Tag Archives: Jesus

Endlessly Less

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Less is More?

Less is More? (Photo credit: leosaumurejr)

A man speaks, “There is no God.”

Yet the man “spoke words.”

A ball says, “I am not flying.”

While it unwittingly obeys the desire of he who threw it.

Another man says, “I will obey truth according to my own will.”

While “according” holds its own definition.

Better to accept that we are “less”.

That is to believe that there is “endlessly More.”

Worse to hope that our less is sufficient.

Death comes to all; decay appears regardless our words.

Why not embrace what does not fade?

Why not seek the help to hope for what we do not perceive?

Run World Run!

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Maritime Museum

Maritime Museum (Photo credit: Andwar)

Run, oh world, run!  Chase after all that perishes.  Strive to repair what is falling apart with the strength of your own hand.  The dust still parts from solid columns once standing strong.   Look at your palm as you lovingly caress them as you pass.   Grey dust glitters in the evening light.

To the mind of flesh it is a simple matter of attention.  “It was taken for granted, this beautiful place we have built.  All we need do is change who leads us in this place where we have intended to live.”

Your children will speak the same thing in two generations.  What is gained if failure creeps along like a shadow from the works of man?  What has the flesh of man accomplished?  Is this eternal behavior?  Aren’t we thankful that God does not approach purity as do we?  What is needed is not a repair; as if our tiny raft has sprung a leak.

The ages past and those to come will be tested with the same calamity.  No strength of man will save him from death.  Run, oh world run!  Run from the works of your hand to a dark secluded place where your knees become feet.

The brightness of the Living God is your hope.  That brilliant purity in Jesus is the only hope we are extended.  Let the dust appear.  Give it no heed as you seek what lasts forever.  Forsake the works of your hands.  Let all things man return to dust!

Grace for Fools

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English: Hay meadow near Dolanog Freshly mowed...

English: Hay meadow near Dolanog Freshly mowed hay meadow seen in early evening light, seen from the B4382. Dolwar Hall farm SJ0714 can be seen in the middle distance. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the country side I walked; timid through the night, but stronger in the dawn.

No fear at horror’s sounds; screeching through the air, or growling in the grass.

Bolder steps turned to confident strides; a willingness to leap within these tired bones.

Then a city appeared over the crest of a hill.

 

Through its gates I walked; upright back and confidence from the respite from war.

No one checked for weapons; that invisible proof of salvation hidden in my heart.

How should they suspect or investigate; no one here carries the mark I bear.

Past all stores and temptations I moved.

 

Then, from nowhere, a stabbing; my back was turned and I did not perceive attack.

My weakness exposed; vulnerable was I and did not prepare, distracted by the wares.

Sinking deep the wound was great; a sin appeared and the blood of man soaked my cloak.

I staggered through the alley.

 

Knowing nothing but the Gospel; my knees pounded the dust with sudden thrust.

A crying out to the One Who Is; a healing balm, nursing hands.

Even while the blood still flowed; legs found strength, beginning to run.

The exit gate in view came quickly.

 

Fools will step with careless stride;  the way of simple man open to attack.

Less is the weakness than the power of hope; that marvelous Grace He wields so well.

The night’s embrace outside the gate; humiliation abounds while healing starts.

I stagger through the field once again.

 

By His Grace!

Opportunity

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Vision from Book of Revelation

Vision from Book of Revelation (Photo credit: cliff1066™)

The current movement of the world toward a one world government, the rise of Islam, the promotion of “good works” driven by secular man and government, the demise of freedom, and the imminent threat of violence against Christians and Jews, can be a frightening concept to watch appear.  But there is a word from the Lord that must be spoken now.

All these things hasten the believer in Christ Jesus into a realm of strength never before seen on the face of the earth.  If you will hold your hope in Christ Jesus you will see your strength increase dramatically.  Do not fear what they fear.  Hold your head high as you see the day approach.

This will be a day of extremes.  One side will see the extreme hatred unleashed against the Lord and all His people.  The other side will see the Holy Spirit as never before give “The Faith” to all the Lord’s people.  This is not the horror for the Lord’s people that it will be for those who are not.  This is a day, coming quickly, when men’s hearts will become hardened in their way.  But it will also be a day when the hearts of God’s people in Jesus will become free to worship in fullness.

This day we are entering will be a singular opportunity to shine like the sun as we hold out the words of life.  Men will torment us.  But they will not break the Spirit’s power within us.  Instead it will fan our Spiritual gifts into a raging fire of steadfast hope.  Many will witness God’s people suffer with joy.  And they will wonder at a people’s religion and faith that can withstand such an onslaught and grow.

