2-16-16 Give and Take

Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

Luke 8:18 KJV

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This is a warning to you lukewarm soul

Who merely ponders Jesus on a whim:

You say you are a Christian, play the role.

You think you’ll skate on in; your chance is grim.

If you will truly give your life to Christ

And use with grace the gifts He gives to you,

The salt you are will then be double spiced;

The love you have, much more will you accrue.

If you believe that you have got it made,

Your show of knowledge now will disappear.

What little faith you claim will soon be swayed;

Your mediocre worship won’t cohere.

Be careful how you hear: from heart or head.

The one will find the Lord, the other’s dead.

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REMEMBER: You cannot fake your way into the kingdom of heaven. If you don’t think you’re saved, you’re likely not. Go to the cross right now. You’ll gain a lot.

1-28-16 The Need for Thorns

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

2 Corinthians 12:7 KJV

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Thank God for all the troubles you must bear:

Infirmities that keep you from your pride,

The weaknesses that drive you to despair,

That thorn within your flesh that won’t subside.

There’s not much worse within than arrogance,

For it takes your attention off of Christ.

It makes you boast of your great competence,

Some dollar souvenir way overpriced.

And but for your affliction you’d be lost,

Your halo bound so tight to make you dumb.

Be grateful to be saved at any cost,

For weakness makes you strongly overcome.

If Satan buffets you with trials enticed,

God may be telling you His grace sufficed.

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REMEMBER: Thorns humbles the rose.

1-19-16 One Eighty

¹⁶ But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, ¹⁷ And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.

Nehemiah 9:16-17 KJV

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You’ve sinned though saved and now are on your knees

Afraid salvation’s lost, God’s turned His back.

Conviction weighs up your chest to squeeze;

You think your white as snow has changed to black.

Repent! One Eighty what you’ve done right now,

Confess to God your sin with sorrowed heart.

He WILL forgive! God’s mercy will endow.

He loves you SO; you’ll never be apart.

Did He not send His own begotten Son

To pay for every sin on your behalf?

Renounce with all you are for what you’ve done

And know God’s written that sin’s epitaph.

He loves you more than you can ever know.

You are His child! Repent and let it go.

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REMEMBER: Look at all God’s chosen people did after He brought them out of bondage in Egypt. He did not forsake them. He likewise will never, ever forsake you.

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.

12-10-15 On Ignorance

¹³ Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴ And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:13-14 KJV

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ON IGNORANCE

Your ignorance is no excuse to sin

But is instead the well from which sin springs.

Before you made the choice and let Christ in

You drank the darkness, thought it everything.

You fled from all conviction like a thief;

The gospel words you heard picked up the chase,

And though your ignorance fed unbelief

The love of God was patient with His grace.

No matter who you were or what you did,

When you came to the cross, surrendered all,

The mercy of the Lord your sins did rid;

Abundant faith and love in Him sprang tall.

Your neighbor might be ignorant in sin.

Go share the gospel now; let it begin.

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.

11-17-15 When Pigs Drown

¹⁸ And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.

¹⁹ Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.

²⁰ And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

Mark 5:18-20 KJV (When Jesus cast demons into pigs Mark 5:1-20)

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WHEN PIGS DROWN

Possessed by sin, you wandered through the graves,

For all that did remain for you was death.

Your soul, enslaved by Satan, lived in caves,

Resigned to cut and run ’til out of breath.

When Jesus came the Holy Spirit called;

You gave your life to Him and called Him Lord.

Christ touched you as upon the cross you sprawled;

He saved you with His loving blood that poured.

Instead of staying ‘neath the cross so true,

The Savior bid you go to those you meet

To tell all what the Lord had done for you,

And all that hear will marvel so complete.

When all the pigs have drowned the Lord remains.

He lives within your heart, no more in chains.

10-26-15 Wait – Don’t Hate

⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Psalm 37:8-9 KJV

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When someone does you wrong it’s natural

To let your anger get the best of you,

But wrath will be your wisdom’s funeral

And then the worst of you will soon break through.

Yet you’re no slave to sin: the old man died; ¹

He’s crucified with Christ when you are saved.

If you’ve been wronged let Spirit be your guide;

Just wait upon the Lord; let hate be waived.

When evil’s done to you first turn to prayer;

The patient love of Jesus will descend.

When you are meek the new earth’s yours to bear. ²

God cuts off evildoers in the end.

Serenity belongs to those who wait;

In Christ there is no room for those who hate.

1Romans 6:6

2Matthew 5:5

Call Now

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 2:21 KJV

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It’s not too late to call upon the Lord,

Though you’re not promised you’ll be here tonight.

Your body’s death is coming; you’ll be floored,

And then it’s just too late to get it right.

The final days are here as you well know:

The Spirit of the Lord on flesh is poured,¹

Now prophesies and visions really flow,

And old men dream of things that once were stored.

Such wonders in the heavens oft explored,²

And signs upon the earth with blood and fire;

The sun grows dark, the blood moon’s not ignored,³

The Lord will soon return, His own acquire.

If you don’t know the Savior, Now’s the time!

Tomorrow might not come, but Now is prime!

1Acts 2:17

2Acts 2:19

3Acts 2:20