"When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion"
"Restored to health” were the men He had an eye on
"Our mouths were filled with laughter" and our tongues with joyful song
For "the Lord has done great things for us" all along
"Like streams in the Negev", O Lord, "restore our fortunes”
For those who sow in tears will reap with joyful tunes
He who goes to sow while weeping
Will joyfully return from reaping
Although I am often a great big dope
This psalm reminds me never to lose hope
He restored the fortunes of His chosen nation
While other people faced His condemnation
So how much easier it should be
For Him to answer prayers from me
I know that He is just and fair
So Lord please answer my prayer
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
5 July 2010 - Not Mine!
A friend sent me this poem...and it is so powerful that I felt that I had to share it...
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbour
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.
'And why is everyone so quiet,
So sombre - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'
JUDGE NOT!!
Just going to church doesn't make you a good Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car
Every saint has a PAST...
Every sinner has a FUTURE!
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbour
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.
'And why is everyone so quiet,
So sombre - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'
JUDGE NOT!!
Just going to church doesn't make you a good Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car
Every saint has a PAST...
Every sinner has a FUTURE!
5 July 2010 - 1 Peter 5:5b-11
"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another"
"Because God opposes the proud" be it a sister or a brother
But He "gives grace to the humble"
And does not allow them to stumble
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand"
So that in due time, "He may lift you up" and help you stand
"Cast all your anxiety on Him"
Because His care for you is not a whim
Verse 8 says to "be self-controlled and alert"
For you are one the enemy wants to hurt
In faith stand firm and the enemy resist
Know that other suffering brothers make a long list
"And the God of all grace"
Who called you to see His face
"Will restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast"
So your suffering will not for eternity last
So to God "be the power for ever and ever"
Let me say Amen and forget this never
I take from this passage messages three
Humble, not proud, is what I ought to be
Be alert and controlled without making a fuss
And above it all, God is always there for us.
"Because God opposes the proud" be it a sister or a brother
But He "gives grace to the humble"
And does not allow them to stumble
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand"
So that in due time, "He may lift you up" and help you stand
"Cast all your anxiety on Him"
Because His care for you is not a whim
Verse 8 says to "be self-controlled and alert"
For you are one the enemy wants to hurt
In faith stand firm and the enemy resist
Know that other suffering brothers make a long list
"And the God of all grace"
Who called you to see His face
"Will restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast"
So your suffering will not for eternity last
So to God "be the power for ever and ever"
Let me say Amen and forget this never
I take from this passage messages three
Humble, not proud, is what I ought to be
Be alert and controlled without making a fuss
And above it all, God is always there for us.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
4 July 2010 - ENCS
The "Praying Effectively" series is based on James 5:16b
Powerful and effective will a righteous man's prayer be
Pastor Joshua, like many of us, had doubts about his righteousness
So about his five ineffective prayer types he did confess
The first type is the patient-less prayer
Samuel said to wait but Saul did not care
Per 1 Samuel chapter thirteen verse eight
It would have been much better for Saul to wait
Impatience can cause more harm than good
To hear first from God, we really should
The post-script prayer is the second one
Only asking God to bless us after our way we've done
As we read in Acts 7:22-25
Moses did not leave the Egyptian bully alive
He had a vision of what to do, but not when or how
So as Paul did in Acts 13:3, pray before you act now
The play-it-safe prayer was type number three
Instead, we should ask for wisdom and believe it will be
For God generously gives wisdom to everyone
That is what it says in verses 5-6 of James 1
Beware as when wavering, there are always ways to compromise
Pastor testified about his car and raising funds of adequate size
Then there is the pass-the-buck prayer
Asking someone else to do it while you prepare
As Moses did in Exodus 4 verse 13
Instead react to opportunities as they are seen
And don't just trust in your own abilities
Trust in God's power and His plan you will seize
The panic prayer is the fifth kind
Read the beginning of Mark chapter nine
Peter was scared and knew not what to say
When the transfiguration occurred that day
We should focus on Mark 9:7
"Listen to Him", our God in heaven
Psalm 131:2 tells of our goal
To let God speak, quieten our soul
Zephaniah 3:17 says the same thing
God will rejoice over us and He will sing
Powerful and effective will a righteous man's prayer be
Pastor Joshua, like many of us, had doubts about his righteousness
So about his five ineffective prayer types he did confess
The first type is the patient-less prayer
Samuel said to wait but Saul did not care
Per 1 Samuel chapter thirteen verse eight
It would have been much better for Saul to wait
Impatience can cause more harm than good
To hear first from God, we really should
The post-script prayer is the second one
Only asking God to bless us after our way we've done
As we read in Acts 7:22-25
Moses did not leave the Egyptian bully alive
He had a vision of what to do, but not when or how
So as Paul did in Acts 13:3, pray before you act now
The play-it-safe prayer was type number three
Instead, we should ask for wisdom and believe it will be
For God generously gives wisdom to everyone
That is what it says in verses 5-6 of James 1
Beware as when wavering, there are always ways to compromise
Pastor testified about his car and raising funds of adequate size
Then there is the pass-the-buck prayer
Asking someone else to do it while you prepare
As Moses did in Exodus 4 verse 13
Instead react to opportunities as they are seen
And don't just trust in your own abilities
Trust in God's power and His plan you will seize
The panic prayer is the fifth kind
Read the beginning of Mark chapter nine
Peter was scared and knew not what to say
When the transfiguration occurred that day
We should focus on Mark 9:7
"Listen to Him", our God in heaven
Psalm 131:2 tells of our goal
To let God speak, quieten our soul
Zephaniah 3:17 says the same thing
God will rejoice over us and He will sing
4 July 2010 - Psalm 13
"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?"
