Category: Blog

You think you are worthy of heaven
‘I’m not so bad’; so you say
‘I’m am nice, I am friendly to people
I listen to God, I obey’
I follow the great Ten Commandments
I avoid lust and greed when I can
But beyond that, what can you expect Lord?
After all, I am only a man.
My sinful past says I’m unworthy
I should be dammed and go straight to hell
Come to think of it, you’re not so good either
You have your own bad secrets to tell
Not even you are worthy of heaven
Not even you are worthy of grace
You don’t even deserve God’s acceptance
You reservations in hell, not heavens’ place
But God sees things very different
He takes all your failings as His own
And that perspective is called His redemption
It comes when to Christ you are known
Not even you deserve God’s damnation
If you accept Christ as Savior and Lord
Not even you can do enough good things
No, you can never God’s goodness afford
Not even you are clean, no not close
Not even you can God’s demands meet
So God decided He’d meet them Himself
All you must do is let Christ wash your feet
No, not even you are above God dying for you
No, not even you are below His expectations
For He remembers your frame is but dust
And so He offers you Christ as Salvation

Psalm 53:3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Ps 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

John 13:8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me

Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Spit and polish!  I sat very comfortably over Him as He bent over, brushing each of my shoes hard enough that they reflected a dull image of his face.  He never looked up.  I was impressed with his humility.  It was clear that this man knew how to spit.  Once he was finished, he stepped back and I stood up and flipped him a coin.

Jesus could have easily shined shoes because after all he did wash feet.

Imagine the Savior of the world, God Himself incarnate, bending as low as to shine my shoes.  How do I repay Him?  I flip him a coin.  He tells me it is not enough.

I toss my loose change in the offering basket on Sunday morning.  I take an occasional read of His word, and I spew out a few trite words over my meals.  I am nice to strangers (most times) and I give to charities that show pictures of dirty, hungry, and desperate children.

In reality, God does not need my money.  God does not even need me to go to outer-Mongolia, Timbuktu and he is certainly not impressed with my righteous posture of sitting over his bent form shining my shoes.

I need to look up at Christ and see the true image of His face, not the dull image reflected on my shoes.   I need to repent of my arrogant posture of thinking I have done enough, given enough and even prayed enough.  What is the true measure of enough?  It is not how much I give of what I have acquired.  He does not want all that I have.  He wants all that I am.

After all God has done for you, and still does, don’t you dare flip Christ a coin.  He wants all of you.  Spit and polish!

Mark 10:21Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Mark 10:22And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

I turned off the lights
Then looked for it
In the dark
There I knew it must be
I knew in the dark
I must find it
But of course
It was so hard to see
I continued my search
May sound crazy
Without light
Tough search at best
But if I turned on the light
Some might see me
Searching for answers
I’d rather continue to guess
I’d rather search in the dark
Even stumble
Make bad choices
Take my failings in stride
Some might say
‘Oh now he’s religious’
He thinks God’s there
On his side
So I turned off the light
And kept searching
Keeping faith in the dark
Because of pride
And the longer I searched
The less peace I had
I had success
But joy I’d not find
So if you leave Christ
Out of your searching
You will never
Have true peace of mind
Of course others
Will see your light
They will notice
It’s intense and does really shine
That is why Jesus saves
Why He keeps you
He wants to say
‘This one is Mine’
Turn on the light
In your search for life’s answers
They are not of flesh
They are truly divine

Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Pr 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Pr 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Pr 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

The beggar looked right in my face
His request  I could not avoid
Would you help me get a bite to eat
I tried not to look annoyed
I used a lame excuse that time
I told him, I would pray
He wanted something definite
Instead I chose to say
I see your need is real my brother
Give me time to think about it
Besides what is the rush right now
God will show me, please don’t doubt it
And then I turned away and left
As though trying to resolve it
I knew that if I ignored this man
For sure someone else would solve it
I like to use the prayer excuse
It’s spiritual and neat
And then I can sit at table full
And not worry what others eat

