Every Single Day Is a Day to Celebrate Easter!
Although Easter is only one day of the year, we can celebrate it and experience the joy of it every day! Please use the following poem to remind you of the truth of Christ’s victory and to help you celebrate it in all circumstances. The first part is based on Luke 24:1-8, feel free to read it along with the poem. Their hearts all shattered Their eyes all red It was Sunday morning Their Lord was dead. They walked to a tomb To wrap him right With spice and perfume In the early light. They whispered in sadness They walked in pain Their Lord, their God, Their Savior slain! But there was the tomb Stone rolled aside Without their Lord, No body inside! They shook their heads They reeled in shock Where’s His body? Who rolled the rock? Angels appeared Like lightning’s shine And announced the truth That stands for all time: He’s Risen! He’s Risen! When my life is not what I want it to be When my days drag on in misery When I see a world full of hate and fear When it looks like Evil is ruling here Then let that truth echo loud again: He’s Risen! He’s Risen! When my failure stares me back in my face When I see my mess and my disgrace When I’m on my knees in shame again And I get a glimpse of the sin within— How lost I’d be if it weren’t for Him Then let that truth pick me up again: He’s Risen! He’s Risen! When I lose someone that I love so much And I ache inside to feel their touch And the hole in my life is a painful sore And it seems like Death’s on his throne once more Then cry that victory cry again: He’s Risen! He’s Risen! When death’s cold grip creeps round my heart And the life I know is falling apart When fear and doubt and anger flood in As my dust turns back to dust again Then point my flickering eyes to Him The One who died my soul to win And fill my ears with His truth again: He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s...
Read MoreThe Word Hangs High
The following poem offers some devotional thoughts on the incredible, sacrificial love of our Savior as we walk through the somber and sobering season of Lent and remember the events of Good Friday and what they mean for us. God’s grim billboard of love, His Word written blood-red, The sinless Son of God soon dead Hanging high, Suffers under blackened sky As crowds of haters cry. This scene we know so well, Our Savior suffers our hell, But now again we rehearse, Read through every Bible verse, Let the awe-full truth sink in: Every sinner’s every sin Fully punished all on him. At his cross again we stand Sinful heart and empty hand, Watch him love us all to death Hear him give each final breath Shout his triumph as he dies Declare us perfect in God’s eyes! All is paid. All is done. Our gift of life so costly won. Can we just pass by With a brief bitter sigh— A moment’s unease And then go do as we please? Can we carelessly ignore Whom he did this for? Every person we might touch Has been loved by God this much! Can I truly ever see Just how deep my depravity, Just how bad my sin must be If it cost this price for me? May we live the life he’s given, Free from sin that is forgiven. May we dedicate all our days To his well-deserved praise. May that Word of love hang high, Fill each sinner’s wandering eye. May that Word work in each heart Change us deep in every part, Teach us trust that hangs on tight To that cross through earthly night Till that day—forever dawn When all will see God’s Risen...
Read MoreLove Is No Fairytale
We can only learn true love from God. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. (John 3:16) That is love. That is the kind of self-sacrificing, undeserved love that we have from God! That love moves us to love others, truly love others. God’s love is a beautiful, perfect pattern for us to thankfully try to follow as his saved children. That is true for all our various relationships. The short poem below attempts to sum up and express that kind of love. Of course, 1 Corinthians 13 is a go-to passage for this subject and I encourage you to read it along with the poem. Love is no fairytale That you fall into fast Just an unexplainable feeling Such “love” does not last. That’s the love of the world That gives to receive That feels good and stays But then sours and leaves. True love is hearty labor, So stubbornly soft That it gives what is good When receiving what is not. Love is patient and kind, It long suffers to serve, Says, “What can I do?” Not, “What do I deserve?” Love is an ongoing choice Heart-warm and true To meet the needs of another With all you think, say and...
Read MoreExciting Blessings and Beautiful Distractions
It has been an exciting January so far! My wife and I were blessed with the birth of our 4th child, Ashton Benaiah Nitz born on January 6th. What an amazing blessing! It is incredible to me how I can forget just how tiny and helpless a little baby is until I hold one in my arms again. My little two-year old looks like a giant compared to her newborn brother. With this little blessing comes such responsibility! This tiny helpless life needs constant attention, love, nourishment, and care. He needs it day and night. The little guy has made it hard for me to focus on my weekly writing goals. There are many reasons for that: added stress, exciting events, schedules turned upside down, sleepless nights and a very cute baby to distract my attention. Sad to say, I have slipped behind where I planned to be in my writing last week and this week. I know it is understandable considering the circumstances, but still I do not want to make a habit of it. Somehow I need to find the time to get my daily writing and research time in. If you have any advice or suggestions about that please comment and let me know! I am not a slave to my goals, but at the same time I realize just how important they are to keep me focused and moving forward. I have also missed a few of my daily devotions. I can tell that the entire trajectory of my day changes when I do that. Things are harder to handle and my mind is not in the right place. I need to keep in mind my own advice from my previous post 10 Things I Learned After Writing My First Book! 1 Peter 2:2 is a very appropriate reminder as well: Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. Just like my little Ashton constantly needs pure milk to grow, I need regular doses of Bible truth to grow and mature and face each day with the strength and perspective that only God can give. Thanks to God I am forgiven and my future is perfect. That truth changes every daily experience into an incredible blessing from a gracious God. That truth makes each moment an opportunity to serve that Savior-God with my life, whether it is caring for a baby or writing a book. As always, please keep me, my family and my writing in your...
