Each of us has a place where secrets hide.
And none but we or God can enter there;
Though God's not welcome and would be denied,
Were the hiders brave enough so to dare.
If the buried truths ever come to light,
We would to all the world be exposed.
Our good report would shatter and take flight;
Families shamed; all our friends indisposed.
But God's our friend; He in secrecy woos;
Coaxing us to Him, that we all confess;
A private prayer need not be public news;
If He knows we're sorry for sins, He will bless!
We're glad God's able to see sins within,
Lest we ne'er admit, stay guilty of sin!
Paul, in writing to the Christians in Corinth, told them he was glad they were sorrowful for their sins, because the sorrow led to repentance and then they would receive salvation. In other words, he was telling all of us not to nurse or keep in secret past sins, but to feel sorry for them, admit them, and God would then forgive us. In the Bible at 2 Corinthians 7:10,
"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret..."
Of course, God can read all the secret places in any of us, and He knows every sin we have ever committed, but if we do not confess all our sins to Him, He will not forgive us for them. Repentance, or feeling sorry of things we have done and admitting them to God, is essential for salvation. I don't suggest that you should make public confessions to your family, friends, or church; but privately, in silent prayer, you need to admit your sins and be genuinely sorry for them.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
When He Arose
Hail the Romans, road-builders for rabble;
Earth salutes the wonders you provided!
Rome near undid God's judgment on Babel;
Tongues the Latin language world-wide guided;
Nation joined nation that once were parted.
It was Rome who taught how wars should be fought;
Ditched from green that the dry could be watered;
Made coins with which all could be sold or bought!
All this Rome did, but it pales in the light
Of that deed before which all else is dross;
When irate Jews demanded in the night
That the Son of God be nailed to a cross!
Their world turned upside down when He arose
King of Jews, Romans, and of all His foes!
The greatest event in the history of the world was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death. He had been crucified on a Friday by the Romans under pressure of the leaders of the Jews. He was buried before nightfall in a tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea.
Jesus came out of the tomb alive early that Sunday morning. In so doing, He proved that any man who dies can live again, giving hope to all the world. He also paid the 'wages' of all the sins of men. Before leaving earth for heaven, He told His disciples:
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (Matthew 28:19)
That is the reason when I use the name 'God', I am thinking of Jesus, but I add the name 'Christ'; Jesus Christ is a divine name for God. Remember my blog, "Call Him Not Thief"?
You need to review those names for God occasionally to keep down confusion.
Earth salutes the wonders you provided!
Rome near undid God's judgment on Babel;
Tongues the Latin language world-wide guided;
Nation joined nation that once were parted.
It was Rome who taught how wars should be fought;
Ditched from green that the dry could be watered;
Made coins with which all could be sold or bought!
All this Rome did, but it pales in the light
Of that deed before which all else is dross;
When irate Jews demanded in the night
That the Son of God be nailed to a cross!
Their world turned upside down when He arose
King of Jews, Romans, and of all His foes!
The greatest event in the history of the world was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death. He had been crucified on a Friday by the Romans under pressure of the leaders of the Jews. He was buried before nightfall in a tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea.
Jesus came out of the tomb alive early that Sunday morning. In so doing, He proved that any man who dies can live again, giving hope to all the world. He also paid the 'wages' of all the sins of men. Before leaving earth for heaven, He told His disciples:
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (Matthew 28:19)
That is the reason when I use the name 'God', I am thinking of Jesus, but I add the name 'Christ'; Jesus Christ is a divine name for God. Remember my blog, "Call Him Not Thief"?
You need to review those names for God occasionally to keep down confusion.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Earth's Just A Scene
How pathetic, when lost men grow bold,
Steering their ships of life o'er shallow shoals,
Deaf to warning bells advising them hold,
Confident, despite dangers to their souls.
It's no use sending witnesses to warn;
They hear the words, but meanings are shorn.
They think the messages are false alarm,
Their lives are thin cloths, about to be torn.
Tell them, please, before it's fore'er too late.
The threads they darn are merely puffs of smoke
That first balloon, then vanish, sealing fate,
With no fruit for God, He judges them broke.
