2-19-16 Like Night and Day

³ O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. ⁴ Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. ⁵ For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Psalm 30:3-5 KJV

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Depression drags your soul into the grave

And whispers that this pit is all there is;

Here hope is gone, here darkness does enslave,

Here death does pierce your heart and claims as his.

It seems as if the Lord has turned away,

As if His anger’s robbed your faith and dream.

But turn around, my friend, please don’t dismay.

He’s never left your side; you’re still a team.

Reach out to Jesus! Life is in His hand;

His love is like the morning over night.

He holds you in His arms, the dark is banned.

God’s grace shines all the time; the future’s bright.

When darkest night of soul weighs down on you,

The dawn is certain: Christ will see you through.

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REMEMBER: It is always the darkest before the dawn.

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.

2-12-16 Only One

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

Psalm 118:8 KJV

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Whenever you put confidence in man,

Don’t get your hopes much higher than the ground,

For he will disappoint more often than

A lighter without fluid that’s been found.

A broken cane can’t give you much support,

A shadow offers little in relief.

There’s only One will never sell you short,

There’s only One will never cause you grief.

When you lay all your trust up in the Lord,

There’s nothing left for faith in mortal man.

Serenity and peace is your reward

When you place hope in God’s own perfect plan.

Begin right now: surrender to the Lord.

Entrust Him with your life: you’ll be restored.

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REMEMBER: The Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

2-6-16 Advocate

Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

Proverbs 31:8 KJV

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Much more these days are those who have no voice;

They can’t defend themselves against their doom.

Defenseless, fragile souls without a choice,

A gift of God within their mother’s womb.

It doesn’t matter how they came to be,

These innocent and tender hosts of life.

They can’t be blamed for being; why do we

Think we’re a judge and jury with a knife?

Speak out for those who cannot vocalize!

If you are pregnant, let the baby live!

There is a woman somewhere who would prize

The chance to be a mother, love and give.

Your words can make a difference starting here.

A life depends on you, so persevere!

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REMEMBER: You are here because your mother chose life.

2-5-16 Built on Sand

²⁶ And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: ²⁷ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Matthew 7: 26-27 KJV

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How many of us like a foolish man

Who listens to the Word and nods his head,

But keeps instead his own distorted plan

And builds his house without foundation bed.

Just knowing Christ’s commands is not enough;

He needs to be within our hands and feet.

A fancy car without four tires rides rough;

A house built on the sand the floods defeat.

If Jesus is your Lord, then serve Him well;

A servant is no good laid up in bed.

When trouble comes all you can do is yell.

The storms of life will tear your house to shreds.

A tree with meager roots is doomed to fall;

The first time winds descend the tree will sprawl.

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REMEMBER: A strong foundation is built by exercising the will of Christ.

2-3-16 Reflections

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Proverbs 15:13 KJV

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A joyful heart will make a joyful face,

The countenance is etched where there’s a smile,

And such a glow invites a warm embrace.

To be midst such a soul makes life worthwhile.

But too much sorrow draws such diff’rent lines

Creating there a mask that’s thin and drawn,

And soon the body shows unhealthy signs

To shorten life with nothing to hang on.

Reflect upon the love God has for you,

And know that by His grace you’ve been set free.

The comfort of the Savior sees you through

The darkest night the soul will ever see.

Love makes the homely beautiful and bright.

With gratitude you’ll shine both day and night.

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REMEMBER: The face reflects the spirit that dwells within.

1-29-16 Sufficient

⁸ For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. ⁹ And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 KJV

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Infirmities and troubles will abound,

Of this the mortal man can be assured,

And though we beg the Lord we not be bound,

Sometimes these weaknesses must be endured.

The grace of God is all you ever need,

For here sufficient lies love’s very root:

Christ sacrificed His perfect life and freed

You from both death and hell without dispute.

His strength’s made perfect in your weakness now,

For how could you survive without His grace?

Through these infirmities the Lord shows how

He manifests the wealth of His embrace.

So glory in your frailty and your faults.

The pow’r of Christ’s made known through life’s assaults.

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Remember: God’s awesome grace is enough so that you may depend on Him completely.

1-27-16 From Dark to Light

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Isaiah 9:2 KJV

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Isaiah heard the Lord and prophesied

That Christ would come and dwell in Galilee,

But in a larger sense is magnified

To show when Jesus dwells in you and me.

Before He is our Savior all is dark

And we march in despair to ashy death.

When we go to the cross the Spirit’s spark

Enlightens and begins eternal breath.

The light of Christ ignites within our soul

The moment we accept Him as our Lord,

And all our brokenness is then made whole,

In victory His love is our reward.

We once who walked in darkness shine His light,

For Jesus lives within us warm and bright.

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REMEMBER: Jesus is the Light of the world. Whoever follows Him shall not live in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

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.

1-20-16 Be Not Afraid

⁴⁸ And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. ⁴⁹ But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: ⁵⁰ For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. ⁵¹ And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

Mark 6:48-51 KJV

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When troubles come to push you off your path,

And if it seems you’re rowing ‘gainst the wind,

The struggle that you face in all its wrath

Might leave your efforts moot and you chagrined.

Look through the dark of night and see Me there!

I am not just a thought inside your head,

Not just some passing need when you despair,

Nor ghostly spirit filling you with dread.

Be of good cheer! Have courage! It is I!

Be not afraid, I’ve come to bring you peace.

I’ve been here all along, I won’t pass by.

I’m right beside you now; the wind will cease.

In life when conflict blows with its attack,

Be not afraid, my child, I’ve got your back.

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REMEMBER: Even in the darkest of nights you will see Him near.