A Better Country

I seek a better country
that is, an heavenly
where sweet peace and righteousness
shall reign eternally.

I seek a better country
a hallowed, celestial sod
where Jesus only does rule
revered by all as God.

I seek a better country
where never is shed one tear
pain and suffering unknown
for sin can’t enter there.

I seek a better country
of its splendors I have heard
prepared by the Savior returning
for those who obey His Word.

I seek a better country
where the forever fashion will be
putting off this veil of flesh
to dress in immortality.

I must enter into that country
whatever sacrifice I must make
for only then will my soul be satisfied
when in His likeness I awake.

9/4/2020

“But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:16

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” I Corinthians 15:52,53

“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Psalm 17:15

BUT CONTINUE…..

Evil men and seducers do wax worse and worse
Many with actions to say the least, terse
With rioting, looting, as they scream and curse
BUT CONTINUE

Through lies, propaganda, the simple ,deceiving
And through self deception their own myths believing
Diabolical iniquity their minds are conceiving
BUT CONTINUE

It’s a spiritual battle, be this understood
Of those calling good, evil and evil, good
Wanting to bring crime to your neighborhood.
BUT CONTINUE

Continue in the Word of God you have learned.
Continue in righteousness. Let sin be spurned.

Continue in Scripture to sink your roots deep.
Continue in wakefulness. Don’t fall asleep.

Continue in doctrine and to it take heed.
Continue in witnessing, sowing good seed.

Continue when you feel at the end of your rope.
Continue, for you have a lively hope.

Continue though the course of this world takes its toll
till you reach the end of faith; the salvation of your soul.

7/18/2020

“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:13-16

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20

“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” 1 Timothy 4:16

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3

“Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:9

The Call

 

Call in the lefties,

those rambunctious boys,

to hammer and clamor

and make lots of noise.

 

Fill folks with fear.

Tell them some lies.

Make them stay home

under health safety guise.

 

Bark out strict orders.

You have the potential

to keep open businesses

you deem essential.

 

Use some scare tactics

of falsely called science,

lest the masses get wise

and rise up in defiance.

 

Daily and nightly

spew out fake news.

Blind obedience of people

you don’t want to lose.

************************

Call the true Christians

to get on their knees

and cry out to God

in desperate pleas

 

for wisdom to know

how to fight the corruption

that oozes and flows

like volcanic eruption,

 

for restoration of freedom

that teeters and lurches

threatening long closure

of our much needed churches,

 

for courage to speak,

the gospel, still spread

and boldly declare

our God is not dead!

 

Our grit is not sufficient

God of battle, our Lord.

Give us the strength

to wield your sword.

 

Use common folks

like you and like me

to help us preserve

sweet liberty.

 

5/5/2020

 

Ephesians 6:12-18  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 

 

 

 

The Death Of A Foe

Hidden deep within
the recesses of my heart was
a seed of sedition
that I could not perceive –
until the day
the preacher I did not know
stepped up to the pulpit
and began to speak about
bitterness.

Me, bitter?
I was just nursing a little grudge, because
after all, she did say
some very hurtful things.
Was this really a big deal?
I still loved God.
As war raged inside me,
my epiphany led me to realize
I was the deer in
the headlights,
the unclothed emperor
not knowing he was
naked until
someone with audacity
told him.

Some very strong words
came to my mind.
“Kill or be killed!”
Suddenly, I found myself
at an altar,
repeatedly stabbing
that seed with
tears of repentance.

I arose feeling confident that
something died inside of me,
and I pray it
never resurrects!
2/8/19

I Stand Here Transformed

 

I stand here
in front of the mirror
realizing I’m not the same person
that I used to be. Old habits, attitudes
once so binding, constricting,
like heavy shackles, have been loosed.
There is a lightness of spirit, a bounce in my
step that was not there before.
The woman
that stares back at me with tears flowing
down her cheeks once again receives
fresh revelation that
she is
a living trophy
of
Your
amazing
grace!

10/8/18

Molido

I am blessed to be able to listen in on high school Bible class along with our distance learners every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Brother Johnson has done a wonderful job teaching on the life of Christ, and recently he has been teaching on the events leading up to Jesus’ death. We were studying the trial of Jesus and the beating that He endured before the crucifixion. One of the Scriptures we read was Isaiah 53:5.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” 

One of the things Brother Johnson mentioned was the Hebrew word used for bruised in that passage has the connotation of being ground up or crushed. I have a Spanish-English Bible that I use, and I looked over and saw that the word used for bruised in Spanish is “molido”. I knew that this word meant ground, but I looked it up to see if there were any other meanings and found that it can also mean “crushed, milled or aching all over.” What an incredible glimpse and insight this gave me of Calvary! The presence of God came down in this class, and you could hear many of the students weeping and giving praise and thanks to God.

Another thought that entered my mind was where I have seen that word “molido” used. I thought of Hispanic markets where you can buy “carne molida”(femine form of the word), which is ground beef. Can you imagine God loving mankind so much that He was willing to come to earth to take on the form of flesh and endure a torturous death that would reduce Him to appear as a piece of bloody ground up meat? His love is amazing beyond words, and I am so thankful that He let me experience the awesome wonder of it afresh and anew once again!

