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.

10-24-15 Let All the People Praise Thee

Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

Psalm 67:3

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Let all the people praise Thee, O my Lord!

Let’s raise the roof for Jesus, multitude!

O Savior, listen to this vast accord!

Redeemer, You have made our hearts renewed!

Let all the people praise Thee, O my God!

Let’s get this gathering up on its feet!

O Christ, receive this song as we applaud!

Messiah, You have made our hearts complete!

Let all the people praise Thee, O my King!

Let’s bring revival to this neighborhood!

O Lamb of God, we feel the love You bring!

Good Shepherd, You have changed these hearts for good!

Now let the people praise Thee, Lord of Lords!

Let all the people sing these fervid chords!

9-8-15 Praise Your Name

O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

Isaiah 25:1 KJV

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O Lord, you are my God, my sovereign King,

Not only by creation but of grace.

The covenants You’ve made my soul shall sing.

My God, the Love You are I still embrace.

I will exalt you, Lord, I’ll praise Your name.

You’re Holy and perfection without end.

The heavens and the earth will long acclaim

The glory of creation You still tend.

Such wonders have You done I cannot count;

From atoms to the stars and in between.

Your counsels of the ages give account

Of faithfulness and truth we all have seen.

I celebrate You, God, both night and day!

I celebrate with all I do and say!

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7-27-15 Dumb

³² As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.

³³ And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

Matthew 9:32-33 KJV

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The Devil prowls the earth with rancid breath,

Befouling souls with lies and hate and pride;

His simple goal: to lure us all to death,

To bring us down with him and there abide.

 

When Satan wraps his talons round our throat,

He robs us of our hope and leaves us dumb.

But there is One of whom the prophets wrote,

Who casts all demons out and leaves them mum.

 

When we have faith in Jesus, we reach out

And put our hand in His, then with that touch,

Our lives are changed forever with a shout!

Our tongues are then set free to praise Him much.

 

If you can’t say you’re saved and glory bound,

You’ll find your voice in Christ a loving sound.

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sonnet #418

6-20-15 Judge Not

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come,

who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness,

and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts:

and then shall every man have praise of God.

1 Corinthians 4:5 KJV

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If you perceive a man whose wicked ways

Are hidden by a mask of godliness,

Or if a sister speaks of peace and praise

But beats her children more and loves them less,

Don’t judge them in your heart, though it may be

The hardest thing you’ll ever have to do.

The Lord will come one day, then all shall see

The hidden things of darkness coming through.

There will be no more secrets, no more lies;

The hearts of men exposed without a doubt.

When Jesus peers within our mortal eyes,

We’ll either weep with shame or jump and shout.

Though men may cover up their sinful way,

There are no hidden things on Judgement Day.

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sonnet #394

6-12-15 Blessed Be He

Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD:

we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

Psalm 118:26 KJV

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Had Jesus lived and taught when David ruled,

The King would bless Him from the temple grounds.

But Christ came when the Priests their hearts were cooled,

And all He heard from them were angry sounds.

But we disciples of the risen Lord

Sing out “Hosanna!” with a single voice.

We worship Jesus whom we’ve long adored;

With blessings loud and strong we do rejoice!

In adoration from a faith full house,

Accept the Savior’s presence in your life.

The temple of your heart and mind espouse

The High Priest Christ whose perfect love is rife.

O blessed be the One who conquered death!

We live for Him and praise Him with each breath!

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sonnet #388

6-5-15 Age With Grace

² That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate,

sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

³ The aged women likewise,

that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness,

not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things

Titus 2:2-3 KJV

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As much as you despise it you must age,

Until one day you feel the weight of years,

But with the wrinkles brings the knowing sage,

Experienced in laughter, calm and tears.

If you should ever act your age it’s now,

For younger eyes are looking up to you.

Let sober living shine upon your brow,

And all the words you say be sound and true.

You have a grave responsibility

To be the light of Christ in faith and love.

Endure the world each day more patiently,

And show us how to pray to God above.

To all the aged men and women saints,

Spend all your time in praise and not complaints.

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sonnet #380

5-20-15 Glory

² Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

³ And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Isaiah 6:2-3 KJV

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Imagine standing fore the throne of God,

With seraphims above it shouting praise.

Our best envisionings would still be flawed;

The mind cannot conceive the slightest gaze.

But here we are surrounded by our things,

While just outside the door the world is wide.

So full of God’s great glory nature sings,

And every grain of earth He did provide.

In Eden and again when all’s complete,

The Earth in all her splendor will be known,

Yet even now her beauty’s so replete

God’s glory can be found in leaf and stone.

Right now we can’t see God upon His throne,

But take a walk outdoors, His glory’s shown.

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sonnet #365

5-7-15 He Hears

But verily God hath heard me;

he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

Psalm 66:19 KJV

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My enemies have painted me as vile;

An evil man, a phony hypocrite.

If this is true, could I then God beguile?

Would He then heed my prayers and thus commit?

Yet God has heard me, I who am His slave.

The love He has for me has changed my ways,

For He sent Christ His Son whose life He gave;

He died for all my sins. It’s He I praise!

If I were still the man I used to be,

I would not waste my time to spread the Word.

But my old self is dead on Calvary,

And now I follow Christ, His Spirit’s heard.

            My Father hears my prayers; I am His child.

            He answers every one so clear and mild.

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sonnet #353

4-23-15 The Lamb

There comes a day when all the universe

Will rise up with one voice and praise the Lamb,

And everything that is, though so diverse,

Acclaims the worthy One of the I AM.

The Lamb was slain for all the sins of man,

Receiving power as the Lord of Lords,

And riches of the grace that e’er began,

And wisdom far beyond the mind explored,

And strength to conquer evil dark and grim,

And honor equal to our Father God,

And glory of salvation promised Him,

And blessings evermore the heavens laud.

            The Lamb will always sit upon the throne

            Forever and forever, ever known.

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¹¹ And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

¹² Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

¹³ And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Revelation 5:11-13 KJV