Giving Thanks Through the Darkness
Philippians 4:6 is a beautiful passage for us to consider and hold on to during these challenging, stressful, and frightening times. The passage also has such a beautiful reminder that is so appropriate as we celebrate Thanksgiving and express our gratitude to God who is the giver of every good gift! “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 Weighed down and worried we watch wide eyed News that intensifies stresses inside Terror and tragedy, death, war and woe Where can we turn to? To whom shall we go? When our own sin and problems nag and annoy When daily we struggle to find any joy When health and wealth and relationships fail Who hears our worried whisper or wail? Anxious? Afraid? Feeling broken and small? Hear the firm love in your Savior’s call: “Do not be anxious about anything at all, But take all your issues great and small And thankfully, thoughtfully pray them all through Give them to your God who knows well what to do.” And what marvelous truth! How free we would be If we stopped clinging to our problems so selfishly Stopped believing the lie that it’s all about “me” And drowning in useless anxiety And instead we released them to our mighty God Who knows all our sin and how deeply we’re flawed But loved us with a love so intensely expressed In dying our death to give us eternal rest. Let’s pray with thanksgiving as He wants us to Not just at Thanksgiving, but at all times too. God loves to listen to each thankful prayer It guards us from imagining God’s unfair Reminds us the Father always gives good gifts. With grateful thoughts our perspective shifts From whatever we want, to what God has given First and above all, Christ crucified and risen And life now and forever with all sins forgiven And mountains of blessings we never could number Food, family, fortune, fine work and sweet slumber And endless good gifts for this life and beyond Even hard times and troubles that strengthen the bond Between us and his truth as we lean on His love And store up our treasures, not here, but above. So let us rest in His rest as we work hard through life And give Him our troubles, our stresses, our strife And present each request, with thanksgiving in prayer To the One who is always completely aware Of all that we need, every want, every care And is mighty and gracious with blessings to...
Read MoreFind Gentleness In Our Harsh World
This poem is a continuation of the last post going with themes found in Philippians 4. Here are some thoughts on Philippians 4:5, a passage that gives us good wisdom for the way we live in these last days. We rejoice in the Lord and in Him we trust, As we live in a world opposed to Him and to us, And we listen to His words that we each need to hear: Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. When sinners scream, “Sinner!” and fingers point hard, When inside and out some are hated and scarred, When cowards post online what lips dare not say, Let us be shockingly gentle in every possible way. Remember our mission: Speak His truth in love Not sinfully self-righteously speaking down from above. Yet truth we must speak, calmly calling sin—sin Being firm in our gentleness again and again Knowing only the Spirit can woo and win A heart that is proud and content in its sin As our hearts have all at one time been. So let gentleness speak and that voice be loud. Let us follow the Lamb and not follow the crowd Giving love that gladly lays life and self down So one more lost sinner might inherit the crown. And the Lord is near! Right here! Right here now! Hidden from sight and from touch somehow But here nonetheless so incredibly near With his changeless love and his attentive ear With his nail-scarred hands that rule all things With each promise true that comfort brings With his victorious, triumphant, eternal might With his calm clear truth that soothes our fright With help and healing that gives us peace With sweet forgiveness and eternal release With Him so near, we need not fear We can work and give and live each year For the One who gave each perfect breath And sacrificed himself to death. He paid full-debt for every sin That every sinner could live with Him! The time is short so we work while it’s day And live, love and speak in His gentle true way We pass on his Word of love and power Knowing we live in the final hour And soon enough, when the time is right Like a sudden flash of lightning light Our near Lord will be seen by all We’ll lift our heads and heed his call And all who scoffed and turned away Will tremble on that dreadful day When the Mighty Risen Christ appears And forever ends his people’s...
Read MoreRejoice Always?
Our earthly lives are busy and stressful. Life has a way of pushing us into extremes like despair or self-centered pride, fear or over-confidence, anger or tired indifference. God’s Grace, Salvation and his powerful Word are such a cure for this distracting and sin-warped daily life. The end of Philippians has such great encouragement and important reminders for us as we live life in this sinful world. The next few weeks I’ll be writing poems that explore themes found in Philippians 4:4-9. Today, the first Non-rhyming portion sets the overall background for the poems, the second rhyming portion focuses us on Philippians 4:4. We pursue life Run races, chase dreams, go for goals Overwhelmed We work and worry Care and complain We grind on, muscles flexed So stressed Marshalling our world Conducting our orchestra Commanding our environment Passionate for perfection We beat ourselves onward So unsatisfied, so empty, so alone Or perhaps not Perhaps we watch life change And we stand, side-lined and scared Feel pursued and overwhelmed We whine and worry Care and complain Pained and paralyzed, Depressed and stressed Fighting hard with a thousand excuses Crushed by experience Hide from a world out of control Frozen in fear So unsatisfied, so empty, so alone. Look inside and see sin, see mess, see crazy Look around and see sin, see mess, see crazy Where death and disease and disaster destroy Where dreams die hard and problems annoy Where work never ends and weariness wins We are dust, sin-ruined, often chasing the winds Yet God cries, “Rejoice!” He repeats it again! Rejoice in the Lord, not in this life of sin Rejoice in his promise, firm rock in life’s sands Rejoice for your future’s in God’s loving hands Rejoice in a Savior who lived this life true Died your full death and gave his life to you! Rejoice always. I will say it again. Rejoice! In the midst of disaster? In stress? In pain? We rejoice in his Holy unshakeable name In the midst of confusion? In fear? In doubt? We rejoice in his grace which can never run out. In the midst of loss? In tears? In distress? We rejoice in the truth of each perfect...
Read MoreEvery 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...
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