Even though I’ve betrayed You
walked away towards sin
You are ever faithful
when I return You take me in
Even though I’ve been prideful
walking my own way
You are ever humble
gave all for me that day
Even though I doubt sometimes
and find it hard to trust
You know what’s deep in my heart
You are always merciful and just
I am body
with many parts
head, hands, and beating heart
I am mind
with many thoughts
peace and love I’ve been taught
I am soul
with many feelings
hope, joy, and spiritual healing
Body, mind, and soul
with all three
I am whole
We must persevere
trials in this world
finding within each one
great blessings for the day
We must endure
losses in this world
recalling for each one
the blessing of knowing
that which was lost
We must persist
never give up
when the road is easy
or the road is tough
seeing the good blessings
of our God in Heaven
We must persevere
to the finish
Christ will see us through
Where you go I will go,
and where you stay I will stay.
Your people will be my people
and your God my God.
The Lord is my refuge.
May the Lord repay you
for what you have done.
The Lord is my refuge.
May you be richly rewarded
by the Lord, the God of Israel,
under whose wings you have come
to take refuge.
The Lord is my refuge.
He has not stopped showing
his kindness to the living and the dead.
The Lord is my refuge.
Praise be to the Lord,
who this day has not left you
without a guardian-redeemer.
The Lord is my refuge.
May he become famous throughout Israel!
He will renew your life
and sustain you in your old age.
The Lord is my refuge and my redeemer.
This found poem is from various verses throughout the book of Ruth, which we just started studying this week in my Bible study class.
Rejoice in the Lord always
Everlasting joy from His heart
Joy even in the darkest times
Overflowing joy in my heart
In times of want and times of plenty
Carrying me through trials of this life to
Eternal life of rejoicing in the Lord
Blue
great sadness
but not despair
my hope in Jesus.
Death.
It’s been a long week full of sadness. One of my sisters passed away last night after a long battle with breast cancer. I am thankful that I was able to be with her, and hopeful that she is in God’s hands now, but still sad because I will miss her. I’m also thankful once again for the little elfje because it helped me keep up my daily poem for Lent.
In law school property class
we learned about
our bundle of rights
It’s not much of a bundle
compared to Jesus’ divine
bundle of rights
—His omniscience
—His omnipresence
—His matchless glory
My bundle, your bundle,
is more like a hobo’s bindle
tied up, hanging from a pole
We cling to our rights
as if they were our precious,
our most precious possession
Though he was God,
Jesus did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges¹
He calls us to give up
our bindle for others
to become as a servant
following His example
And in the process we will discover
faith, hope, and love—and
the greatest of these is love²
Not a bad trade, really,
a hobo’s bindle
for the greatest love
the world has ever known
¹Philippians 2:6-7a (NLT)
²1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)
I am thankful for the day off today for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I am also thankful for his dream that love would triumph over hatred and evil. That is my dream, too. And like King, I believe God when He promises that one day this dream will be reality.
In honor of this day and this dream, I decided to post a great song by MercyMe called Crazy Enough. Call me crazy, but I believe in the dream of love triumphant.
This morning as I was listening to music on my iPod the song Trust in Jesus came on and I started to think about standing before God’s judgment throne. Paul confirmed what is written all throughout the Old Testament, that everyone, even Christians, will face God’s judgment.
For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.’”
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans 14:11-12 (NIV).
It occurred to me that as much as I appreciate what Jesus has done for me now, it will only be as I face the judgment throne of God that I will be able to fully appreciate the magnitude of His grace. Just as Solomon did, “I thought in my heart, ‘God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.’” Ecclesiastes 3:17 (NIV). Perhaps it is to fulfill His promise to bring us great joy and blessing that God will reveal, at the end of our days, how much He truly loves us. Only by revealing our great need for His redemption can He make us understand.
Before the Throne
I stand before the throne of God
He opens His book to my list of sins
His messenger begins to read
my transgressions, one by one
In my mind I begin to prepare
my defense, my justification for each sin
I think I am ready to answer
to show that I deserve mercy
The list goes on and on and on
Will it ever end?
My justifications begin to fade
My heart grows weak with shame
How can I stand before His throne
the judgment throne of the Almighty
I tremble in fear of His wrath, His righteous judgment
I know it will destroy me, I cannot stand
I fall to my knees before His throne
I bow my head knowing His judgment is true
Realizing I have no defense
I have broken every commandment, every law
without a single justification
Suddenly before the throne
between me and God’s final judgment
Stands the One who came to save me
His mercy and grace pour over me
I remember with great joy
that while I was yet a sinner
He loved me, He redeemed my soul
I trusted in Him and He is faithful to forgive
Before the throne of judgment and grace
I lift my voice in praise and adoration
Finally understanding completely
What His great love has accomplished
1/8/13: Shared this for Open Link Night at dVerse Poets Pub today.
A new year begins today. It’s another year to live and work and play, and to make resolutions to be better than last year. It’s another year in which many will again strive to earn God’s grace and their own salvation by singing in the choir, volunteering for the altar guild, giving to the poor, attending church or mass each week, or any number of other good deeds.
But why do we work so hard to add to what Jesus has already done? Why do we try to earn what has been given as a gift from God? On Calvary Hill Jesus said, “It is finished.” John 19:30. Paul wrote that Jesus said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you.” 2 Corinthians 12:9. There is nothing more that we can or need to do for our salvation.
Even the act of believing in Jesus, the ability to have faith in His saving grace, is a gift from God: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV).
So as you begin 2013, rest in the grace of Jesus assured of His mercy and your salvation.
Go forth and sing in the choir out of gratitude for what He has done, but do not fret if you miss a practice or are unable to sing for a Sunday service.
Help out with the altar guild to share the blessing of God’s grace with others, but do not allow yourself to grow weary with the work.
Give to the poor out of thankfulness for the bounty God has bestowed on you, but do not give out of mere obligation and with resentment.
Attend church or mass because you desire to fellowship with God and other believers, and to worship the Lord in community, but not because you think you will lose points with God if you do not.
Perform good deeds as the Spirit leads, in the power of Jesus, so that God might be glorified, but don’t be deceived into thinking such deeds are necessary for your salvation.
For centuries Satan has tried to strip the children of God of the peace of knowing His love and grace. The Accuser engenders fear and doubt in the minds of believers, trying to deceive us into believing that God hates us and requires us to pay for our own sins and earn our own salvation.
But God’s Word is clear on this point: It is finished. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God’s love and mercy; His grace is sufficient to cover every sin and grant us eternal life with Him. Nothing Satan says or does can change this truth.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8.
