Tag Archives: freedom

Cut to the Heart

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Ah, the drunken bravado;

Drunk, and pride darkened mind.

Filled with strength,

And overflowing!

Either bolstered by

Drink, or his pride.

He spits in the face of fear.

And all his friends greatly cheer.

“I am not afraid of death or hell.

For all my friends are there!”
—————
Will you come apart,

And reason with me?

Will you put down

Your weapons of pride?

What you have spoken

Need not be recalled.

But let us speak of

The nature of dying.

What is sin?

Have you thought of the din,

That reaches the ears of God?

You perceive yourself slighted,

Freedom taken away.

I propose that,

That’s really quite odd.

Were you there in the place,

Where his loving embrace

Was so full of Life,

Tender and sweet?

Do you know what it’s like

When your best of intent

Is so callously

Thrown at your feet?

Have you purposed great good,

Then perceived that what should

Be received with great joy,

Is rejected?

Your love sent them best,

With great hopes of sweet rest.

Still, they spit in your face,

Unmolested!

“Bravado, bravado,

Bravado!”  They yell.

As if there is something to gain.

But dear friend, when you die,

When death closes your eyes,

In death you forever remain.

The one who is chiefly injured,

Is not the freedom of man.

My friend.

The one who is cut to the heart,

Is the glorious Son of Man.

By His Grace

From Pauper to Royalty

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I did not know how to serve a king,

Especially One with such Great Pedigree.

I did what I pleased, because I was free,

Regardless the cost to me.

I told the One so.
But He offered me Life,

Saying, “If only you listen to Me.

I’ll teach you the way
To become my dear wife.

Forever in peace you will be”.

And now I know how
To render Him King.

No mystery to me anymore.

No longer desiring
That I should be free,

But to serve Him
With knees on the floor.

image

By His Grace

Siamese Twins

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Anxiety and death,

Hunkydory buddies,

Had left my house in a mess.

With all shades drawn

They carried on,

Chaotic,

And that without rest.

But I sold my house

To the Law of the Lord.

He came in like thunder!

Unceasingly under-mining,

All of the strength they had.

Bit by bit and little by little,

Their chaos the Lord did whittle.

The Siamese twins have been evicted!

Oh man, am I glad they’re gone!

Please show me dear Lord,

How to open the drapes

And put things where they belong.

By His Grace

That Peculiar Brand of Fear

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Sin has its own distinct pleasures.  There’s no reason to lie about it, sin is fun.  Preferring to live in sin is to live a life full of joy and laughter.  It’s kind of like being drunk with abandon instead of alcohol.

But there’s also no reason to lie about the following.  Sin has its own particular brand of fear. 

The one who lives a life of sin fears everything.  He can’t trust God to watch out for him, so whatever is unknown becomes a potentially destructive enemy.  And the volume of unknowns is endless.

The sinner may say he fears nothing.  He may make great bold statements of his ability to cope.  But as Shakespeare wrote, “Me thinks thou dost protest too much”.  The bold proclamations of a sinner, in regard to his fearlessness, are nothing more than a golden blanket covering the thumb sucking child within.

The sinner knows he stands in a very precarious place.  God has promised to rip him apart at the judgment, and the sinner knows it.  By sheer will and deft ignorance the sinner simply puts it out of his mind.

On top of the coming promise of destruction, is a very curious fear.  They call it bad luck.  It’s also called Murphy’s Law. 

The sinner is always looking over his shoulder to see what’s coming to bite him in the butt.  He’s absolutely sure God has it in for him.  In the sinners mind, God is always trying to cause him trouble.  But such thoughts are only a mirror of his own evil heart.

The sinners fear is equal to his pleasure.  All the while he goes about trying to secure his next joy, he worries and frets that he will be assaulted in some peculiar manner.  Perhaps a broken bone, perhaps severe sickness, perhaps he will be caught doing what he should not be doing and end up in jail.

It’s ridiculous the measures people take to avoid thinking about God and the judgment to come.  But even more ridiculous is the ease with which his fearful burden can be lifted.  All it takes is a tiny measure of humility.  But humility isn’t fun, so it’s given no place on the sinners agenda.

