2-26-16 Seeking Riches

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

1 Timothy 6:9 KJV

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Too much can not be said about the sin

Of seeking to be rich above all else,

For when the lust for gold within begin,

The love of God and Christ most surely melts.

A strong foundation builds a sturdy house,

So let the Rock of Ages cleft for you,

But if you build on greed you then espouse

The love for worldly things you should eschew.

A foolish man will do some hurtful things

In order to obtain abundant wealth.

It’s hard to stem the selfishness this brings

And easy to forget supernal health.

           Put all your faith in Heaven’s Kingdom now

           Don’t let the love of riches strike your brow.

           ~~~~~~~~~~~

REMEMBER: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:19-21 KJV)

1-29-16 Sufficient

⁸ For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. ⁹ And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 KJV

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Infirmities and troubles will abound,

Of this the mortal man can be assured,

And though we beg the Lord we not be bound,

Sometimes these weaknesses must be endured.

The grace of God is all you ever need,

For here sufficient lies love’s very root:

Christ sacrificed His perfect life and freed

You from both death and hell without dispute.

His strength’s made perfect in your weakness now,

For how could you survive without His grace?

Through these infirmities the Lord shows how

He manifests the wealth of His embrace.

So glory in your frailty and your faults.

The pow’r of Christ’s made known through life’s assaults.

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Remember: God’s awesome grace is enough so that you may depend on Him completely.

1-8-16 The Great Physician

¹⁶ And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Mark 2:16-17 KJV

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When you are sick you need a doctor’s care,

For he knows how to bring you back to health.

A broken bone can give you quite a scare;

He knows just how to mend it – that’s his wealth.

When Adam disobeyed it all began,

This plague called sin, a terminal disease.

It permeates the soul of every man,

And keeps us from our God despite our pleas.

The Great Physician came to make us whole.

He had to yield His life and shed His blood.

When we submit to Jesus Christ our soul,

Then we are healed beneath the cleansing flood.

The only way to Heaven’s to get well;

The only remedy: in Jesus dwell.

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REMEMBER: Jesus bore ALL your sins on that cruel cross so that you might be made whole through Him.

10-22-15 On Giving

Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.

Deuteronomy 16:17 KJV

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Which one of us can’t say that we’ve been blessed,

For life itself is worth all worldly wealth,

And if you contemplate I’m sure you’ve guessed

Two dozen blessings more including health.

If you’ve been given much then give a lot;

If you’ve not much to give, give what you can.

There’s more than money that a blessing brought;

God’s given certain skills to every man.

A church is not the only place to give:

Look ’round your neighborhood for one in need,

Then be anonymous and help them live;

The secret giver lets more hearts be freed.

So tithing is just one way giving’s done.

First give your all to Christ, God’s first born Son.

8-30-15 Have Faith in Him

And he said unto her,

Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole;

go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Mark 5:34 KJV

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It isn’t faith alone that saves the sick,

For if it were we’d all be sound in health.

The gospel of success is just a trick

To take up all your time and all your wealth.

There are no magic words to make you whole;

The name it and then claim it crowd are wrong.

It’s Jesus Christ Himself that cures the soul;

The Son of God alone can make you strong.

There is no guarantee that you’ll be cured;

The grace of God sometimes is all you need. ¹

Put all your faith in Christ and rest assured

You’ll be at peace and whole with Him indeed.

Reach out in fervent faith that Christ is real.

Believe that He alone can save and heal.

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1 – 2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

sonnet #423

Life Eternal (for a friend)

I walk up to the casket of a friend

Whose life and loves I barely even knew

And as I view his body at its end

I wonder if he knew the Savior, too.

A stranger comes and stands beside me there;

His smile is warm, his eyes are full of light.

He says “Here lies a man that really cared,

Who always strove to treat his neighbor right.

He came across as strict but ever fair.

No, as a man he was not sinless pure,

But he was intimate with God in prayer;

He loved the Savior deeply to be sure.

He has a life eternal with the Lord:

His faith in Christ was where his wealth was stored.”

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And this is life eternal,

that they might know Thee the only true God,

and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

John 17:3 KJV

4-16-15 Give and Take

What do you own that God has not conferred?

The same is yours to take with you at death.

The wealth you gained, the debt you once incurred

Mean nothing when you’ve drawn your final breath.

For naked did you come; the same to go,

And all you wear between the two is thread.

The only covering that’s worth to show

Came from the Son of God, the blood He shed.

The Lord does give; He also takes away,

But once you are His child it’s understood.

The Earth and all that’s in it will decay,

But your eternal Home is here for good.

Now let us praise the holy name of God,

And all that He has given us be awed!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Naked came I out of my mother’s womb,

and naked shall I return thither:

the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away;

blessed be the name of the LORD.

Job 1:21 KJV

4-12-15 True Friend

If you would dare to want to know your friends,

Lose everything you own; be destitute.

The clique you used to know will show their ends.

Good luck if you don’t have a parachute.

A poor man’s house is not well visited,

For there is nothing there to want or claim,

And if his house burns down then God forbid

The crowd that knew him rich would douse the flame.

It matters not the things you own or owe;

With Jesus as your Friend you need no more.

With Him it doesn’t matter what you show,

If you have dirt or marble on the floor.

The Savior looks straight to your inner heart.

He knows just who you are but will not part.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Wealth maketh many friends;

but the poor is separated from his neighbour.

Proverbs 19:4 KJV

4-1-15 Fooled

There’s nothing worse than dealing with a fool,

Especially a fool consumed by lust or greed;

It’s easier to pull a stubborn mule

Than soon convince a fool to then concede.

A fool that’s in his folly please beware,

For he will pull you in then more and more;

It’s better to come cross a mother bear

Who’s had her babies stolen just before.

And then there is the fool with half a wit

That tries to separate you from your wealth.

If you refuse to give he’ll throw a fit

And stress you out so much you lose your health.

If you wear God’s full armor you’ll be tooled;

You’ll be prepared in Christ and won’t be fooled.

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Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,

rather than a fool in his folly.

Proverbs 17:12 KJV