Our unseen world is more real than our seen;
Their souls more real than flesh; earth's just a scene!
The time we live on earth is brief, like one scene in a five-act play. We are born of flesh; it begins dying as soon as it is born; life in the flesh is brief. With the confidence of youth, we never think of dying; turn around a time or two, and you are old, because your flesh quickly ages, then it dies, Thanks to the God that made you, you have a soul, not made of flesh; it lives forever. If this life on earth is all that you think you have, you are poor indeed; further, if you live like this life is all, you will be even more impoverished, because after the death of the flesh, you will resurrect with a new eternal body, but you will find yourself in an awful place. This life on earth is nothing; the life that follows is everything.
Steering their ships of life o'er shallow shoals,
Deaf to warning bells advising them hold,
Confident, despite dangers to their souls.
It's no use sending witnesses to warn;
They hear the words, but meanings are shorn.
They think the messages are false alarm,
Their lives are thin cloths, about to be torn.
Tell them, please, before it's fore'er too late.
The threads they darn are merely puffs of smoke
That first balloon, then vanish, sealing fate,
With no fruit for God, He judges them broke.
Our unseen world is more real than our seen;
Their souls more real than flesh; earth's just a scene!
The time we live on earth is brief, like one scene in a five-act play. We are born of flesh; it begins dying as soon as it is born; life in the flesh is brief. With the confidence of youth, we never think of dying; turn around a time or two, and you are old, because your flesh quickly ages, then it dies, Thanks to the God that made you, you have a soul, not made of flesh; it lives forever. If this life on earth is all that you think you have, you are poor indeed; further, if you live like this life is all, you will be even more impoverished, because after the death of the flesh, you will resurrect with a new eternal body, but you will find yourself in an awful place. This life on earth is nothing; the life that follows is everything.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Love Doesn't Gossip
Whispered words are unworthy of belief,
Nor does accusation constitute fact;
He who falsely names is worse than a thief;
He steals repute, and hopes worse to exact!
What of his victim's deeds? Were all untrue?
Half-lies fit the namer, as well as the named;
Had the namer been chosen target, too,
His words would be twisted as the defamed.
O, brother, repent false witnessing's use,
Raising anger against your own brother,
Inciting men falsely to heap abuse,
Is harm to friend or foe, and any other!
False witness will Jesus never affirm;
Its use is among those Satan confirm!
Christians are commanded not to gossip; you must try to refrain from gossiping, and you will find that it is probably the hardest change you will have to make, to love as Jesus loved. Have you heard of God's Ten Commandments? They can be found in the Book of Exodus, Chapter 20. The Ninth Commandment, found in verse 16, states that you are not to give false witness about your neighbor. It applies to you and to every person; and 'false witness' means 'gossip'. Do you remember the game we played called 'Gossip'? The partygoers would make a circle; the first in line would whisper a phrase or sentence into the ear of the second person; that individual would whisper the same words into the ear of the third; and the process would continue around to the last member of the circle. That person would announce the phrase as it was told to him, to gales of laughter, because, invariably, not one word remained exactly as they were told by the first. The game is remarkably convincing of what happens to every rumor that passes through several people, and it invariably becomes more damning to the actor in the story.
The Bible is filled with scriptures that warn people to control their tongues. Not to do so is a sin. Here are scripture citations of less than one third of Bible passages concerning the harm done by tongue-waggers: Genesis 31:24; Leviticus 19:16; Numbers 23:8; Job 5:21; Psalm 12:2; Psalm 50:20; Psalm 59:12; Psalm 140:3; Proverbs 10:18; Ecclesiastes 10:20; Ezekiel 22:9; Romans 2:1; 1 Corinthians 13:6; James 3:3-6; and 1 Peter 3:18. Read a few of these, and you will have a new understanding of the horrors that gossiping brings on the world.
All people, believers and non-believers, love to gossip. If you are trying to love others as Jesus loved you, you must try to rid yourself of the sin of gossiping about anyone. Always say something good about everyone, or keep silent. Even harder, do not listen to gossip. It is better to remove the phone from your ear than to listen when a friend to saying anything negative about a joint acquaintance.
