can’t eat attitude!”

Professing faith is easy; say the word,

But if your faith is real then it will show.

A kindness given first was faith that stirred.

When grace meets gratitude you can’t lie low.

When Jesus said “Your faith has made you whole,”

He knew that she believed that by her touch.

If she had not had faith both heart and soul,

She wouldn’t have reached out His cloak to clutch. (Matthew 9:20-22)

Declaring faith won’t keep you warm and filled.

Put action to those words and be fulfilled.

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REMEMBER: For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26)

11-23-15 On Spiritual Maturity

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

John 16:12 KJV

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When you were born you could not handle meat:

You had no teeth to chew, your stomach frail.

You had to start with milk, so warm and sweet,

And then work up to solid food in scale.

Don’t take up calculus if you can’t count,

Don’t write a book if you can’t spot a noun.

The heavy doctrine truths aren’t tantamount

To learning how your sins can drag you down.

If Jesus told you things you could not bear

Your soul would be too feeble to digest.

The Holy Ghost guides teachers to prepare

The food of Spirit that you can ingest.

Don’t be afraid to ask, but don’t forget,

The Savior may tell you “Not now; not yet.”

8-25-15 Out of the Mouth

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man;

but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

Matthew 15:11 KJV

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Bad food and drink can make a person ill,

But he’s the only one confined to bed.

It’s what comes from the mouth more loathsome still

That will defile a man the most instead.

‘Tis sin that lays in wait within the heart

And moves on through the mind and then the lips

That truly stains the soul and tears apart;

Each word that’s laced with evil sin equips.

It takes a heart made fresh to stop the flood

Of all the wickedness men say and do.

The only way is through Christ’s cleansing blood

To purify the soul with life anew.

A man defiled will speak such wicked things.

The cure for this disease is Christ the King.

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sonnet #447

6-25-15 Every Thing

In every thing give thanks:

for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV

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Give thanks unto the Lord for everything!

Without His grace then nothing would exist.

The fact that you’re alive is cause to sing!

Each time that you inhale, that air God’s kissed.

No matter what the scene, have gratitude.

Your bus breaks down in route? Meet someone new.

If you hate what you eat, thank God you’ve food.

If you drive off a cliff, enjoy the view.

With Jesus as your Savior you are blessed,

For home is where the Lord wants you to be.

Your very life is gratitude expressed,

So share the Word with everyone you see.

In every thing give thanks, this is God’s will

In Jesus Christ concerning you, fulfill.

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sonnet #398

6-12-15 Rule Number One

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Exodus 20:3 KJV

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We like to think we keep the ten commands

That God gave Moses on Mount Sinai,

But we can’t even keep the one that stands

As first among them all, and some don’t try.

We push Jehovah back to make more room

For all the other gods we worship now,

Like money, food, the TV we consume,

And everything we claim to disavow.

Whatever stands between the Lord and you,

Whatever steals attention from His face,

Is just like cheating on a spouse that’s true,

And then to have the gall to seek His grace!

The way to keep the Lord your number one

Is follow in the footsteps of His Son.

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sonnet #387

6-2-15 Give When You’ve Got

¹³ For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:

¹⁴ But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:

¹⁵ As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

2 Corinthians 8:13-15 KJV

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To love your neighbor as yourself is work,

But work that stems from love is worth the sweat,

And if you have abundance do not shirk

To give to those whose needs have not been met.

If your own children had no food to eat,

You’d ask your wealthy neighbor for some aid.

Then when you’ve gained your riches so complete,

Please help a hungry family who’s dismayed.

The scales of love are balanced when you give,

For we are all but equal in God’s eyes,

And even if your neighbor is a sieve,

Still love him as yourself – don’t compromise.

A man that gathers much has no surplus;

And he that gathers scant lacks nothing thus.

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sonnet #377

5-24-15 Forgive – and Forget

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another,

if any man have a quarrel against any:

even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Colossians 3:13 KJV

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

When Jesus taught to pray He said this, too:

“O God, forgive me as I do forgive.”

As simple as it is it’s hard to do;

When someone does us wrong, we must relive.

You can forgive but you just can’t forget;

If that’s the way you want it, let it be.

You want your brother to forget your debt,

But if he owes you more, he’s never free.

As Christ atoned for you on Calvary,

He will not bring it back whene’er you sin.

Forgive and so forget and you’ll be free;

Do not expect the same and you will win.

            If you can so forget the food you ate,

            Don’t let wrongs eat you up, give Christ the plate.

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sonnet #369

5-4-15 On Hunger

But he answered and said,

It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Matthew 4:4 KJV

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The food you eat will satisfy the gut,

Until it cries again more frantically.

The hungrier you are the more you glut

Until you grow so big the moon can see.

If you would only hunger for the Word

A fraction of the time you think of food,

The words within your Bible would be blurred,

The letters faded from the times they’re viewed.

The Lord provides whatever that you need,

So don’t be stressed, He’s pulled you through before.

If manna’s what God gives for you to feed,

Be grateful and thank Him forever more.

The words proceeding from the mouth of God

Will give you life eternal filled and awed.

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sonnet #350