Read MoreGive Thanks In All Circumstances
Below I have written a poem that reflects on the wonderful truth that no matter what we experience in this life, we have forgiveness and a perfect future, thanks to Christ and his cross! That means we can give thanks in all circumstances! (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) His love is really all we need. If we saw as we should see The full truth of our depravity And the overwhelming reality Of the hell where we deserve to be Would we complain of snow or rain? Lament a moment’s passing pain? Fume about annoyance small? or be greatly grateful for it all? Each pain or problem–joy, success I still have Jesus’ righteousness! His countless gifts, his future grand– The peace he gives with nail-pierced hand And so let thank yous tumble out At tiny gifts I can leap and shout… A breath! My lungs filled up once more On air God mixed and held in store To feed my life with what I need To fuel me on for word and deed, A breath I never dared to claim And yet God gave it, just the same! And every high and every low That I might live through here below Is but another grace-filled gift That ought to cause my eyes to lift And move my lips in joyful praise, My God is God of all my days. Every moment that he gives I live because my Savior lives, The perfect Son who died for me Paid my full eternity. And so when sinful selfishness Steals my joy with false distress, Or when my earthly problems and pain Perplex me till I feel insane, Or when my sin is crushing strong, Or when I sing death’s mourning song And feel the loss–that gaping ache, Or foolish pride makes me forsake True love for some sweet comfort fake… Then Lord, remind me: All would be loss Apart from the truth of your saving cross And wipe my tears and point my eyes To expect your coming in the skies And till then give me things to do That thank and honor and worship...
Read MoreMy Quirky Neighbor Made Me Stop And Think…
I see him out there time and time again. He’s got his broom, garbage can and a dustpan. He sweeps, bends, empties the pan into the can. Then he moves a little down the way and does it again. It shouldn’t bother me, but he’s out there all the time…probably several times each week…maybe even every day… He’s sweeping his driveway. His driveway! He’s going to drive his car over it tomorrow and make it dirty again! How many people are going to inspect how much dirt is on his driveway? Is he going to eat supper off of it later? He gets every clipping of grass, every granule of dirt, every spec of dust off of his driveway and he spends hours at doing it just about every day. It’s a free country and if that is how he wants to spend the hours of his precious life, I won’t stop him and I’ll try not to be judgmental, but still, it makes me a little sad. Over time I’ve come to find a lesson in watching this repeated ritual. It’s made me question my own life and how I am living. What am I doing in my life that is really just the equivalent of sweeping the driveway? How do I fritter away the hours and days the Lord has given me in things that really in the big scheme of things don’t matter at all? Or…more importantly…can I see the connection between my small, daily activities and the greater purpose for my existence? Jesus connected something as small as giving a child a drink of water to a greater purpose in Matthew 10:42! Can I see the connection between the tiniest things I do and the great reason for why I’m here? If I can’t…really, I’m just sweeping my driveway over and over…right? If I go to work and punch a time-card just to put food on the table or just because I “have” to to survive–I’m missing the point! If I clean the house and mow the lawn just because its expected of me or because it’s what I think I have to do–I’m missing the point! If I write a fiction book and create a story with words just because it makes me happy or because I want to–I’m missing the point! Every little thing I do has purpose if I stop to see the connection to what’s greater. If I am doing it all for me, or for other people to notice or for the praise of other people…I’m missing the point. I can do all those things either with a self-centered mindset or with a true recognition that all of them are and ought to be ways of glorifying and serving the God who saved me from my self-centered, sin-ruined existence and earned and gave me heaven as a free gift. If I see no connection between what I’m doing and glorifying that Savior-God, then I probably shouldn’t be doing it. If I’m doing tasks for God they naturally take on a whole new meaning and purpose. If I go to work and punch a time card…for God…I’m going to work with my eyes open to the opportunities to be God’s hands and feet in the world. If I do household chores…for God…I’m doing them with a different attitude. If I go on vacation…for God…I’ll appreciate the wondrous beauty of his creation all the more and look for opportunities to thank him for the moments of rest. The list could go on and on. And no matter what I do every...
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