"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."
(James 3:6)
Nor does accusation constitute fact;
He who falsely names is worse than a thief;
He steals repute, and hopes worse to exact!
What of his victim's deeds? Were all untrue?
Half-lies fit the namer, as well as the named;
Had the namer been chosen target, too,
His words would be twisted as the defamed.
O, brother, repent false witnessing's use,
Raising anger against your own brother,
Inciting men falsely to heap abuse,
Is harm to friend or foe, and any other!
False witness will Jesus never affirm;
Its use is among those Satan confirm!
Christians are commanded not to gossip; you must try to refrain from gossiping, and you will find that it is probably the hardest change you will have to make, to love as Jesus loved. Have you heard of God's Ten Commandments? They can be found in the Book of Exodus, Chapter 20. The Ninth Commandment, found in verse 16, states that you are not to give false witness about your neighbor. It applies to you and to every person; and 'false witness' means 'gossip'. Do you remember the game we played called 'Gossip'? The partygoers would make a circle; the first in line would whisper a phrase or sentence into the ear of the second person; that individual would whisper the same words into the ear of the third; and the process would continue around to the last member of the circle. That person would announce the phrase as it was told to him, to gales of laughter, because, invariably, not one word remained exactly as they were told by the first. The game is remarkably convincing of what happens to every rumor that passes through several people, and it invariably becomes more damning to the actor in the story.
The Bible is filled with scriptures that warn people to control their tongues. Not to do so is a sin. Here are scripture citations of less than one third of Bible passages concerning the harm done by tongue-waggers: Genesis 31:24; Leviticus 19:16; Numbers 23:8; Job 5:21; Psalm 12:2; Psalm 50:20; Psalm 59:12; Psalm 140:3; Proverbs 10:18; Ecclesiastes 10:20; Ezekiel 22:9; Romans 2:1; 1 Corinthians 13:6; James 3:3-6; and 1 Peter 3:18. Read a few of these, and you will have a new understanding of the horrors that gossiping brings on the world.
All people, believers and non-believers, love to gossip. If you are trying to love others as Jesus loved you, you must try to rid yourself of the sin of gossiping about anyone. Always say something good about everyone, or keep silent. Even harder, do not listen to gossip. It is better to remove the phone from your ear than to listen when a friend to saying anything negative about a joint acquaintance.
"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."
(James 3:6)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
"They Feel No Pain"?
Babies lust-conceived by chance or neglect
Get no grave-plots, the millions slain unborn!
But let one of the calloused parents die,
And the pomp attending the passing rites
Proclaim him noble, grand, of high honor,
Four cubic yards of earth his fore'ermore!
How many cemeteries would it take
To consecrate all the slaughtered wee ones,
Murdered in abbatoirs of infamy,
Baal-clinics awash in innocent blood?
For each two that enter, but one departs,
The weakest made incinerator fuel!
"Yet," says one for solace, "they feel no pain;"
They feel no pain? Exchage places with one!
American society has endorsed abortion as legal, and many are being performed each day. Our society has also persuaded most young people that extramarital sex is morally permissible. As a result, there are more unmarried couples, including teenagers, having sex. Both of these mores (customs) together are creating more unwanted conceived babies. The parents of these unborn children wanted to enjoy the pleasure of sex and probably did not consider the risk of pregnancy. The result is that our nation is allowing an estimated 4000 babies a day to be killed before birth.
I am not unaware (or unscathed by) of the large number of teenage girls who find themselves inescapably in desperate situations---being pregnant and too immature, too economically incapable, and unmarried. Thus these young ladies are trapped and facing a terrible problem: Shall I keep this baby full term and give birth with insurmountable difficulties?, or, Shall I have a legal abortion? They have been untaught about the immorality of extramarital sex; in fact, their hours in morals teaching have been outnumbered 100 to 1 by the hours spent in front of television sets, whose weight of teaching is immoral; and the American government has been manipulated to make the cure---abortion---legal.
