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.

8-1-15 The Root of All Evil

For the love of money is the root of all evil:

which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,

and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

1 Timothy 6:10 KJV

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The love of wealth begins with just a kiss,

A secret rendezvous, a warm desire.

The more you have the more you want for bliss;

The more you want the more that you require.

You think of all the things that it can bring,

How easy life would be if you were rich.

You need it more than God, this precious thing;

The love of money turns your life to kitsch.

Idolatry begat all evilness:

Desire of the fruit to have it all.

As long as this is what you must possess,

You are a slave to sin and sure to fall.

If you love God as much as you need air,

Then money’s not an issue nor a snare.

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sonnet #423

9-14-14 Be of Good Courage

Adversity, affliction and ordeals

Are common to the mortal life of man;

When suffering we send up our appeals

And pray that God remove the troubled span.

The sorrows and the pains that come to all

Cannot be circumvented all the time;

If you hope in the Lord and bide His call,

Your courage will be known by God sublime.

He’ll touch your heart and strengthen it with care,

Regardless of the trials that you face.

Sometimes you’ll be made whole, sometimes laid bare,

But either way He’ll see you win the race.

Put all your faith in God when times are grim;

He’s just a prayer away so trust in Him.

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Be of good courage,

and he shall strengthen your heart,

all ye that hope in the LORD.

Psalm 31:24 KJV

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