2-24-16 Passed Away

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Revelation 21:4 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

You’re grieving now, I know. I’m grieving, too.

A soul we love so dearly’s passed away.

Our tears fall now and sadness pushes through.

We mourn our loss but know that one fine day

There will be no more death, no last embrace,

No sorrow, no more mourning, no more pain.

The love of Christ our Lord shall be in place,

The glory of His presence then shall reign,

And God shall wipe all tears from all our eyes;

Here crying is replaced with laughter’s song.

We’ll reunite with loved ones; joy will rise,

For we will all be where we should belong.

We’ve lost a friend and sister here today,

But soon these sort of things shall pass away.

~~~~~~~~~~~

REMEMBER: Let us celebrate in Christ, for we will one day be reunited.

1-13-16 On Tilling

He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.

Proverbs 28:19 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

If you would have success then go to school,

And plant the seeds of knowledge in your mind.

A fallow intellect becomes a fool,

Where weed and brier thinking is entwined.

If you would be in love then make a friend,

And cultivate affection and regard.

To blindly plow will meet with no good end;

Whatever grows most likely will be marred.

If you would know the Lord then practice prayer,

And water both your heart and soul with tears.

A parched relationship leads to despair;

You’ll just eat bitter fruit throughout the years.

The land that’s rightly tilled will yield good bread.

Don’t place the ass behind the plow instead.

~~~~~~~~~~~

REMEMBER: Whatsoever a man sows, he shall also reap. (Galatians 6:7)

10-7-15 Rejoice!

Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Psalm 32:11 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

When you lay down and take your final breath,

You’ll wake up with a shout of victory.

The righteous found in Christ shall see no death,

For with His sacrifice they were set free.

The resurrected Christ will be the one

To greet you when you close your mortal eyes.

For those who did believe God’s chosen Son,

Eternal life shall be their golden prize.

Don’t be afraid, my friend, instead rejoice!

Your days of tears and pain will soon be through!

The upright are the ones who made the choice

To put their faith in Jesus and pursue.

Be glad for there is victory in Christ!

He lives in you! His precious love sufficed!

9-22-15 On Addiction

¹⁴ But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

¹⁵ Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:14-15 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

We’ve all been tempted; still we’re tempted now

For Satan pays attention to our lusts.

Then when we fall and break most every vow,

His demons ride our shame, feed our disgust.

Then like a horror movie sin’s revived

As if it will not die by force or will,

Until your prayers seem wooden and contrived,

And then when you give up death has its fill.

Cry out unto the Lord though you feel dead,

And pray until your tears have soaked the ground.

He leads you to the help you need ahead;

Just trust in Jesus – grace much more abounds.

It seems like all is lost; don’t be deceived.

Salvation comes to those who first believed.

8-25-15 Out of the Mouth

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man;

but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

Matthew 15:11 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

Bad food and drink can make a person ill,

But he’s the only one confined to bed.

It’s what comes from the mouth more loathsome still

That will defile a man the most instead.

‘Tis sin that lays in wait within the heart

And moves on through the mind and then the lips

That truly stains the soul and tears apart;

Each word that’s laced with evil sin equips.

It takes a heart made fresh to stop the flood

Of all the wickedness men say and do.

The only way is through Christ’s cleansing blood

To purify the soul with life anew.

A man defiled will speak such wicked things.

The cure for this disease is Christ the King.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #447

7-20-15 Born Again

Jesus answered and said unto him,

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:3 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

A birth into this world means tears and pain;

Your mother can’t forget nor you recall.

But when you come to Christ you’re born again,

A new creation free from Adam’s fall.

Now quickened by God’s Spirit through and through,

The blood of Christ has washed your sins away.

No longer bound by flesh you live anew,

A citizen of Heaven now to stay.

Admit that you’re a sinner, dead and lost,

That Jesus paid the price for all your sins.

Put all your trust in Him whate’er the cost

And you will be reborn – your life begins!

Drink deep the Word as milk, then eat as meat,

And watch the Grace of God make you complete.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #411

6-26-15 Obedience

³ If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;

⁴ Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Leviticus 26:3-4 KJV

~~~~~~~~~~~

There’s one true guarantee of your success:

Salvation comes when you accept God’s Son.

No other way will free you from this mess

Resulting from the sin we all have spun.

Obey the Lord in every way you can;

The scriptures and the Spirit show the way.

Be sure that He will bless you in His plan;

You’ll get just what you need from day to day.

Your tears may fall like rain in seasoned strife,

But they increase the yield of later joy.

By following the Savior in this life

The seeds of love bring fruit you will enjoy.

If you will walk the way of God’s commands,

The crops you plant today will soon be grand.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #399

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

~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

sonnet #380

1-24-15 Take Comfort

A friend of many years has passed away,

Their pain and sorrow will be borne no more,

Yet there goes half your night and half your day;

Anf half your broken heart is on the floor.

Take comfort in the Savior’s arms today

 And lean your tired head against His chest;

He holds you tight and wipes your tears away,

He whispers in your ear and gives you rest.

The world it seems no longer is attuned;

In fact it seems it’s crumbled all apart.

Take comfort in the Lord, He’ll bind your wound;

In time He’ll even heal your broken heart.

Your friend has left this place for glory’s light;

She’s taking comfort in Christ’s love tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~

He healeth the broken in heart,

and bindeth up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3 KJV

11-11-14 Forged

Your life is full of hardship,tears and pain;

You feel as if you’ve poverty of soul.

It seems your every effort’s been in vain,

And you are nothing more than lump of coal.

A diamond starts as coal that’s under stress,

Amid great heat and pressure over time,

And you are far more precious in egress,

Refined by life’s hot furnace whence you climb.

Who wants a soup with vegetables too coarse?

You’ll want them cooked until they taste just right.

Affliction turns the raw to the main course,

Delicious morsel of the truth and light.

God needs a mighty sword annealed and keen,

One forged from hard affliction rough and mean.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver;

I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Isaiah 48:10 KJV