God commands the pregnant mother to give birth and take care of the baby, because abortion is murder, and one of the Ten Commandments states, "You shall not murder." I cannot solve the dilemma this command and the unfortunate circumstances that the young lady is in have brought about.
But I can advise you ladies that are fortunate enough not to have faced the problem. You can make sure you don't get pregnant. First, there is will power. Make the hard decision now that you will not allow your body to give in to importunate demands of the male you are with. Second, you can determine which day of every month that the 12-hour period during which you are fertile will occur, and not date that day, or even two or three days before and after. If you don't know how to determine that, then ask, ask, ask, read in hygiene books, look it up on the internet. Above all, find out. Even I know how to determine the 12-hour period and I am a great-grandfather. No matter how difficult this seems to be, it is a whole lot easier than what you will have to do in case of pregnancy.
Get no grave-plots, the millions slain unborn!
But let one of the calloused parents die,
And the pomp attending the passing rites
Proclaim him noble, grand, of high honor,
Four cubic yards of earth his fore'ermore!
How many cemeteries would it take
To consecrate all the slaughtered wee ones,
Murdered in abbatoirs of infamy,
Baal-clinics awash in innocent blood?
For each two that enter, but one departs,
The weakest made incinerator fuel!
"Yet," says one for solace, "they feel no pain;"
They feel no pain? Exchage places with one!
American society has endorsed abortion as legal, and many are being performed each day. Our society has also persuaded most young people that extramarital sex is morally permissible. As a result, there are more unmarried couples, including teenagers, having sex. Both of these mores (customs) together are creating more unwanted conceived babies. The parents of these unborn children wanted to enjoy the pleasure of sex and probably did not consider the risk of pregnancy. The result is that our nation is allowing an estimated 4000 babies a day to be killed before birth.
I am not unaware (or unscathed by) of the large number of teenage girls who find themselves inescapably in desperate situations---being pregnant and too immature, too economically incapable, and unmarried. Thus these young ladies are trapped and facing a terrible problem: Shall I keep this baby full term and give birth with insurmountable difficulties?, or, Shall I have a legal abortion? They have been untaught about the immorality of extramarital sex; in fact, their hours in morals teaching have been outnumbered 100 to 1 by the hours spent in front of television sets, whose weight of teaching is immoral; and the American government has been manipulated to make the cure---abortion---legal.
God commands the pregnant mother to give birth and take care of the baby, because abortion is murder, and one of the Ten Commandments states, "You shall not murder." I cannot solve the dilemma this command and the unfortunate circumstances that the young lady is in have brought about.
But I can advise you ladies that are fortunate enough not to have faced the problem. You can make sure you don't get pregnant. First, there is will power. Make the hard decision now that you will not allow your body to give in to importunate demands of the male you are with. Second, you can determine which day of every month that the 12-hour period during which you are fertile will occur, and not date that day, or even two or three days before and after. If you don't know how to determine that, then ask, ask, ask, read in hygiene books, look it up on the internet. Above all, find out. Even I know how to determine the 12-hour period and I am a great-grandfather. No matter how difficult this seems to be, it is a whole lot easier than what you will have to do in case of pregnancy.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Must God Apologize To Sodom?
Ho! Sodom! Your bones must with anger shake!
Gomorrah! Beneath your brimstone covers!
That God permits America break
His moral law; her men of men lovers;
Her women of women; As foul as thee!
And as of yet, His punishing fire restrain!
What new Abraham stays God's hand in plea?
For the righteous, He begs God's storm restrain!
His angels even now, warning of death,
Hide guarded behind the doors of new Lot,
Themselves unsafe from lusters' evil breath!
Whose daughters offered, their purity blot?
If America's sins are unreprised,
Should God to Sodom have apologized?
Paul said in Romans 1:26-27:
"Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another." (See also Genesis 18:16-33, 19:1-29)
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Gomorrah! Beneath your brimstone covers!
That God permits America break
His moral law; her men of men lovers;
Her women of women; As foul as thee!
And as of yet, His punishing fire restrain!
What new Abraham stays God's hand in plea?
For the righteous, He begs God's storm restrain!
