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.

2-17-16 Hidden Treasure

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Matthew 13:44 KJV

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Those blinded by the god of this world fail

To find the gospel set within their reach.

When you show them this treasure might the scale

At last with Spirit’s nudge fall from the breach.

And then to see the light shine from their eyes

As they begin to feel their soul set free,

And, O, the Holy Ghost within them rise

As they come to the cross and like Him dies!

Then nothing in the world could buy them back

For they have given Jesus all they’ve got.

The Savior paid the price; though sins were black,

He made them white as snow, both sought and bought.

There is a man and woman stumbling ’round,

Just waiting for the gospel to be found.

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REMEMBER: Commit to telling at least one person today about this greatest of all treasures, the gospel.

2-2-16 The Way of Hate

But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

1 John 2:11 KJV

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The man who hates is dwelling in the dark;

The light of Christ is nowhere to be found.

He stumbles, trips and falls far off the mark,

For blindness steals his vision all around.

Both love and hate can’t share the selfsame space;

The heart of man is not designed that way.

Antipathy just shows a lack of grace,

And without grace the heart will fade away.

Call on the Lord the instant hate arrives;

He’ll lead you to forgive as He forgives.

It won’t be easy but you will survive,

And you will walk the path of light and live.

A hater does not know the way he goes.

A blind man in the dark has no repose.

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REMEMBER: Hate drags you down. Love lifts you up.

2-1-16 Of Light and Love

He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

1 John 2:10 KJV

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If you abide in light you know the source;

That light did not originate in you.

That under God’s good grace there is, of course,

The love of Christ that wants to pass it through.

Since Jesus is the light of all the world, (John 8:12)

If you believe in Him, you are that light as well. (Matthew 5:14)

The lifting wings of love cannot stay furled

If you within the arms of Jesus dwell.

So, naturally, your light’s revealed as love,

And love will radiate to all you know,

And even strangers feel the light you’re of

And be attracted to its giving glow.

With light like this there is no stumbling.

There’s so much love around it’s humbling.

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REMEMBER: Christ helps you see every step of your journey.

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)

1-9-16 One In All

Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Colossians 3:11 KJV

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There might be some surprised when heaven’s gained,

Observing others they had thought were lost.

The Catholic and Baptist have obtained

The victory that’s gained when Christ is crossed.

Denominations do not matter here,

For all who gave their lives to Jesus lives.

The differences we had will disappear;

When baptized in the Spirit grace forgives.

Those covered in His blood are one indeed,

For Christ is one with each who come to Him.

The CEO and pauper both are freed;

We all will sing the same celestial hymn.

Black, red or brown or yellow, tan or white,

We all are one in He who is the Light.

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REMEMBER: From the moment you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, where He dwells you dwell also.

His Fisherman

¹⁶ Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

¹⁷ And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

¹⁸ And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
Mark 1:16-18

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Engrafted child of God, look at yourself:

The light of Christ should shine from every pore.

When you were saved, you died to your old self.

You once were mute, now you must stand and roar!

Can’t you feel Jesus running through your veins?

With every pulse He bids you harvest souls.

The day grows short; so little time remains.

You’ve work to do to help Him reach His goals.

The day you dropped your nets to follow Christ,

You gave up all you had to be like Him.

He’s making you a fisher well sufficed

To cast the gospel wide with love and vim.

When you made Christ your Savior you began

To learn how to become His fisherman.

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REMEMBER: You are an active participant in the Great Commission. Now get to work.

12-2-15 Live by Faith

Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Hebrews 10:38 KJV

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LIVE BY FAITH

Obedience to Christ is lived by faith,

A sober and regenerating love.

A child of God is not some flimsy wraith

Who always doubts salvation from above.

When justified, the saved will turn to Christ,

As natural as flowers turn to light.

Redemption’s not a treat that thinly sliced,

It’s paid for at the cross in full, outright.

If any man draw back from fear or shame,

To shrink away completely from belief,

Or think that righteousness is his to claim,

Perdition will be his with no relief.

Go boldly now in Christ with confidence;

Have faith in Jesus – He’s deliverance.

12-1-15 The Haves and Have-Nots

For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

Mark 4:25 KJV

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THE HAVES AND HAVE–NOTS

The light of Christ distinctly shines from you,

And as He grows within it will shine more.

The means of grace and knowledge blessed to few

In time shall be much richer than before.

And O! the love that burns within your soul

Increases til that’s all you will become,

But those that lack the fire true and whole

Will smolder, growing colder, then succumb.

Like Judas they may seem at first one saved,

Yet one day be revealed for their facade.

They’re kind upon the surface, well behaved,

But with no real salvation just a fraud.

To those that have is given more and more;

To those that don’t there’s no accounting for.

11-27-15 Return Unto Your Rest

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

Psalm 116:7 KJV

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When all the work and play of day is done,

The dishes washed, the children laid in bed,

Reflect upon the struggles and the fun,

The things you didn’t do or done instead,

Return unto your rest, my weary soul:

The Lord has dealt so bountifully with you.

His grace has carried you from role to role,

His love a shining light the whole day through.

Despite your tribulation He’s been here

Within the very center of your heart.

You’ll never be alone, no need to fear;

Relax, my soul: the Savior won’t depart.

Tomorrow comes too soon; for now just rest.

The stars are bright tonight and you are blessed.