Grace and Truth

…all the words of this life…


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How far are you willing to go?

The Holy Spirit showed me this one night in prayer and then I put it in a poem as best I could:

 

He waits for me

So joyful that I will follow

Follow the path of death

That leads to light

I need that light

To be full of that light

For then He says:

“These nail-pierced hands and feet

Are going into the darkness

I want you with Me

Will you come?”

Oh Lord, I just want to be with You

Where You are.

He says “There is much work to be done,

Come.”

We must redeem the time

For there’s not much left

 

We walk slowly

He could go ahead

But He waits for me

He steadies me when I stumble

He talks to me while we walk

I see that He really wants me there

With Him

Where He is

He says “The deeper we go into the darkness

The brighter your light will shine,

How far are you willing to go?”

(They plucked the beard

From His face)

How far are you willing to go?


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Fortress by Robin Mark

That this love pursued us is a mystery
For the heart is base
And You are holy
Yet the streams of mercy
That flow over me
Will afford me grace to stand in glory

Where with men and angels
Where with slaves and kings
I will sing my praise to You alone

For there’s no heart greater than the Father’s heart
And there’s no love sweeter than the Son’s

Hallelujah, to my King
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Jesus Christ my Everything

Praise God for Jesus!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SdzgwIErio

 


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A Sower Went Out to Sow

Said Jesus:
“Behold, a sower went out to sow…”

out to sow
out to sow

a sower went out to sow
and walked on down the road.

His eyes beheld the pastures
the sun beat on his head
he saw some dirt rocky,
he saw some dirt red.

But to him
it mattered not
what the ground
consisted of –
whether dry and dusty
or even full of weeds,
for where-ever he walked
he simply
scattered
seed.

From his breast/ into his hand
the precious seed was passed

but not for long
did he hold on
for that seed was soon cast

cast far
cast nigh
cast low
cast high

that seed was not spared.
For the sower knew
that fruit only grew
when that precious seed was shared

(The “seed” is the “word of the kingdom”, Parable of the Sower Matthew 13:1-23)


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The Mystery of the Cross

I woke up one morning with this in my head, and wrote it in my journal:

The cross is ugly,

The cross is beautiful.

The cross kills,

The cross gives life.

The cross is God’s hatred towards sin,

The cross is God’s love towards us.

On the one hand, the cross deals a death blow to pride, vanity and selfishness

On the other hand it’s beauty is evident by the suffering of a sinless Saviour

Who can say whether it is one or the other?

It is both.

For Jesus is meant death, pain and suffering,

If we follow Him, it will for us too.

But this is the only way to life and hope

You can’t have the life of the Saviour

Without first, having the death of the Saviour

You can’t take a short-cut

First the pain, then the relief,

First the sorrow, then the joy,

First the death, then the life

“Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it stays alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.” (John 12:24)


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When I Stand at the Judgment Seat – Alexander Maclaren

When I stand at the judgment seat of Christ

And He shows me His plan for me;

The plan of my life as it might have been Had He had His way,

and I see How I blocked Him here and I checked Him there

And I would not yield my will,

Shall I see grief in my Savior’s eyes;

Grief though He loves me still’

 

Oh, He’d have me rich, and I stand there poor,

Stripped of all but His grace,

While my memory runs like a hunted thing

Down the paths I can’t retrace.

Then my desolate heart will well-nigh break

With tears that I cannot shed. 

I’ll cover my face with my empty hands

And bow my uncrowned head.

 

No.  Lord of the years that are left to me I yield them to Thy hand.

Take me, make me, mold me

To the pattern Thou hast planned.

 

The Judgment seat “is meant for us professing Christians, real and imperfect Christians; and it tells us that there are degrees in that future blessedness proportioned to present faithfulness.” 

 

What Wondrous Love is this?

He didn’t wait until I was perfect

He didn’t do it because I was good

Or a Christian

No. He died for me while I was still a sinner

An enemy

A rebel

That’s what gets me the most

Some may die for family, country or friend

But not Him.

He died for His enemies

For the ones who hated Him, shook their fist at Him, spat on Him, crucified Him

For me.

“This is how God demonstrates His love toward us:

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Please be blessed by one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, sung to the Lamb.


3 Comments

Only One Life, ‘Twill Soon Be Past

Poem by CT Studd

“Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say,”Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last. ”

— extra stanza —

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.”


6 Comments >

cross-on-hill

There is something that’s arisen-

Emerging from the ground.