His angels even now, warning of death,
Hide guarded behind the doors of new Lot,
Themselves unsafe from lusters' evil breath!
Whose daughters offered, their purity blot?
If America's sins are unreprised,
Should God to Sodom have apologized?
Paul said in Romans 1:26-27:
"Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another." (See also Genesis 18:16-33, 19:1-29)
SUBSCRIBE TO POEMS --- FREE
Christian preachers, teachers, speakers, and lovers of poems---SUBSCRIBE
Receive a new poem every day---No commentary---Just scripture references
Great for sermons---devotionals---newsletters---seminars---free---give author's credit
All you have to do to subscribe is to send your request by email to
1yahweh1001@gmail.com Get previous blogs from ARCHIVES
Monday, December 1, 2008
Put Him To The Test
Belief alone is not equal to faith;
It must grow by putting God to the test;
A thought in the mind is a fleeting wraith,
But belief tested is faith at its best.
Will God keep His promise? Test what He said;
If proved, your belief into faith will grow;
No doubts then will creep unseen to your head;
Your faith is sound, and to heaven you'll go!
Leap crest to foaming crest o'er restless wave,
Blind to risk, for Jesus keeps it at bay;
Stay fixed on the Lord for Whose cause you brave,
Eyes glued to Him, so that on top you'll stay!
A faith untested is a faith suspect;
Put Him to the test, your faith to perfect!
The simplest invitation that is customarily used to invite a person to choose God rather than Satan is to ask him to believe in Jesus as the Son of God. One example that I used in a recent blog is found in John 1:12; another is in John 3:16; and there are many more in the Bible.
But a big problem arises with the word 'believe'. Many people who consider themselves Christian and are convinced they will be welcomed into heaven when they die, may not be accepted by the Judge, Jesus Christ, who has the ability to read what is in the heart of a person. He is the only being that knows exactly what anyone believes, and therefore is the only being that is able to separate a true believer from one who is not. No preacher, deacon, or any other person who is a member of a church has the ability to judge who is truly Christian and who is not. In fact, church members are explicitly warned not to judge others.
The problem, then, is how do you know you are truly saved? The Bible uses the word 'faith' a lot, which implies more than a simple mental assent to Jesus. That is why I chose the key watchword 'to love as Jesus loved' for my blog, because if you love as Jesus loved, you have proved to Jesus Christ, He Who knows the secrets of your heart, and He Who will be your judge, that you love Him, and you will be saved for sure.'
It must grow by putting God to the test;
A thought in the mind is a fleeting wraith,
But belief tested is faith at its best.
Will God keep His promise? Test what He said;
If proved, your belief into faith will grow;
No doubts then will creep unseen to your head;
Your faith is sound, and to heaven you'll go!
Leap crest to foaming crest o'er restless wave,
Blind to risk, for Jesus keeps it at bay;
Stay fixed on the Lord for Whose cause you brave,
Eyes glued to Him, so that on top you'll stay!
A faith untested is a faith suspect;
Put Him to the test, your faith to perfect!
The simplest invitation that is customarily used to invite a person to choose God rather than Satan is to ask him to believe in Jesus as the Son of God. One example that I used in a recent blog is found in John 1:12; another is in John 3:16; and there are many more in the Bible.
But a big problem arises with the word 'believe'. Many people who consider themselves Christian and are convinced they will be welcomed into heaven when they die, may not be accepted by the Judge, Jesus Christ, who has the ability to read what is in the heart of a person. He is the only being that knows exactly what anyone believes, and therefore is the only being that is able to separate a true believer from one who is not. No preacher, deacon, or any other person who is a member of a church has the ability to judge who is truly Christian and who is not. In fact, church members are explicitly warned not to judge others.
The problem, then, is how do you know you are truly saved? The Bible uses the word 'faith' a lot, which implies more than a simple mental assent to Jesus. That is why I chose the key watchword 'to love as Jesus loved' for my blog, because if you love as Jesus loved, you have proved to Jesus Christ, He Who knows the secrets of your heart, and He Who will be your judge, that you love Him, and you will be saved for sure.'
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