2-16-16 Give and Take

Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

Luke 8:18 KJV

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This is a warning to you lukewarm soul

Who merely ponders Jesus on a whim:

You say you are a Christian, play the role.

You think you’ll skate on in; your chance is grim.

If you will truly give your life to Christ

And use with grace the gifts He gives to you,

The salt you are will then be double spiced;

The love you have, much more will you accrue.

If you believe that you have got it made,

Your show of knowledge now will disappear.

What little faith you claim will soon be swayed;

Your mediocre worship won’t cohere.

Be careful how you hear: from heart or head.

The one will find the Lord, the other’s dead.

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REMEMBER: You cannot fake your way into the kingdom of heaven. If you don’t think you’re saved, you’re likely not. Go to the cross right now. You’ll gain a lot.

2-11-16 Coming to Know Christ

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

2 Peter 3:18 KJV

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If you would be like Jesus know Him well

Through study of the scriptures every day,

And feel His spirit with you as you dwell

Upon the word of God and as you pray.

But words are merely symbols on a page

Until they come alive within the heart.

God’s gifts of grace release them from their cage:

With faith and hope and love does grace impart.

The knowledge of our Lord and Savior grows

As all these gifts of grace mature and thrive.

You come to be more like Christ and it shows;

The things you say and do proves He’s alive.

In knowledge and in grace your soul implores,

To Jesus be the glory evermore!

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REMEMBER: Commit yourself to studying the scriptures daily if you desire to know Christ.

12-17-15 Gifts of the Magi

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:11 KJV

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GIFTS OF THE MAGI

The Magi came by following a star

To pay their homage to the King of Kings,

For it was worth their traveling so far

To meet the Lord of Lords and what He brings.

They opened up their treasures and withdrew

Some frankincense and myrrh and precious gold,

These gifts they gave to baby Jesus true

As symbols of the mission He’d uphold.

The gold paid homage to His royalty;

The frankincense for His divinity;

The myrrh to signify humanity:

A King, a God, a sacrifice was He.

The Son of God was born so He could die,

Atonement for our sins to sanctify

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REMEMBER: The best gift you can give Jesus is complete surrender of your body, mind and soul to Him. Do this constantly.

8-14-15 All for One

⁴ Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

⁵ And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

⁶ And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 KJV

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A breeze wafts through a window open wide;

The curtain shudders, papers flutter, too;

A candle light makes shadows dance and glide,

And all these things a single breeze can do.

The Spirit moves ten million souls and more

As preachers, teachers, missionaries, clerks,

To prophesy, to write, to mind the store;

We serve a single Master in our work.

Discretion, grace and patience all are gifts

Bestowed by just a single, holy God;

The Father’s love that heals, reveals, uplifts

Can resurrect the dead and leave us awed.

Such wondrous grace upholds the universe

And shows in all we do as we traverse.

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sonnet #436

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.

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sonnet #419

6-1-15 All For One – Part Two

⁸ For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

⁹ To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

¹⁰ To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

¹¹ But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

¹² For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:8-12 KJV

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The Spirit gifts one saint with wisdom deep,

And gives another knowledge straight and strong.

The Spirit grants another faith to keep;

He knows just where His attributes belong.

The Spirit gives one pow’rs to heal the sick,

Another miracles to show the way.

The truth through prophecy to one He picks;

These gifts the Holy Spirit does convey.

He gives to one discernment of the heart,

Reveals the gift of tongues another speaks.

He then lets one interpret tongues apart;

They all are of one Spirit, but unique.

So many diff’rent members, though as one,

We all are of one body of the Son.

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sonnet #376

5-31-15 All For One – Part One

⁸ For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

⁹ To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

¹⁰ To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

¹¹ But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

¹² For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:8-12 KJV

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When you are saved by Christ’s atoning blood,

You then become much more than family;

The Spirit enters you just like a flood

And works on you uniquely by degree.

Just as the body is comprised of parts,

Each part designed to function for the whole,

Yet none can long survive when pulled apart

But thrives with all the others in their role.

The Holy Spirit knows your aptitude

And fashions you to serve in harmony.

It may not always be what you pursued

Before you came to Christ and was set free.

The gift the Spirit lays upon your heart

You’ll find in time was perfect from the start.

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sonnet #375

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.

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sonnet #368

5-22-15 Hand in Hand

⁴ I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,

⁵ Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints

Philemon 1:4-5 KJV

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

When Christ said love your neighbor as yourself

And then to love each other as He them,

This truth He spoke should not be on a shelf,

But shown to all the world a precious gem.

Faith knows that all is well, as Christ is true,

And faith with love go surely hand in hand;

Confess your faith and give your love anew;

You can’t have one without the other fanned.

If you believe in love, you’re halfway there;

Now love what you believe to mark the way.

Put all your faith in Jesus; don’t despair,

For His great love for you is here to stay.

Both faith and love are gifts of God’s good grace;

When used together then you’ll win the race.

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sonnet #367

2-8-15 Parable of the Flea

Recall the flea that landed on the wheel

And kicked up grains of dust beneath his feet;

How proud he was and shouted in his zeal:

“How powerful I am upon this street!”

Now were it not for God you would not be.

His Grace has carried you this very day,

So when you’re all puffed up think of the flea;

Perspective crushes ego gone astray.

Don’t think yourself more highly than you are,

But soberly reflect with gratitude.

God gave you everything to get this far;

The gifts you have He graciously imbued.

The measure of your faith was granted you,

So love with all you’ve got; He’ll see you through.

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For I say, through the grace given unto me,

to every man that is among you,

not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think;

but to think soberly,

according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Romans 12:3 KJV