12-25-15 Peace and Good Will

⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:8-14 KJV

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As lowly shepherds watched their flocks by night

The angel of the Lord shown suddenly,

And glory shined about the shepherds bright,

And they were so afraid from all that they did see.

“Fear not,” the angel said to calm their fright,

“Good tidings do I bring, great joy to all!

The Savior Christ the Lord was born tonight!

He’s swaddled in a manger plain and small.”

Then there appeared a multitude forthright,

A host from heaven praising God to say

“To God’s the glory, all to Him outright,

And peace on earth, good will toward men to stay!”

Those shepherds were the first to hear the news.

Such humble men in spirit Christ pursues.

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REMEMBER: God took on a human body to bring peace and good will to the world through His inevitable sacrifice.

10-8-15 Name Above All

² For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:2-5 KJV

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No good can come from Nazareth, they said,

The lowly son of Joseph, carpenter.

He had no place to lay his weary head,

A man of sorrows, none we would prefer.

Despised and unesteemed, our grief he bore;

We hid our face from him and still we do.

He took the wrath of God as none before,

Was wounded for our sins, his blood soaked through.

Afflicted, bruised and beaten, he was hung

Upon a rugged cross between two thieves.

He died there with our names upon his tongue

And lives within all those who still believes.

His name will resonate forever more;

If you but think of Him, your heart will soar.

6-15-15 Heart to Heart

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;

for I am meek and lowly in heart:

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Matthew 11:29 KJV

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To be like Christ take on His yoke and start,

Align yourself to Him in work and word,

Then as you learn the Savior’s perfect heart,

You’ll find that Jesus kept his wants deferred.

So meek and lowly, Christ was set apart,

Obeying what our Father bade Him do,

For He and God were one in mind and heart

With such agape love and selfless view.

To be like Jesus you must e’er impart

To understand that He is in control.

He bought you with His blood, now heart to heart,

And you shall yet find rest unto your soul.

To learn of Jesus you must soon take part,

To give and share with others heart to heart.

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sonnet #390

12-14-14 The Servant

The Lord of Lords, God’s only Son came here,

Deserving all our pomp and circumstance,

But took upon Himself the life austere,

To give His all so we have half a chance.

This lowly man the heavens did create,

Deserving of a throne right next to God

And worship from us all both small and great,

Took on the servant’s role with no facade.

And Jesus made His life a sacrifice,

A meek and perfect Lamb, obedient.

The debt for all our sins He paid the price

With His own humble blood and His consent.

If we are here to serve our Lord and King,

We must be servant to just everything.

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Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,

but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Matthew 20:28 KJV

11-25-14 Within the Crowd

Whenever you begin to praise yourself

Or keep your mind affixed on worldly things,

You put perspective high upon a shelf

And soon forget the truth and what it brings.

The lowly man is humbled by his sin,

And knows without the Savior he is lost.

He bears affliction silently within,

And thinks less of himself whate’er the cost.

You cannot do one thing without God’s grace;

Remember that when you grow arrogant.

Christ’s sacrifice should put you in your place;

Life isn’t your own private treasure hunt.

Don’t count your treasure here among the proud,

Or you will lose your way within the crowd.

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Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly,

than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Proverbs 16:19 KJV