Category Archives: Encouragement

Our Haunting Past

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My hands stay firm upon the wheel.  For I must go where I am sent. 


Yet, memories catch up with me.  

Ah, the piercing pain of stupidity!


The “hands” of my soul stretch far behind, to undo the past that tortures my mind.  


There! In the mist, I see it now. I foolishly think, “I can reach it somehow”.


Then shadows do measure the distance between. That dark and gray mist is as light-years from me.  


I haul my hands back, and give this some thought. “Remember from what your soul has been bought”.  


The past is removed! Far more than my reach. “Lest, by misguided love, My promise you breach”.


Remember this, friends, when history assails. Whether seconds or centuries, as fear makes you pale.  


You cannot go back. And no blame’s to be had, regardless your deeds (if they’re good or they’re bad).  


As long as your trust is in Jesus, you see. Your sins are forgiven by Righteous Great Glory.  

The Difference

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The one who loves 
God’s Holy Son, 

Receives 

The glaring 

Difference.  


Accused without,

Accused within,

Accused by doubt,

His strength is in

A Heaven borne  Surety:

The Hope from Him.  


AMEN!


No longer is he dressed 

As those 

From whom he came, 

As is supposed.  


But now his heart sees better things;

A Raging land where Truth is King.  

A land where lies are not allowed.  

Where all old ways are disavowed.  


A Jealous hand has dressed him so. 

Sealed strong with promise, 

“I’ll not let you go”.


And so,


The echo sounds within his soul.  

As better things he’s seen.  

Yet through his loving urging,

He’s only seen as mean.  


As one step leads 

To the next one planted,

From love to love 

His heart is challenged.  


To speak?  

He must. 

To do?

He’s thrust.  

By virtue of 

Grand Love Within.  

No opposition’s 

Strong enough,

To lightly challenge Him!  


“Forgive them,

For they do not know

The damage that they do.  

Though all day long

We sing Your song.  

It’s not us they hate. 

It’s You.”



Heavenly Ultimatum, The Eaternal Litmus Test

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What does this mean do you? How do you interpret it.  

I’m just asking the question. I don’t want to know what the answer is.  


32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.


34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn


“ ‘a man against his father,

    a daughter against her mother,

    a daughter-in-law against her

         mother-in-law—


36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’


37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.


40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

The Road

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The materials we use to build a road are worthless, and we consider them worthless. Except for the expense of labor and machinery, there is no value in asphalt. It’s just a mixture of tar and rock.  

But come with me in your mind. Look at the streets of heaven. God is the living God. And in his kingdom there is no worthlessness. Everything is of him. Even his streets.  I surmise that everything in heaven is living.  And that there is no such thing as worthlessness.  


What do we know about such a place as this? We travel all the roads without a single thought to the surface we are riding on. We throw trash out the window not the slightest concerned that we are making the road filthy. And every inch we travel is forgotten before we get to it.  


Let me make a leap in thought. If this is the condition of difference between our world and the kingdom of heaven, what do we know about God’s righteousness? If we can’t even conceive the nature of God’s streets, how can we hope to understand the nature of his glorious sacrifice?


Like our roads, we know about Jesus. But isn’t it true that before we experience one moment of his glory, it is forgotten in the chaos of the day?


If we try to think on these things to deeply our brain just gives up. The best we can do is give him the best place of honor in everything that we are.  


I’m not going to go into the contrast between how the world treats Jesus and how we should treat Jesus. But I sense how radically astounding the difference is.  

No Big Surprise

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Who are you?  

Who do you want to be?

I mean, besides all the hype,

Can your mind even see?


Heroes abound 

Man, they’re all around!

But how did they get where they are?


Imagination.  

Is that the key?

It hasn’t worked for me.  


You played the princess.  

You played the prince.  

It’s been downhill

Ever since.  


You need some help,

Beyond these things.  

It’s Jesus you need,

The King of Kings!


You nod your head.  

Or you roll your eyes.  

As if my words

Are no surprise.  


But if you know,

And don’t respond,

How can you go

A bit beyond?

Good Works

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There are nice things people do. The kind of things you see praised on the news every day. If this is what a man wants to be, there’s plenty of it to be had (both work and accolades). There is certainly a lot of suffering to mend.  
But if you want to rise above even these good things, if you want to become superhuman, you will need God to set you free and teach you his ways. The good works of man are only the good works of man. But there is something vastly more to be gained.  

See how the camera is used to incite people to good works. But the inspiration of a man of God will not be photographs. And if he is inspired by his fellow man, it is because his fellow man is speaking the words of the living God.  

The good works he does are not inspired by his fellow man. No, he is led and driven by the perfect good will of God. As God invisibly sustains all creation, even the wicked who hate him so desperately, so the man of God will work as if in the shadows. Such a man will be demeaned and misunderstood. Because the God who drives him is demeaned and misunderstood.  

If Christianity is a warm fuzzy, it is then misunderstood. Christianity is the family tradition of the one who voluntarily walked to his death on the cross. It is the family tradition of the one who was despised by all men, simply because he did the will of God.  

If Christianity is an easy and pleasant path, there’s every good chance it is the wrong path. The good works of man may be nice, but they are far short of what God can do in us.  

I have not accomplished hardly anything in Christ. Yet I find the path he has taking me to be thousands of miles above my ability. And as I do his will I am reminded of his glory in Christ Jesus. When I fail to listen to him, I revert to the man I used to be. I simply become a man who has done a few “good” things.  

Look at what Jesus said.  

16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

God will give understanding to the one who asks earnestly. The way of God is light years beyond man’s ability to perceive. “you can do nothing without me”, The Lord said.