1-2-15 Arise, O Lord!

Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.

Psalm 10:12 KJV

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Arise, O Lord! Lift up Your hand today;

Rain down upon our enemies Your wrath.

The humble all around the world do pray;

Saints persecuted, killed on every path.

Arise, O Lord! The humble cry Your name;

The followers of Satan run amok.

The leaders of the world are put to shame,

While Christians everywhere die in the muck.

Arise, O Lord! Bring death to all our foes;

They murder us with raw impunity.

The armies of the world will not oppose;

O hear our cries, O Lord! Please hear this plea!

You are the Mighty God! None dare resist.

Lift up Your hand for us; our prayers persist!

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REMEMBER: Pray unceasingly for our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted around the world.

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.”

11-6-15 All is Vanity

Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 12:8 KJV

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Don’t get caught up in all this world displays;

You’ll soon forget the reason you are here.

Most everyone you know is in a daze

Believing these illusions are sincere.

The moment you are born the show begins,

And all the lights and sounds will mesmerize;

You’re told the more you have the more you win,

And told the more you know will make you wise.

It’s vanity; all this is meaningless,

For Jesus is the only thing that counts.

He’ll guide your way around this awful mess;

There’s nothing in this world He can’t surmount.

This place is not your home – you’re heaven bound!

Now spread the gospel – help the lost be found!

9-6-15 You’re Being Watched

And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

Genesis 39:3 KJV

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When you go through this day do not forget

The light of Christ is shining through your deeds,

And others see there’s something special yet,

In all you say and do a peace proceeds.

Remember that to most you represent

The closest thing to Jesus they will know.

Those hungry for the Word will soon relent

To find out what it is that makes you go.

When Jesus lives through you it surely shows,

Especially the moments love’s revealed.

The Holy Spirit is affirmed in those

Who feel the fire and begin to yield.

You have a deep responsibility

To serve the Lord and act as His trustee.

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7-20-15 Born Again

Jesus answered and said unto him,

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:3 KJV

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A birth into this world means tears and pain;

Your mother can’t forget nor you recall.

But when you come to Christ you’re born again,

A new creation free from Adam’s fall.

Now quickened by God’s Spirit through and through,

The blood of Christ has washed your sins away.

No longer bound by flesh you live anew,

A citizen of Heaven now to stay.

Admit that you’re a sinner, dead and lost,

That Jesus paid the price for all your sins.

Put all your trust in Him whate’er the cost

And you will be reborn – your life begins!

Drink deep the Word as milk, then eat as meat,

And watch the Grace of God make you complete.

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sonnet #411

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

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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

4-2-15 THE Voice

Though God calls out your name both night and day

You almost always never hear His voice,

And  though you ask your friends “What did you say?”

That haunting sound persists and lessens choice.

It’s easier to guess when does God not

Reach out to you with love and call your name;

A million times a second you are sought

To stand and in the Savior’s name acclaim

That Jesus is the Truth, the Life, the Way,

And if you listen, Spirit’s voice is clear

That through the cross you’ll never go astray,

So when God calls your name say “Speak, I hear.”

Then when you come to know God’s gentle call

You never will forget His voice at all.

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And the LORD came, and stood,

and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel.

Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

1 Samuel 3:10 KJV

10-7-14 Thank God

Our Father, God of Heaven and the Earth,

You are the one we turn to all the time;

You know our faults and strength, You know our worth,

You view our lowly state and ev’ry crime.

Please give us Your advice with ev’ry stride;

Impart Your wisdom given readily.

There is no place to run, nowhere to hide

Your Being’s all around so steadily.

We follow in the footsteps of Your Son;

Give us the nerve to share His death and life.

You loved us all so much you sent the One

To shed His blood for all our sin so rife.

O God, we worship and acknowledge You;

Help us to not forget all that You do.

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In all thy ways acknowledge him,

and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:6 KJV

8-30-14 Go Right Away

The first time you walk in a nursing home

You smell the stench of urine and decay,

But if you visit ev’ry day and roam,

The stench will seem less strong then fade away.

And so it is with sins we do commit,

Then fail to go confess it to the Lord;

In time it fades to gray and we forget

Though it still reeks to God and is abhorred.

Acknowledge right away your ev’ry sin,

Confess with guilt, repent with broken heart,

And if you are contrite He’ll cleanse within;

Forgiven now, God’s love will ne’er depart.

            The Holy Spirit marks your heart with shame;

            Take this to God while it is still aflame.

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If we confess our sins,

he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 KJV

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8-8-14 Always

To be forgiven you must first forgive,

But your forgiveness does not set a goal.

Would you have life but rather fully live?

I tell you one is half, the other whole.

Forgive each other with no end in sight,

With no condition, no demands or doubt.

If Christ’s pure love would live in you forthright,

Give all your brothers’ sins to God throughout.

You often hear ‘Forgive but not forget.’

How long would you survive if God did this?

If you keep tabs you’ve not forgiven yet.

Forgetting comes with following your bliss.

Your bliss should be to let Christ live in you.

He’ll lead you to forgiveness always new.

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Then Peter came up and said to him,

“Lord, how often will my brother sin against me,

and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”

Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times,

but seventy-seven times.”

Matthew 18: 21-22 ESV

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