11-4-15 Peace

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 KJV

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PEACE

The Prince of peace exists within your heart,

Harmonious with all the things on earth

And heaven, where His vibrant love impart

a constant, living stream of grace and worth.

You are a child of God, and more than this,

Evolving and becoming one with Christ,

A reconciled light of love and bliss,

An image of the pearl that’s greatly priced.

By every means does Jesus give you peace

And none can take away this gift divine.

Your faith becomes a knowing that won’t cease,

A tranquil quietude of love so fine.

The peace that Christ provides does liberate;

Serenity and patience still and great.

8-12-15 Grace Through Faith

For by grace are ye saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God

Ephesians 2:8 KJV

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You don’t deserve a single dot of grace,

For Hell is what you’ve earned for all your sin.

The best five minutes of your life’s disgrace;

The best of all the world would not begin.

Fall on your face and know you’re hopeless mud;

Repent and beg forgiveness for it all,

Believe that Jesus shed His precious blood

To pay for all your sins both great and small.

With all your heart accept Him as your Lord,

Then feel the Holy Spirit enter you!

God’s grace, and faith, His gifts you can’t afford,

And with Christ’s blood you’re covered through and through.

You’re saved by grace through faith and nothing more,

With Jesus as your Savior guarantor.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #434

8-6-15 Whosoever

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10:13 KJV

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If you would die today where would you go?

Would you be ready on that final day?

If you are sure it’s heaven you must know

That Jesus Christ can be the only way.[i]

So no man comes to God except through Christ;[ii]

You really must believe that this is true.[iii]

He died for all your sins and this sufficed;[iv]

Confess them now and He will forgive you.[v]

Then call upon His name and you’ll be saved;[vi]

It is a gift from God, His mighty Grace.[vii]

The Holy Spirit then becomes engraved,[viii]

To guide you to the truth you can embrace.[ix]

When you are saved you will be heaven bound;[x]

You once were lost but now you have been found.[xi]

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[i] John 14:6

[ii] John 14:6

[iii] Acts 16:31

[iv] 1 Peter 2:24

[v] 1 John 1:9

[vi] Joel 2:32

[vii] Ephesians 2:8

[viii] John 14:15-17

[ix] John 16:13

[x] John 3:16

[xi] Luke 19:10

 

 

Sonnet #428

7-28-14 Every Good and Perfect Gift

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,

and cometh down from the Father of lights,

with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17 KJV

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If you should start to doubt God’s love for you,

Consider all the gifts He showers down,

A Father giving freely kind and true,

His blessings good and perfect so abound.

God sacrificed His Son so you may live,

And now Christ lives in you so bold and pure.

If you repent your sins He will forgive,

God wants you to come Home, of this be sure.

This light that’s in you, God’s the Father of,

The essence of the Word that’s always been,

Unchanging and eternal source of love,

The DNA of Spirit makes you kin.

God’s gifts, too many for this pen to trace

Are found upon the cross and in His Grace.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #419

6-4-15 You’re in Good Hands

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,

neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all;

and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

John 10:27-29 KJV

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

You heard the gospel, how He died for you,

And something stirred within your barren heart;

You recognized His voice and then you knew

You had to follow Him or fall apart.

He knows you, child, He calls you to His side,

And no one can remove you from His hand.

Eternally in Jesus you abide

A gift of Grace no evil can withstand.

Our Father, who gave you to Christ our Lord,

Is mightier than all and loves you so;

Secure within His grasp you’re safely stored,

Assuredly protected to and fro.

No matter what you go through while you’re here,

Remember in Their hands you’ve naught to fear.

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

sonnet #379

5-23-15 Grace-Full Gifts

⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

⁷ Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

⁸ Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Romans 12:6-8 KJV

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

We all have talents given us by grace

According to the nature of our soul;

Just as the body has each part in place

That has a special function toward the whole.

The ones with prophesy speak truth so bold,

With ministry to aid the poor and weak;

The teachers lay the doctrine out as gold,

Exhorters urge, advise and so critique.

To those who give do with simplicity,

And those that rule are earnest in their care;

The merciful attend the anxious plea,

And everyone above immersed in prayer.

The gifts that God has given us to use

Should be to serve the Savior, not abuse.

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

sonnet #368

5-16-15 Unspeakable

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

Of all the gifts that God so freely gives,

There’s none to match the one on Calvary.

The sacrifice of Christ our heart relives,

And breaks it every time, too much to see.

He willingly went forth with you in mind;

His body torn and beaten horribly.

A crown of thorns upon His head was twined;

He bore it all for you so humbly.

Then, O, upon the cross they hung our Lord

Upon the cross that’s meant for you and me!

He took our sins upon His own accord

And suffered there – my Lord! – unspeakably.

God sacrificed His Son upon the cross,

A gift so great my tongue is at a loss.

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sonnet #362

4-24-15 So Well Defined

Once slave to sin, now servant of the Lord,

For as you died with Christ, with Him you rose,

And here eternal life can be explored,

The path to righteousness and where it goes.

The Grace of God sustains you as you move,

One fruit our holy Father loves to give;

So here you are with nothing left to prove,

Just pass the gift along, and so forgive.

Now that the Holy Spirit’s in your soul,

The Savior living in your heart and mind,

It is no longer you who’s in control;

Thank God for this, to be so well defined!

It started when you made a simple choice.

There’s victory in Jesus; now rejoice!

~~~~~~~~~~~

But now being made free from sin,

and become servants to God,

ye have your fruit unto holiness,

and the end everlasting life.

Romans 6:22 KJV

 

sonnet #340

3-26-15 Greatest in the Kingdom

The greatest in the kingdom is the least:

A little child without pretentious claim

Who waits until the guests have left the feast

To have the smallest portion all the same.

A little child is humble, kind and shy,

Who lives to hear her Father’s loving call

Then runs into His arms not asking why,

Expecting no reward or gift at all.

The child of God thinks nothing of herself,

Without the selfishness of evil’s sting,

And leaves her own needs high upon the shelf,

Reliant on her God for everything.

            Whoever’s humble as a little child

            Is greatest in the kingdom, meek and mild.

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child,

the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:4 KJV

3-18-15 Temptation

Temptation is a tawdry, painted whore

Seducing you into her bed of death;

How well she knows afflictions always pour

And promises respite within her breath.

We all must suffer hardships in our life;

They are a gift from God to help us grow,

But if we are enticed to dodge our strife

We soon can not endure its ebb and flow.

Our trials are meant to draw us to the Lord,

Temptation, though, does claim a better way.

In Jesus do we find our true reward:

He suffered unto death and did not stray.

Say “Get behind me, Satan! Out the door!

With Christ I can endure it all and more.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:

for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,

which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James 1:12 KJV