God will not despise the humble heart.  And God will teach the humble man how to be fearless. 

Forgiveness from Christ Jesus provides a distinctly different joy.  While apparently the body is cast into sorrow, the forgiven sinners soul is laughing in the language of heaven.  While the sinner’s joy ends when his current preoccupation is taken away, the joy of the forgiven sinner never leaves him.  Little by little that peculiar fearfulness is replaced by a gentle confidence.

Serving God in Christ Jesus is pure and true freedom.  Pursuing sin and joy of the body will always result in slavery to fear.

The forgiveness of Christ Jesus is not just an arbitrary phrase.  When it is received, the soul knows it has been set free.  With forgiveness from God comes peace and hope.  Two things the sinner cannot possibly attain and retain.

By His Grace

The First and Basic Truth

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I am sorry for you, men of the world, for you willingly reject the authority of man in the things of God.  God Himself has chosen to speak through men.  But you cannot stand such a glorious authority.

You gladly give authority to other men for lesser things.  Frankly because you know you can tear these men down at will.

You can restrain the men you elevate, by the strength of popularity, financial subsistence, or even by death.  But any man sent by God Himself rises above your filthy hands.  And for this you despise such men.

I am sorry for you because you dismiss the possibility of eternal life.  All the while you elevate the liars and the hypocrites to the places of honor.  I am sorry for you, because you will continue to do this until these things are taken away from you.

I am sorry for you, because you do not know the beauty of the things you dispatch so willingly.  By this proud strength, you think you have freedom.  But this proud strength restrains you as slaves to unrighteousness.

I write this to the men who are of today.  But you are no different from the generations who have passed before you.

I do not say this to accuse you, but to expose what keeps you blind.

Every man gives account of his own life.  Do you desire freedom?  Do you desire eternal life?  Or do you find yourself content to live a life of slavery to everything that is false?

It is an easy thing to live in lies, for we are, by our nature, liars.  Even forced by the nature of things around us to live a great lie.

And we are lazy slugs.  Desiring peace and tranquility, we strain to retain our own wickedness.  Our soul knows, that if we are wicked, the Lord will be kept far away.  To our shame, we call this peace.

But our soul also knows that we will be caught up to Him, regardless our state of affairs.  Yet men prefer to live in ignorance.

The Lord has established His Holy way from forever.  But every man is born in this place of time and wickedness.  Before he learns to speak, man is taught the authority of pride.

Are you willing to learn the authority of humility?  Are you willing to entertain the Holy Fire of the truth of God?  Every man will certainly entertain it on that great day of judgement.  But the gospel has been sent to us that we might escape The Horrible Flame.

This Gospel has been handed from God to man once and for all, and this by the Holy wisdom of God; that he may test the heart of every man.

There is a question written in the fabric of creation, and every man can read it clearly.  “Will you humble yourself and seek the face of He who is Holy, Holy and Holy?  Or you will you retain the freedom to be proud?

You will gladly accept the authority given to a man by the schools of men; that machine of men which produces liars.  Plumbers, electricians, doctors, psychologists, lawyers, and every occupation of man, receives your respect.  Are you willing to listen to those who are the product of the eternal Holy Spirit of God?

You reject them because they are taught in a school which you are not allowed to control.  Wouldn’t it make sense that such men are more reliable than those who are taught for the sake of financial gain or pride?

Are you willing to receive the painful transition from wickedness to righteousness, before the painful and horrible Day of God arrives?  Are you willing to entertain eternal truth?

The lies you currently embrace are death.  Are you even willing to embrace that first and basic truth?

By His Grace

From Fear to Boldness

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I just read the post of a person who is nearly beside themselves because they can’t testify regarding Christ.  Limited circumstances are driving them to desperation.

What an amazing disparity between the timid who will not speak, and those who are consumed with the fire to speak.

In myself I found the following to be true.  As I sat in fear, no strength was given to testify.  But the moment my trembling legs took my mouth to a certain place, strength came.  Boldness is given to those who let their faith loose.  Those who bottle it up will be given nothing but sustenance.

What’s this mean to you?  How can I know?  I know what it means to me, and to those tiny ones of Christ who rise to gargantuan proportion.

By His Grace