11-7-15 Turn the Other Cheek

³⁸ Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

³⁹ But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matthew 5:38-39 KJV

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When Jesus said to turn the other cheek,

The world has since ignored it out of hand.

Most people think it makes you look so weak

You’ll fall in line to anyone’s demand.

To turn the other cheek resentfully,

Your indignation makes you anger’s slave.

If you think you are grander morally,

Your haughty pride makes you a moral knave.

When someone strikes you, instantly forgive,

And turn the other cheek with mercy mild.

The Lord’s the only one to judgment give;

Through love you’re free: no sins have you compiled.

So turn the other cheek if you are struck,

And choose the way of grace; you won’t get stuck.

10-13-15 A Meditation of Him

My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

Psalm 104:34 KJV

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I clear my mind from troubled, thorny thoughts,

And feel the Holy Spirit full within;

While all the world around me plans and plots,

The peace of God descends and we begin.

I meditate upon my sovereign Lord,

My Master, my Redeemer and my Friend;

His love and words strike deep and I’m restored.

His glory lights my way; there is no end.

The blood my Master shed, His sacrifice,

I cannot comprehend its depth or scope.

He suffered so for me, God’s asking price.

My faith in Him is real; I’m filled with hope.

Consider all the ways of Christ the King,

And He will lift you up; your heart will sing!

3-22-15 Straining at Gnats

Now pray you don’t remain a hypocrite!

The blind that lead the blind into a ditch,

Who tells the world you surely will commit

But won’t begin until you strike it rich.

Don’t be the one who points your finger out

To judge the man that breaks the smallest rule,

But when no one is looking goes about

To disregard them all and think you’re cool.

Please don’t continue turning up your nose

As if your toilet smells like baby’s breath.

The stench that comes from you is not a rose;

You think you are alive but reek of death.

I ought to know a hypocrite by now:

I am the first in line to disavow.

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Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat,

and swallow a camel.

Matthew 23:24 KJV

1-12-15 Dark Nights

A homesick ache will sometimes strike my soul,

A  tired longing from all earthly bonds;

Then there are moments when I doubt the goal,

A skepticism of the great beyond.

When faith grows weak, I turn to God in mind

In hopes that He will hear my weakened prayer,

And groan in spirit, feeling unrefined,

To save me from my anguish and despair.

Then quietly my pleas turn into praise,

A subtle shift from fear to gratitude;

With just a touch from Him my spirits raise,

My heart grows lighter, larger and renewed.

When melancholy brings me to my knees

I put my faith in Christ; He won’t displease

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Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

and why art thou disquieted within me?

hope thou in God:

for I shall yet praise him, 

who is the health of my countenance,

and my God.

Psalm 42:11 KJV

12-9-14 Wait on the Lord

If someone strikes you, turn the other cheek,

And if they strike again, then bare your head,

Then wait upon the Lord while you stand meek,

For He’s the final judge for what’s ahead.

Resist temptation’s lure to seek revenge;

Reprisal’s not a stone you need to throw.

Let God alone your injuries avenge,

For vengeance is the Lord’s, you ought to know.

You want the Lord to save you from all wrong,

And in the end He will, this much is true.

The time for judgment’s soon, it won’t be long;

It is the fire that we will all pass through.

Repent for all the sins that you have done

And beg the Lord’s forgiveness through His Son.

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Say not thou, I will recompense evil; 

but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

Proverbs 20:22 KJV