22 December 2013 - Giving and Loving

"You can give without loving but cannot love without giving"

That is a saying I heard this morning that encapsulates living

And as per John 3:16, God loves us so

He sent His only son to vanquish the foe

Similarly, you can obey while understanding not

But with true understanding comes obeying a lot

 

As we are in the midst of the Christmas season

Let me continually remember the real reason

And then, with true understanding and love

Let me freely give and obey my God above

18 December 2013 - 1 Corinthians 6:9-20

I listened to Aussie youth pastor Mark Joy talk Monday night

Using this text, he spoke about how to treat our bodies right

He read from the New King James Version or translation

For this NIV-reader, it required quite intense concentration

Remember that our bodies are temples for the Holy Ghost

Treating them well is a prerequisite to being a good host

 

He said that on tolerance, today's society puts a lot of value

But Paul says not to be deceived, in verse nine we do view

"The unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God", says Paul

He mentions several types of sins and sinners, but that is not all

For although these people will not inherit the Kingdom of God

We should remember that down that road many of us have trod

We had to change the way that we choose to live

In order to get the grace that only God can give

 

And then in verse twelve an important point we do see

All things are permissible but beneficial they may not be

Because our bodies are not for us to do with as we want

This is quite clear no matter what the translation or font

Our "bodies are members of Christ" per verse fifteen

So we should treat them that way, even when unseen

For if "two become one" whether with good or bad

We should opt for Christ, as sin only makes God sad

As such, boundaries are something that we all need

If from the grips of sinful temptation we are to be freed

A sin against our own body is sexual immorality

Other sins are outside the body, in verse 18 we see

 

And because our bodies are temples, bought with a price

They should honor God, doing things not naughty but nice

This applies to our mouths, our ears, our eyes, and our heart

To fully honor God, each part of our body must do its part

And if we look after our own temple of God well all the time

His Holy Spirit will watch and cleanse us from our sinful grime

14 December 2013 - Change

"Plus ca change" starts a French expression of fame

"The more things change, the more they stay the same"
It can of course be taken in a couple of different ways

Some think of it as an existentialist view on our days

Others tend to give "people never change" the nod

I prefer to believe that the only true constant is God

So, yes, the more things change, the more God stays the same

No matter how far we may stray, His love is there for us to claim

 

So dear God, please keep your light shining on my path

I would much prefer that than to face your eternal wrath

I know that on your path I have not constantly stayed

Put more harshly, on many occasions I have strayed

And for every sinful thought, word, and deed

Your forgiveness and grace I definitely need

I thank you for your never-changing eternal truth

And for protecting me even when I was a youth

I know that you have great plans for me even today

So I can change despite what the expression may say

8 December 2013 - Integrity

The Bible talks about the importance of integrity as a trait

When we practice it, we honor our God who is so great

"The man of integrity walks securely" Solomon did state

In Proverbs chapter ten, in the verse after number eight

"The integrity of the upright guides them" we later see

For Solomon wrote this in chapter eleven verse three

 

But at the same time, it is not just about keeping one's word

Remember how John the Baptist's head was offed with a sword

For King Herod, in Luke chapter six verse twenty six

Made good on his oath even though it put him in a fix

Above doing what was right, he valued his oath and his face

So in history's annals he now commands a very low place

 

I guess that integrity is about doing right in God's eyes

By doing so, one obviously tells the truth instead of lies

But it might also mean doing things that to others look wrong

To do so, one's faith in God must be exceptionally strong

 

There are times when I too fall back on "keeping my word"

Even when the logic of doing so has become quite absurd

Dear God, please let me see that yours is the right path

So that I feel your immense love instead of your wrath

29 November 2013 - Thanksgiving in the Bible

In the Bible there are many verses about Thanksgiving

Which are applicable for every day that we are living

 

