12-22-15 SO

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 KJV

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For God SO loved the world He gave His Son;

His One begotten Son the world He gave,

That whosoever shall believe the One

Shall never perish, never know the grave.

Christ took all of your sins onto the cross;

He gave His life for you and willingly.

Because He loved you SO He suffered loss,

But it was worth it all to set you free.

An everlasting life belongs to those

Who put their faith in God’s begotten Son,

Enduring death and in three days arose;

For God loved you SO much this all was done.

Claim Jesus as your Savior and believe

God sacrificed His Son for your reprieve.

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REMEMBER: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

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!

9-25-15 The Perfect Example

²¹ For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

²² Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

²³ Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

²⁴ Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

²⁵ For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

1 Peter 2:21-25 KJV

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There is no greater love than Christ has shown,

The perfect model for a perfect life,

Who chose to leave His bright celestial throne

To come and save His sheep through pain and strife.

He had no sin Himself but came for ours,

Enduring all the wrath of God and man,

Who could have freed Himself with awesome powers

But chose to bring salvation as His plan,

And all the torment that our Lord endured,

Reviled, threatened, beaten, crucified,

He did for you so you could be secured.

He loved you so He suffered, bled and died.

O friend, I know He thought of you that day

As He was hanging on the cross that way!

8-8-15 Undoing Satan’s Plan

³² And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

³³ And all the city was gathered together at the door.

³⁴ And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

Mark 1:32-34 KJV

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Before the serpent dared deceive poor Eve

The Garden was a paradise on Earth.

There was no sickness and no cause to grieve;

No sin existed, no defect or dearth.

But after Adam fell and sin moved in,

Disease and devils grew across the land.

Then Jesus came and let His work begin,

Rebuking and undoing Satan’s plan.

Christ showed us all with action what to do,

Now that we are ambassadors of His:

Reclaim the Garden, in His name renew,

Beginning in ourselves the way Christ is.

With Jesus in control, God’s kingdom come;

With love prepare for New Jerusalem.

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sonnet #430

7-29-15 On Persecution

¹¹ Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

¹² Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Matthew 5:11-12 KJV

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These days when you say Jesus best beware,

The chance is good you’ll meet a wall of hate.

Consider yourself blessed when they just stare,

For there are places killing us is great.

Just tell them Christ arose alive from death

And you’ll be shouted down and shown the door.

In some parts of the world give Christ your breath

And they will roll your head along the floor.

Rejoice when you are persecuted here,

For so the prophets suffered this and worse.

Count it a blessing when your pain’s severe,

For your reward in heaven’s worth their curse.

When persecution comes be glad in Christ

He’ll be there with you when you’re sacrificed.

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sonnet #420

5-16-15 Unspeakable

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV

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Of all the gifts that God so freely gives,

There’s none to match the one on Calvary.

The sacrifice of Christ our heart relives,

And breaks it every time, too much to see.

He willingly went forth with you in mind;

His body torn and beaten horribly.

A crown of thorns upon His head was twined;

He bore it all for you so humbly.

Then, O, upon the cross they hung our Lord

Upon the cross that’s meant for you and me!

He took our sins upon His own accord

And suffered there – my Lord! – unspeakably.

God sacrificed His Son upon the cross,

A gift so great my tongue is at a loss.

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sonnet #362

3-18-15 Temptation

Temptation is a tawdry, painted whore

Seducing you into her bed of death;

How well she knows afflictions always pour

And promises respite within her breath.

We all must suffer hardships in our life;

They are a gift from God to help us grow,

But if we are enticed to dodge our strife

We soon can not endure its ebb and flow.

Our trials are meant to draw us to the Lord,

Temptation, though, does claim a better way.

In Jesus do we find our true reward:

He suffered unto death and did not stray.

Say “Get behind me, Satan! Out the door!

With Christ I can endure it all and more.”

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Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:

for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,

which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James 1:12 KJV

1-1-15 Be Bold

A resolution you can surely keep:

With boldness speak the gospel every day,

Especially if others call you cheap

Or claim that you believe in shadow play.

So many people think that God’s a lie,

Religion just a fairy tale for fools.

Rely upon the Spirit to reply;

The Savior can, through you, take them to school.

Be bold and face the constant enemy,

For Christ will do the very same for you.

Don’t be afraid to say the truth, you see,

And speak with love; He died for these ones, too.

Now plant the gospel everywhere like seed,

There’s always those who nurse a deeper need.

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But even after that we had suffered before,

and were shamefully entreated …

we were bold in our God to speak unto you

the gospel of God with much contention.

1 Thessalonians 2:2 KJV

8-25-14 Jesus

He came to earth and took the form of man

To save humanity from sin and death.

So humbly His mortal life began,

Then meekly lived unto His final breath.

Obedient to all the holy laws,

He took the servant’s way for all to see,

And led a sinless life without one pause

To shed His perfect blood for you and me.

How horribly He suffered on the cross!

The weight of ev’ry sin His soul endured.

If we believe in this we’re borne across

To fall into His arms with love assured.

            He died for you, my friend, so you might be

            A child of God forever, always free.

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And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,

and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:8 KJV

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