Will I be able to see your face ever?
"How long must I...have sorrow in my heart?"
When will my enemy ever depart?
Please answer me God and put a light in my eye
Or in sleep I might as well die
Then my enemy "will rejoice when I fall"
And brag about his victory to one and all
But in your unfailing love I do trust
In your salvation, rejoice my heart must
For this is the way it really must be:
"I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me"
This Psalm not only spoke to me
But was if my heart it could see
As a reminder it was apt and great
For losing to the enemy shall not be my fate
Even when I am overwhelmed by so many troubles
I remember that God's love more than doubles
I can not be brought down by today's sorrow
For I know with God, there is a better tomorrow
Will I be able to see your face ever?
"How long must I...have sorrow in my heart?"
When will my enemy ever depart?
Please answer me God and put a light in my eye
Or in sleep I might as well die
Then my enemy "will rejoice when I fall"
And brag about his victory to one and all
But in your unfailing love I do trust
In your salvation, rejoice my heart must
For this is the way it really must be:
"I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me"
This Psalm not only spoke to me
But was if my heart it could see
As a reminder it was apt and great
For losing to the enemy shall not be my fate
Even when I am overwhelmed by so many troubles
I remember that God's love more than doubles
I can not be brought down by today's sorrow
For I know with God, there is a better tomorrow
Friday, July 2, 2010
2 July 2010 - James 1: 2-18
My brothers, consider it pure joy
When trials of many kinds do annoy
"Because you know that the testing of your faith
Develops perseverance", as in Romans Paul also says
"Perseverance must finish its work", nothing less
For it leads to our maturity and completeness
If any of us may lack wisdom
Ask God, whom we can get it from
But when we ask, we "must believe and not doubt" at all
Doubters will be blown and tossed by the wind's beck and call
Those "in humble circumstances should take pride"
In their high positions, for God is one their side
But in contrast, “the one who is rich will pass away like a wild flower”
Whose beauty is destroyed by the sun's scorching heat and power
Verse twelve goes on to say that "blessed is the man who perseveres under trial"
For "he will receive the crown of life from God", there can be no denial
When we are tempted, God is not the one to blame
Temptation comes from our own evil desires, we are all the same
And beware for this desire "gives birth to sin"
Which when full-grown, allows death to set in
And always remember that "every good and perfect gift is from above"
It comes down from the never-changing God of love
Through the word of truth, "He chose to give us birth"
So we are a kind of first fruit, of immense worth
When trials of many kinds do annoy
"Because you know that the testing of your faith
Develops perseverance", as in Romans Paul also says
"Perseverance must finish its work", nothing less
For it leads to our maturity and completeness
If any of us may lack wisdom
Ask God, whom we can get it from
But when we ask, we "must believe and not doubt" at all
Doubters will be blown and tossed by the wind's beck and call
Those "in humble circumstances should take pride"
In their high positions, for God is one their side
But in contrast, “the one who is rich will pass away like a wild flower”
Whose beauty is destroyed by the sun's scorching heat and power
Verse twelve goes on to say that "blessed is the man who perseveres under trial"
For "he will receive the crown of life from God", there can be no denial
When we are tempted, God is not the one to blame
Temptation comes from our own evil desires, we are all the same
And beware for this desire "gives birth to sin"
Which when full-grown, allows death to set in
And always remember that "every good and perfect gift is from above"
It comes down from the never-changing God of love
Through the word of truth, "He chose to give us birth"
So we are a kind of first fruit, of immense worth
1 July 2010 - Psalm 8
“Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth”
You deserve our praise from the time of our birth
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers”
The sight of the moon and the stars still lingers
When I think of man’s place in your eternal plans
“You made him ruler over the works of your hands”
You gave us authority over all living things
Including animals, fish, and the little bird that sings
So when I reflect, I find I must proclaim
“Yes, Lord, how majestic is your name”
Yes, God's name and His work are to be praised
There are so many things at which I am amazed
When I take time to look at the world around me
The beauty of a flower, the flight of a bumblebee
Looking at things of nature fills me with awe
And that is only based on things I actually saw
But at the same time there is an onus everpresent
For us to look after this planet must be God's intent
For with authority comes responsibility
There really is no other possibility
So I thank God for all he has created and done
And I know that my work has barely begun
You deserve our praise from the time of our birth
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers”
The sight of the moon and the stars still lingers
When I think of man’s place in your eternal plans
“You made him ruler over the works of your hands”
You gave us authority over all living things
Including animals, fish, and the little bird that sings
So when I reflect, I find I must proclaim
“Yes, Lord, how majestic is your name”
Yes, God's name and His work are to be praised
There are so many things at which I am amazed
When I take time to look at the world around me
The beauty of a flower, the flight of a bumblebee
Looking at things of nature fills me with awe
And that is only based on things I actually saw
But at the same time there is an onus everpresent
For us to look after this planet must be God's intent
For with authority comes responsibility
There really is no other possibility
So I thank God for all he has created and done
And I know that my work has barely begun
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