We see in Nehemiah twelve verses forty six and forty seven

That the entire nation gave thanksgiving to God in heaven

In Psalm ninety five verses two and three

Again thanksgiving to God we do see

In First Corinthians one verses four and five, Paul did write

We should thank God for grace which makes all things right

In Second Corinthians four verses fifteen and sixteen

Grace leading more people to thanksgiving is seen

In Second Corinthians nine verses eleven and twelve

Into generosity and thanksgiving Paul did then delve

Later in Ephesians one verse fifteen and sixteen

Paul's never-ending thanksgiving to God is seen

In First Timothy four verses four and five

True thanksgiving we do not need to contrive

From First Chronicles sixteen verse thirty four

We should give thanks to God forever more

Psalms seven verse seventeen and twenty eight verse seven

Speak about giving thanks to our righteous Lord in heaven

Psalms one hundred verse four and one hundred six verse one

Talk of praising God for His name and all the things he has done

In Isaiah chapter twelve verse number four

Give thanks for God for his deeds of yore

In chapter thirty three verse eleven, Jeremiah does say

To give thanks to the Lord Almighty forever and a day

From First Thessalonians five verse eighteen

"Give thanks in all circumstances" is seen

 

We all have so much to be thankful for all the time

And that is one of the points of this simple rhyme

But more important than the "what" is the "who"

For God who deserves thanks our whole life through

 

I know and acknowledge that by God I have been blessed

Of course what His Son did for me outweighs all of the rest

But that does not deter me from giving thanks for other things

A loving family, caring friends, even the morning bird that sings

Being able to worship God without persecution fear

Having a house and food on the table year after year 

Dear God, please never let me get complacent about this

For to do so would be very ungrateful and of course remiss

 

So no matter where you may be living

I wish you a Happy Thanks-giving

25 November 2013 - Name Above All Names

Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson wrote a book

Their "Name Above All Names" is worth a look

The title refers to Philippians two verse nine

In the center of a favorite passage of mine

The authors identify attributes numbering seven

Which characterize Jesus who came from heaven

 

"The seed of the woman" is the first

He came to defeat the serpent cursed

This is clear in Genesis three verse fifteen

In 1 John three verse eight this is also seen

 

"The true prophet" is the second

Through Jesus, God beckoned

Per verse 25 and 26 of John chapter 4

In Hebrews 1:1-2 we read some more

 

"The great high priest" is the third

Seated on the throne of grace we heard

And per Hebrews four from verse fourteen

Anything we face, Jesus has felt and seen

 

"The conquering king" is the fourth

A lowly donkey belied Jesus' worth

In John 12:15 and Luke 1:33

This reference we clearly see

 

"The Son of Man" is the fifth

That Jesus said this is not a myth

It was foretold in Daniel 7 verse thirteen

In Mark 8:31 his suffering was foreseen

 

"The suffering servant" is number six

Taking His Father's cup he did not nix

Isaiah 53:3-5 speaks of Jesus being afflicted

Luke 22:42-44 confirms what was predicted

 

"The Lamb on the throne" is the last

Jesus died to atone for our sinful past

John 1:29 mentions the Lamb that came to earth

In Revelations 5, only He is deemed to have worth

 

There is really nothing else that I can add

These seven attributes make me very glad

Without Him, I would pay the price for my fall

I am thankful that Jesus came to save us all

24 November 2013 - Psalm 136

Some say that repetition is good for the soul

In most cases, remembering is the goal

Twenty six times in this psalm we see the same line

That is a strong message, not just a random sign

 

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good" start the words

"His love endures forever"

"Give thanks to the God of gods" and "Lord of lords"

"His love endures forever"

To Him who governs the day and the night

"His love endures forever"

To Him who filled the Egyptians with fright

"His love endures forever"

To Him who struck down many a mighty king

"His love endures forever"

To Him who gave His people everything

"His love endures forever"

To Him who "freed us from our enemies"

"His love endures forever"

To Him who provides food with ease

"His love endures forever"

To Him on whom we can always depend

"His love endures forever"

"Give thanks to the God of heaven" it does end

"His love endures forever"

 

These four words carry a great deal of weight

And reflect perhaps our God's greatest trait

"His love" is perfect, awesome, and absolute

That it "endures forever" we cannot dispute

 

Dear God, your love is there; this is know

In my heart and soul, please let it grow

By doing this, from me blessings will flow

And others can then see your loving glow

Never let me be content with the status quo

For as long as I live on this earth below