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!

2-13-16 Just Let It Go

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8 KJV

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Your brothers and your sisters found in Christ,

No matter race or place or sect or creed,

Deserve a higher love more than sufficed,

For you are one in spirit guaranteed.

Forgive immediate their sins invoked,

Let nothing get between your heart and theirs,

Don’t rake up things that God has long revoked,

Don’t gossip of their personal affairs.

We know that Christ alone can cover sins;

His blood and righteousness makes pure as snow,

And where your patience ends His just begins;

Let tolerance and love among you grow.

Love one another as the Lord loves you;

Let go transgressions – don’t let them accrue.

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REMEMBER: Have a forgiving love especially to your brothers and sisters in Christ.

1-13-16 On Tilling

He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.

Proverbs 28:19 KJV

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If you would have success then go to school,

And plant the seeds of knowledge in your mind.

A fallow intellect becomes a fool,

Where weed and brier thinking is entwined.

If you would be in love then make a friend,

And cultivate affection and regard.

To blindly plow will meet with no good end;

Whatever grows most likely will be marred.

If you would know the Lord then practice prayer,

And water both your heart and soul with tears.

A parched relationship leads to despair;

You’ll just eat bitter fruit throughout the years.

The land that’s rightly tilled will yield good bread.

Don’t place the ass behind the plow instead.

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REMEMBER: Whatsoever a man sows, he shall also reap. (Galatians 6:7)

11-16-15 The Word of God Goes Forth

¹⁰ For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11 KJV

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As rain brings life to all that drink it in,

So does the Word of God to list’ning ear,

Descending from the heavens to begin

His reign of grace and love to all that hear.

The presence of the Lord did walk the earth,

And everywhere He went good fruit would grow.

The gospel of His being promised birth,

Eternal life abundantly to flow.

When God said “BE” the universe emerged,

And how much more His Word within your heart!

Now open up your mouth as Spirit urged

And let His Word go forth with love impart.

God loved the world so much He gave His Son;

His blood like rain brings life to everyone.

10-5-15 The Best of Friends

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

John 15:15 KJV

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A servant knows not what his Lord has planned;

Until he’s notified, he’ll stay the course.

A friend will share with friend intent firsthand

So there are no surprises, no remorse.

Companions seek to help each other out;

Good news to one will be good news to all.

When Christ becomes your friend there is no doubt

He’ll lead you Home Himself so you don’t fall.

Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus Christ!

He loves us more than we could ever know.

He is your confidant so rare sufficed;

Reveal your heart to Him and watch it grow.

With Jesus you have got the best of friends

Just take the hand that He for you extends.

9-2-15 Consider the Lilies

²⁸ And why take ye thought for raiment?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

²⁹ And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Matthew 6:28-29 KJV

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We worry far too much on earthly things,

The ones of us who are not destitute,

And even indigents and poor who clings

Don’t walk around in their own birthday suit.

We color coordinate, accessorize,

Buy far too many shoes for our two feet,

And then we walk the mall with googly eyes,

And notice what is worn by those we meet.

Just step out side, the wildest flower calls

To show you what the Lord has dressed them in,

And O! their perfect beauty shames the malls,

Yet neither do they work, nor do they spin.

The more time that you spend on what to wear

Is less time that is spent absorbed in prayer.

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8-10-15 Intercession

³¹ And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

³² But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Luke 22:31-32 KJV

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The enemy of God wants you to fail;

He wants to drag you ‘cross the threshing floor.

He wants you to deny the Lord and wail,

To lose your faith and bother him no more.

If you’re a child of God you’re valuable,

For you can share the gospel of the Lord.

If Satan makes you unapproachable,

You’re one more Christian that can be ignored.

But Jesus wants your faith to grow and thrive,

So you can thwart the Devil in his plan.

Your strength will help Christ bring more souls alive,

Help lift your brethren from the sifting pan.

Christ prays for you this moment out of love,

That your faith will not fail, but rise above

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sonnet #432

7-22-15 With All Your Life

This is my commandment,

That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

John 15:12 KJV

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The world is filled with malice, hate and scorn,

And every day is darker than the last,

But don’t despair, it is not time to mourn,

Just love your fellow man despite his caste.

The Savior loves you more than you can know,

He died for all your sins upon the cross.

If you love one another you will grow

To better understand His pain and loss.

If you show love to everyone you meet,

And give without a thought of some return,

The love of Christ in you is more complete,

And love begets more love with less concern.

This is the Lord’s command, that you should love

With all your life, as Jesus has above.

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sonnet #413

6-8-15 Through a Glass Darkly

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:

now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV

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The evening crowd is gone, and streets are dark

And in our joyful state we roam the night.

Ahead the temple of the Lord we mark

And soon peer in it’s windows with our sight.

We think the glass is dark, but it’s our eyes;

We think we know it all, but it’s in part.

Yet O the wonders seen when we grow wise!

Yet O the things we’ll know when heaven smart!

We journey far to see a lion close;

The final twenty yards will make us sweat.

The glass is dark until the light draws close;

You know in part until the Savior’s met.

When we’ve the mind of Christ through Love and Grace

A servant we become then, face to face.

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sonnet #383

5-6-15 Within

²⁰ And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

²¹ Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Luke 17:20-21 KJV

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The King of Kings was standing in the midst

Of all the Pharisees both dumb and blind;

They looked for things to prove it did exist,

When proof was there amongst them so refined.

We search for His return among the signs,

No better off than Pharisees or Scribes;

He lives within us now, His richness shines,

Yet we’re still counting coins and taking bribes.

Try casting off the pictures in your head,

For they will get you lost most every time,

And keep your thoughts on Jesus now instead;

He lives within the servant’s heart sublime.

When Christ returns no man can ever know,

But here’s the Holy Spirit: let it grow.

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