It breaks out

Through the

Post-modernist earth

But its roots go further down.
 

 

.

At first it’s only little,

As it starts its progress

Just a small inner circle-

Rolling towards the cliff edge         
 

 
                                                     .

It stops

For a moment

Before

It falls

Then:

Down

the

slope

of

Relevance

It tumbles                                                                                           .

 

 

Down, Down

And further down

It rolls, it goes, its spins,

Away from the cliff

Where the Truth

Has always been                                                                                          .

 

 

And so it rolls

And as it goes

It kicks up all the dust

And as the dust and dirt

Stick

To it

The circle grows ever vast                                                                 .

 

 

Voices herald the circle

As it picks up on its pace

And while it continues to hurtle

They cry:

“Look!

A new Christian way!”                                                                         .

 

 

For the old grew rather narrow”

They say,

“The consequences

Unpleasant

And our churches

Too small-minded

For the world at present.                                                                     .

 

 

And for us,

The Christians,

To claim

That Jesus

Is the only way

Is quite arrogant

Wouldn’t you say?                                                                                        .

 

 

And then

What if we are rejected,

Despised and maligned?

A common truth

To all

Surely we can find”                                                                                      .

 

 

And so the dust of Relativism

Is added to the ball

It grows ever stickier

As it continues on its fall                                                                              .

The voices grow louder

As the ball gains more ground

And as the dust shifts-

Disturbed-

By the wind

Something else

Is found:                                                                                             .
 

 

“The Mysticism

Of our forefathers!

The voices shrill again

Add that

To the sphere”

And so

Pagan spirituality

Is regained-                                                                              .
 

 

(Increasingly it is clear

That the expense

Is at the cross’s

Offense-

So

It is

Abandoned)                                                                                                 .

 

 

Bigger and bigger

The ball grows

As it moves along

Its way

And more and more

The dust does variously

Accumulate                                                                                                  .
 

 

…The dust of Tolerance

Is gathered

Political correctness too…

And all the while

The voices cry:

(As the winds blow through)                                                                         .

“Pragmatism works!

Our structures

Will grow big

Who cares now

About Truth

When better stuff

Will stick?”                                                                                                  .

 

 

And so it goes

And on it rolls

Down the way

That, to man, seems Best

And as a new way

Is Mapped out

The Old Book is left                                                                                     .

 

 

But For a moment

If we stop and turn away

From the ever-rolling ball,

If we look toward that cliff top

Where the Truth still stands tall:                                                                   .

 

 

An old rugged cross

Remains

Defiantly erect.

For the sacrifice

Once offered there

For man

Is perfect                                                                                           .

 

 

And The Blood

That was shed,

At the foot

Of that cross,

Still cries out aloud.

But with it-

Look!-

There is gathered

A small, faithful crowd.                                                                       .

 

 

They join in the cry

As they gather

Round the cross

“How long O Lord?

How long

Must we too

Suffer loss?”                                                                                                          .

 

 

They look not down

But instead

Look up

And To heaven

Make their plea:

“Oh God, revive us!”

For they know

The answer lies

Only

With

He                                                                                                               .

 

 

For our hope

Lies not

In some new way

Of mans invention,

but rather in

The Revival

Of the ancient paths-

As we seek

God’s intervention.                                                                                       .                                                                            .

.                                                                            .


3 Comments

What’s it all about?

It’s not about me.

Its not even about my ministry.

It’s not actually about being right.

It’s not about my perfection,

Nor my “self-improvement”

It’s about one, only One…

It’s about Him,

Jesus

The Word made flesh

When all else is gone,

when nothing remains,

when our work is over

and our time complete,

He is eternal,

He remains

and will always be

Oh how I love Jesus,

Because He first loved me

AW Tozer said it best:

“Wherever we turn in the church of God, there is Jesus. He is the beginning, middle and end of everything to us…. There is nothing good, nothing holy, nothing beautiful, nothing joyous which He is not to His servants. No one need be poor, because, if he chooses, he can have Jesus for his own property and possession. No one need be downcast, for Jesus is the joy of heaven, and it is His joy to enter into sorrowful hearts. We can exaggerate about many things; but we can never exaggerate our obligation to Jesus, or the compassionate abundance of the love of Jesus to us. All our lives long we might talk of Jesus, and yet we should never come to an end of the sweet things that might be said of Him.  Eternity will not be long enough to learn all He is, or to praise Him for all He has done, but then, that matters not; for we shall be always with Him, and we desire nothing more.”