2-24-16 Passed Away

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Revelation 21:4 KJV

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You’re grieving now, I know. I’m grieving, too.

A soul we love so dearly’s passed away.

Our tears fall now and sadness pushes through.

We mourn our loss but know that one fine day

There will be no more death, no last embrace,

No sorrow, no more mourning, no more pain.

The love of Christ our Lord shall be in place,

The glory of His presence then shall reign,

And God shall wipe all tears from all our eyes;

Here crying is replaced with laughter’s song.

We’ll reunite with loved ones; joy will rise,

For we will all be where we should belong.

We’ve lost a friend and sister here today,

But soon these sort of things shall pass away.

~~~~~~~~~~~

REMEMBER: Let us celebrate in Christ, for we will one day be reunited.

12-22-15 SO

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 KJV

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For God SO loved the world He gave His Son;

His One begotten Son the world He gave,

That whosoever shall believe the One

Shall never perish, never know the grave.

Christ took all of your sins onto the cross;

He gave His life for you and willingly.

Because He loved you SO He suffered loss,

But it was worth it all to set you free.

An everlasting life belongs to those

Who put their faith in God’s begotten Son,

Enduring death and in three days arose;

For God loved you SO much this all was done.

Claim Jesus as your Savior and believe

God sacrificed His Son for your reprieve.

~~~~~~~~~~~

REMEMBER: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

9-10-15 The Stain Remover

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 1:18 KJV

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Don’t be afraid, do not fall in despair;

You realize the hopeless state you’re in.

Death calls for you – it’s more than you can bear.

You can’t escape the stain of all your sin.

Just take the hand of Jesus, make Him yours.

He’ll wash your sins from scarlet red to white.

Although the stain has sunk into your pores

He’ll take the brand of Satan from your sight.

The Son of God loved you so very much

He took all of your sins upon the cross.

Accept Him as your Savior, feel His touch;

Believe He died for you and bore your loss.

Although your sins are crimson red and full,

The blood of Christ will make them white as wool.

~~~~~~~~~~~

8-27-15 An Exhortation

Now we exhort you, brethren,

warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded,

support the weak, be patient toward all men.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 KJV

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We have our own responsibilities,

And that includes a call to help the poor:

The poor in heart, in mind, in strength are these

That need some extra care we can’t ignore.

Admonish those that step across the line:

The busybody, troublemaking sort.

Teach discipline and selfless service fine;

These diamonds in the rough, do not sell short.

Uplift the ones who struggle with the cross:

The simple and the slow to understand.

The weak need love who cannot bear a loss;

Please help them with their faith and to withstand.

Have patience with the souls who trip and fall;

Be one to help them up. See Christ in all.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #449

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

sonnet #413

6-24-15 First to Last

So the last shall be first, and the first last:

for many be called, but few chosen.

Matthew 20:16 KJV

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The souls who are forgotten by the crowd:

The meek, the low, the bullied and the plain,

Are lost among the ego-driven proud

And last to find a post they can attain.

The Lord will not ignore the seventh son,

The shepherd boy who one day would be king.

The manger-born became the perfect One

To save a sinful world who hopeless cling.

We all are called to come unto the cross,

Invited to the wedding feast by Christ;

The proud will all be counted as a loss,

The chosen ones are those who’ve paid the price.

Down here we choose the leader of the pack;

If you would follow Christ, then serve in back.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #397

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #362

5-12-15 Worth the Weight

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,

worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory

2 Corinthians 4:17 KJV

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

We strain beneath the stress of misery;

Our bodies and our minds begin to fail.

Though as we age we have our memory,

Yet also it plays tricks on us as well.

No matter what may happen to us here,

Disease or loss of limb or far much worse,

And even when we face men’s final fear,

We’ll know that we are not within the hearse.

The glory that awaits the child of God

Is worth all of the anguish of this place.

No matter how severe we’re crushed and clawed,

It can’t outlive the splendor of His Grace.

            If we knew all the joy this next life brings,

            We never would complain about a thing.

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

 

sonnet #358

2-25-14 Father, Forgive Them

When Jesus had been beaten, scorned and mocked

Then hung upon the cruel and rugged cross,

He saw the crowd and soldiers as they flocked,

Those naive to this implicated loss.

Some did not know the evil they performed

To crucify the perfect Lamb of God;

So ignorant the prophesies performed,

They did what they were told with just a nod,

And even on the cross compassion swelled

Within the Savior’s faintly beating heart;

He called His Father where in Heaven dwelled:

Forgive them, they are unaware their part.

Such love that Jesus had unto the end

To intercede as our eternal Friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Then said Jesus,

Father,

forgive them;

for they know not what they do.

And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Luke 23:34 KJV

2-24-15 Profit and Loss

A business man will tell you in a flash

The bottom line is profit for success.

Without this benefit his store will crash,

Then customers and workers would distress.

What profit will it be upon a man

To gain the world but lose his very soul?

He’s here because his Maker has a plan:

To save the world through Jesus is His goal.

If you take all the money on the Earth

And stack it to the sky like Babylon,

You could not climb to Heaven with its worth;

But give your life to Christ and you’ll be drawn.

The key to your success rose from the dead.

He calls you now to eat the broken bread.

~~~~~~~~~~~

For what shall it profit a man,

if he shall gain the whole world,

and lose his own soul?

Mark 8:36 KJV