2-10-16 Be Like Jesus

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Colossians 3:12 KJV

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Now, having taken off the old man’s guise,

Put on the mind of Christ who died for you,

Whom now you are elect of God likewise,

Both holy and beloved and tried and true.

With deep compassion free from all deceit

To sympathize with those who are distressed,

Let kindness, grace and love be so complete

You weep with them who weep, sincere expressed.

Have humbleness of mind in thought and deed,

Be gentle with all men and always meek;

Submissive to the Spirit so proceed,

And dwell in patience; suffer long the weak.

Christ took the weight of sin from off your soul.

Now be just like the One who made you whole.

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REMEMBER: Christ lives in you now. Let Him live through you.

1-15-16 The Tick Behind the Talk

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Proverbs 23:7 KJV

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A man will make a statement through his tongue,

But what he thinks may be another thing.

Beware the motives that his lie has sprung,

Lest somewhere down the road you’ll feel its sting.

When Jesus walked the earth he always knew

The real intent within each person’s heart.

Discretion comes from knowing what is true,

And truth’s the Word of God that won’t depart.

The more you pray the more God’s wisdom will be known,

For half of prayer is listening patiently,

And through the mind of Christ you will be shown

The mainspring of a man; yea, more than he.

When you’re connected to the Word of God,

You will not be distracted by a fraud.

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REMEMBER: We do not merely contend with the lies of men – we fight against the Father of lies, Satan.

1-7-16 On Discipline

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14 KJV

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With faith disciples of the Lord do live,

Yet recognize responsibilities,

To love their neighbor and to quick forgive,

To represent the Lord by all degrees.

In common conversation speak your mind,

But make sure that your mind’s the mind of Christ.

No foolish, idle, vulgar words in kind;

Just speak the gospel truth and be sufficed.

The mind is like a monkey in a cage;

If it’s not on a leash it’s Satan’s pet.

With scripture and in silent prayer your gauge,

The mind of Christ will be your best asset.

The Lord is your redeemer and your strength;

Your thoughts and words should be in His wavelength.

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REMEMBER: Keep your thoughts and words on Jesus; lean on the Holy Spirit for guidance, comfort and understanding.

10-19-15 Advice From the Shepherd

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Matthew 10:16 KJV

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The wolves won’t hesitate to eat you up,

For you’re the Shepherd’s sheep sent forth to save.

They hate the One who drank the bitter cup

And now He lives within you strong and brave.

The children of the night now circle ’round

And wait for you to stumble in their midst.

Be wise, therefore, as serpents to confound,

And keep the mind of Christ when they persist.

You cannot last a moment on your own;

Depend upon the Savior all the time.

Be harmless, then, as doves – you’re not alone;

No matter what they do remain sublime.

With cunning Jesus rose above the hate.

In innocence He set the record straight.

9-28-15 Foolish and Weak

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

1 Corinthians 1:25 KJV

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The wisdom of the ages gapes and drools

Compared to just a single word from God,

And all the things they teach in all the schools

Is nothing more than drivel dim and flawed.

If you should seek to know the mind of Christ,

Don’t listen to the babble of a sage.

The men who wrote the scriptures were sufficed

To listen to the Lord in every age.

Both men and empires boast about their might;

They strut across the stage of time to die,

And even when their strength is at its height

A bug can bring them down just passing by.

The man of God is neither fool nor weak

When he stands fast and turns the other cheek.

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