Proverbs 3:27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it

James 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

James 2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

Isaiah 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

Isaiah 1:14Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

I awakened quite early this morning
Before even the rising of sun
I knelt down at my bedside and said Master
I just want to hear you say ‘well done’
I went forth in the strength of that moment
Lots to do, life on the run
And with every encounter I paused and said Master
I just want to hear you say well done
The chores of the day seemed almost endless
Work is work, seemed there’s no time for fun
But as each task was completed I said Master
I just want to hear you say well done
As I returned home later that evening
Time to rest, before next day’s begun
I knelt down at my bedside and heard ‘my child
I just want to tell you well done’

Mt 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

The H Words
There is a word; I don’t like to use it
Holiness! Makes me feel rather stiff
And so I do all I can to avoid it
Because I just want to know ‘what if?’
What if I miss out on the good things?
What if I miss out on the fun?
What if I don’t get all that’s coming?
What will I have missed when life’s done?
Should I choose to be Happy not Holy?
Should I choose to live as I please?
Do I really need to honor God in heaven?
Or indulge every pleasure every tease?
Or should I decide to be Holy not Happy?
Can holiness give me happiness too?
Oh the dilemma of these H words confused me
So I decided to ask God what to do.
He told me that life was not about me
That I was created to bring glory to Him
And that I could only be happy when holy
And to try other ways, I never would win
For Christ on the cross looked to Heaven
But to get there, He had Hell to face
He was not happy to die there
But He was holy and thus took my place
In Holiness, He pleased the Father
And that made the Father beam with delight
So if I choose to make my Father Happy
I’ll be Holy and walk in Christ’s light

Le 11:44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy:

My anger is tender
That makes it unique
My wrath is quite gentle
It’s soft when I speak
I wound to heal
I break to correct
My own blood is the balm
Let it have its effect

Psalm 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hebrews 12:7-8 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? But if ye are without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

1Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

I won’t be found by thinking
Your mind is feeble and flawed
Your reasoning won’t reach Me
I AM to be reverenced and awed
With logic you try to approach Me
With mere reason and simple wit
Like multiple choice questions
I AM the I AM, not some it
No I won’t held by your ransom
Following your advice and suggestions
I AM the I AM you can’t fathom
I won’t be found in today’s fashions
I won’t be found in your reasons
What seems fair and logic to you
Moods that change with the seasons
Don’t look for ME in what’s new
Your happiness plays no part
In whether I let you live or die
I speak not to your head but your heart
I AM THE I AM, THE FIRST AND LAST WHY
I won’t be found where you left Me
Where you shed tears of regret
But if you want Me, just call Me
I AM here and near for you yet

Ro 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Ps 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

I plant each grudge seed with care
I make sure to give plenty of space
Each plant needs plenty of air
I delete any pretence of grace

Grace only inhibits the growth in soil
It won’t allow the seedlings to sprout
Mercy only makes grudges spoil
So like weeds I pull them both out

At the harvest I have plenty to show
Though nothing that can feed or make well
But the grudges are in a nice row
Take a taste and experience hell

I know my garden serves no Godly reason
It does not help, heal or even make whole
And at the end of each planting season
I lose a little bit more of my soul

I had better let Christ tend my small garden
It would be best to let Him till the ground
The fruit that He grows is sin’s pardon
And life forever in Him is found

Mt 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

My lover is keeps it simple
My lover makes it plain
My lover knows my laugh
My lover knows my pain

He knows I’m far from perfect
Even when I try my best
He focuses on my good points
And de-emphasize the rest

My lover kisses pimples
Those on the cheek and nose
Just as He smooches dimples
Because my lover knows

The pimples are a part of me
Their marks etched into my face
But my dimples will fade with time
Leaving wrinkles in their trace

So my lover chooses both
That is His preference, you see
Failures, faults and foibles
Is why my lover chooses me

For if he saw only dimples
And as those sweet traits do leave
His love in turn would grow cold
That would cause my heart to grieve

So he kisses every pimple
Every blackhead, mark and mole
That is love, true love indeed
My lover satisfies my soul

Psalms 103:14: For HE knows OUR frame; HE remembers that we dust.

C.S. Lewis: You don’t have a soul, you have a body. You are a soul.