Molido

Que amor! Mi Díos en carne fue reducido
a un cuerpo roto, completamente molido.
Más que cualquier hombre fue estropeado y maltratado.
Pagó el precio por mi pecado.
Su amor es asombroso y muy profundo.
Se extiende a todo el mundo.
Que nunca me olvide el sacrificio del Calvario
por la pena del pecado se convirtió en mi vicario.

12/13/18

 

The Propelling Power Of Hunger

 

In a third world country

an extremely thin man stands alongside

a cow at a garbage dump, both driven

by the need for something

to eat . A foreigner, professional

photographer, sees this as a photo op

and begins snapping pictures.  The scavenging man

is not influenced in the slightest by the flashing

camera, quest to fill his screaming stomach

completely dominates.

 

Four teenage boys were drunk again

on a  Sunday evening, seeking a temporary

oasis from their miserable lives. As rain began to

come down harder, they stumbled to the corner

where they heard music and robust singing.  They

were in front of the “weird church” as the crowd

they ran with had called it.  Seeking asylum from

the pelleting  droplets, they decided to go in.  Slipping

in the back row, they sat for a few minutes, simply

observing, until one of them began to snicker. These

people with their eyes closed, hands raised and some of

them speaking strange foreign languages just seemed so

funny. Soon they were all snickering and rib poking

though most members  seemed unaware of their antics.

A disgruntled looking usher made his way toward the platform

motioning to a man sitting behind the pulpit.  A brief discourse

took place between them. The man eyed the youth at the

back of the church and shook his head. As the usher returned

to his post, the man seated behind the pulpit came

forward and begin to read a text. One of the boys,

 the one with the plaid scarf

found that he was suddenly sober

while the disrespectful titters continued to

come from the others. As the man in the front spoke

the sober lad began to feel a multitude of emotions

regret

   guilt

       shame

          remorse

                    and a strange longing.

After only fifteen minutes an altar call was given.

The leader of the blitzed boys whispered

that it was time to go. As they exited the pew,

the lad with plaid turned the opposite direction,

Walking to the front of the church

peer pressure lost its grip as

a ravaging inner famine drove

him to fall on his knees

where he wept himself

into the presence of

the Almighty and loving God.

 

10/11/18

 

 

 

When Revelation Exploded

Sitting at the kitchen table
she heard the loud, persistent pounding of a hammer and
ferocious clamor of an impassioned mob. An acrid, almost
sulfurous stench began to penetrate the air accompanied by
a sick foreboding.  A strange tang like blood mixed with
some type of bitter herb began to invade her taste buds. In the
distance, a bloody, beaten and battered figure hung from a crude wooden
beam, and although clearly in the throes of agony, love
radiated from his tortured eyes. Compelled by a longing deep
inside of her, she reached out her trembling hand to touch
his blood caked brow.
Calvary
exploded

upon  her senses as fresh tears spilled from
her eyes, landing on her opened Bible.

6/8/18

Importunate Intercession

Sheer persistence, shameless audacity

bold importunity, unrelenting tenacity

on part of the suppliant in prayer

gets God’s attention and draws Him near.

 

We must have a firm faith

that for answer won’t take no;

a determined stick to itness

that won’t let God go.

 

Such a one that prays

meeting this condition

obtains their miracle

sees souls saved from perdition.

 

Great God eternal,

this is my plea,

that you would put such steadfast

doggedness in me.

 

Don’t let me faint in prayer.

Help me to prevail.

The furtherance of your kingdom

may my petitions surely avail.

 

2/20/18

 

Changes Of Heart

Upon each tiny toe
upon each little finger
the tender, loving gaze
from her eyes did linger.

She wondered at this miracle
the Lord God did impart.
A holy reverence shrouded her
A great joy warmed her heart.

The years, they passed so swiftly
of watching baby grow.
Time moves with swift transition,
much faster than we know.

This Babe once held so lovingly
grew up to be a man,
In an instant of darkest history
He filled God’s eternal plan.

She viewed His punctured feet
and surveyed the nail scarred hands.
A wrenching sorrow pierced her heart,
almost more than she could stand.

Sometimes the grief we bear is great
and we may wonder then.
Will the clouds abide forever?
Will the sun ever shine again?

Mary and others assembled in Jerusalem
fifty days after Jesus’s passion.
God was about to pour out His Spirit
in an awesome, most glorious fashion.

As they prayed there fervently
together ,in one accord,
a sound of mighty wind entered the room.
They were filled with the Spirit of the Lord.

A rapturous joy saturated their hearts.
Praises to God were sung.
Hands were uplifted in worship
as they spoke with other tongues.

The jubilee Mary once felt in her heart
at the birth of her baby boy,
was magnified many times over
in the form of Holy Ghost joy.

12/12/17

Joh 19:25-27  Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

Acts 1:12-14, 2:1-4  Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.
And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Romans 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.