Hold the Lord high within your heart!  We are offered a time to gather for Him a marvelous abundance of glory!

May the Lord be blessed by His word among all His people.  And may we render what is His with a glorious joy, which is unknown among the faithless, sinful, godless, and wicked.

Amen

Regret

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Regrets

Regrets (Photo credit: chris.chabot)

There is hope for all who believe Jesus is the Christ of God.   This hope we own varies from one man to another.  Though the Lord would have us all own proper and full hope in our faith, it goes without saying that each of us is limited in our hope by the faith we employ.

There was a man who found himself a hindrance to everyone he touched.  No matter how he tried, he found himself full of trouble for everyone.  And the longer he lived the worse it seemed to become.

Now, there came a day when he had done damage to one soul too many.  The desire to become helpful was replaced by a simple desire to die.  “What good am I accomplishing?”  He said to himself.  “My faith is my life.  But my hope is becoming nothing.  If I cannot do good for my fellow man, what makes me think I will be received in eternity?”  With this in mind the man contrived a solution.  He thought to himself: “Sin is death.  I am not worthy of life.  So I will turn to sin so that I will kill myself.  Worthless is what worthless does.”

While in some respects this is a rather noble idea, but it did not bear the fruit he had hoped.  One day, while the sin was a distance from his mind, the Lord spoke to him.  “You will be completely forgotten.”  The meaning of this was not lost in the man’s mind.  For every word of the Lord brings with it an image of meaning.

At the gathering of God’s people on the day of judgment, this man would be gathered with the rejected.  And those rejected will be completely forgotten.  The man had thought that the Lord would recognize his sacrifice of himself.  He had in mind that the Lord would balance the scales the man could not.  The man understood the message and stopped the path he was on.  He turned toward the Lord again with a renewed effort.

On another day, after the man had turned from the sin of destruction to accept his place according to his ability, the Lord spoke again.  “You sacrifice for the sake of death.  I have sacrificed for the sake of life.  It is enough that you hope in Me.”

Many, so very many, are doing the same thing today.  They hold regret for the things they have done.  They drink themselves to death.  They do drugs until they perish from over dose.  They waste away their lives through self-debasement of every form, hoping that their self-hatred will be noticed by the Lord.  How are any of them any different from the man in this story?

Any sacrifice we make that has to do with the destruction of our lives is a sacrifice toward death.  But the Lord has already sacrificed what is Good.  He has sacrificed toward life.  Let us gather our strength, whatever is left, and turn to look at what He has done.  What have we accomplished if we are, in the end, gathered with the rejected?  We will end up rejected from man and rejected from God.  How pathetic is the end of such men?

He sees what we are and what we are able to do.  Rest in His perfect understanding and strive to trust.  There is no other release from the regret we all hold.  And let us ponder this saying:  “Regret is not in the family of repentance.  It is of a different family.  Repentance belongs to the children of the Lord.  Regret belongs to the children of this world.

Soap and Fire

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clean hands

clean hands (Photo credit: Arlington County)

Not a one of us lives each day without serious challenges regarding righteous behavior.  Most people I’ve met, if allowed to speak their mind with honesty and clarity, will tell of a certain set of sins they know stand between the Living God and themselves.  Some are more able than others.  But most flounder poorly in their personal battle.

What shall be said about this?  We are told to “Make every effort. . .”  But what if our efforts are pathetically unable to turn that corner?

I am put to mind that man who appeared at the Great Feast, dressed appropriately but lacking a word to explain how he got in there.  There are clean hands among men.  But there are Clean Hands necessary when we appear before the Lord of Glory.  How do we accomplish what we are obviously lacking?  Our perception of sin seems to roll down to the bottom of the scale of importance.  We make excuses or simply ignore the truth.

I am forced, personally, to learn a truth.  If you can’t seem to summon the strength to fight, ask God for His wise intervention.  It won’t come in the form of obvious freedom from that sin (or set of sins).  But it will surely arrive.  Most people I’ve talked to about this mention a soul-shaking fear which is delivered to them by a word or two from the Lord.  Perhaps it is something like this, “You will be completely forgotten.”  There will be no place in the memory of God for sin.  If all we are is sin, then what does that do to us?

The Book of Life is being written.  Our names appear as we place our faith in the Lord.  The war begins at that moment.  But there is a “blotting out” also.  Let us be aware of both sides of the Lord’s promise.  Let it spur us beyond our weakness.  If we can’t find the strength to desire “Clean Hands”, let us not lie to God and pretend it doesn’t matter.  Tell Him you don’t want to.  Admit your resistance to His rule.  Why hide what is already seen in pure daylight?