Category Archives: the gospel

The Accused

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There are a lot of misunderstandings and superstitions about the gospel. Most people would make a very poor defense attorney. They balance the truth of Jesus on hearsay and supposition. They condemn him as less than useful without giving due diligence to his laws and words.  

If you were innocent of a crime would you want these kind of people to represent you? If we wouldn’t like that kind of treatment on earth, why do we treat heaven with such contempt?


Curiously enough, it’s these lackluster defense attorneys who will be the ones who land in jail. The one who stands accused by them has been released by the judge of all. In fact, the accused has been pronounced the judge!

Do you hear what I hear?

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“When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart.”

Do you hear what I hear?


“A child, a child, 

shivers in the cold 

let us bring him 

Silver and gold.”


What good is our profit 

When the cross is in sight;


When he strained so hard 

That glorious night?


Let his body be covered 

With bleeding sweat.  


Father’s will to be done!

And yet.


The pageantry of Christmas.  

Some shiny toy, a new dress.  


Does this keep warm 

The Word of God?


Does this help the message

Be cast abroad?


Or is it something deep within;

Someplace that’s hidden

From our sin.  


_______


Do you hear what I hear,

Whispered in the streets?


The silver and gold 

He desires so

Cannot be carried 

By feet.  

________


Believe! Believe!

Deep down in your soul.  


Let the seed of Word

Have a place.  


“Come in, come in.  

Come out of the cold.  


Let me taste 

The meaning of gold.”

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.