I will never forget the first time I felt the wonderful warmth of God’s favor.  I was completely and forever changed.  There is no place more comfortable or satisfying than in His presence.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude at the knowledge He also desires our time together and loves to hear the sound of my voice.

The Sunshine of a Grateful Heart

The new day’s sunshine warms the land.
The smile of God warms the heart of redeemed man.
His love is evident at every turn.
It cannot be bought, it is not earned.
His love like the sunshine falls on the just and unjust too.
It too when treated with disrespect may badly burn you.
God’s favor is as sure as is His love.
It surrounds, and rises from within, and falls from above.
Allow its sweet benefit to wash over you;
In its holy sun shine move.
Perhaps the joy of salvation has been pushed down,
By the threatening clouds of life all around.
You need to remember God is in full control.
He has a sure hold on your soul.
He smiles at remembrance of your smile.
Such is the love He has for His child.
He is pleasured by the sound of your voice each day;
And draws close when you pray,
He is glorified when in remembrance you come,
To revel in the warmth of Jesus grateful for all He has done.

Colossians 2:6-7
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

            Holy Spirit is making us more like Jesus each day.  It is an exciting truth and yet there is a certain responsibility to it.  Are we not to do as He did whenever we have opportunity?  He never asks us to do what He does not give us the strength and ability to do.  We are a work in progress formed by the Master’s hand.

The Master’s Hand

Formed expertly by the Master’s hand;
Guided to fulfill His master plan,
A beautiful masterpiece put on display,
To Christ’s image portray.
Anointed, appointed and commissioned to serve,
By living, speaking, and serving the Word.
You are a light in the darkness; a fresh water supply
To assist another seeking thirsty soul dry.
A work in progress, yet finished by the work of God’s Son.
In a daily battle and yet the battle is won.
The touch of the Master upon your life,
Assures every wrong is made right.
His touch is as close as a prayer.
When you give praise He is already there.
His touch is upon you, in you and also flows through you.
When you reach out to another the Master hand touches them too.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

        When a buried half-memory visits we are tempted to dredge it all up. When it is a good recollection it is a pleasurable experience. However in unwanted remembrances we need to allow the Lord to help us lay it aside or to reveal in His time with His healing touch.

Digging Deep in the Sands of Time

Digging deep in the sands of time,
Uncovering things hidden left behind.
Things that the mind selected,
As not worthy of noting and therefore rejected.
Little memories surface and try to find permanent place,
Where they are kept and not erased.
But is it always wise to dig down to them?
To bring them back to surface again?
Occasionally it is healthy to do,
For in recollection they no longer bother you.
It is better when God helps you dig deep,
For He has a gift of healing for you to keep.
Then the memory is better than before,
For they are touched by the hand of the Lord.
Forgive others as you have been forgiven and you will find,
Buried hurts are changed by the sands of time.

Psalms 51:9-13
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

The Rock

The stone was heavy and it was sealed tight
The tomb that held the Master was dark without light
How could they finish the work they needed to do?
Who would the great obstacle move?
Their footsteps slowed hearts heavy within
They felt the great loss of their Lord and friend.
Dried tears still stained their cheeks.
Pain within was tight with grief.
Sorrow filled every thought,
Their bruised, aching hearts relief sought
What would they need for the great struggle ahead?
Preoccupied with worry they forgot what their Lord said
He said that He would die and He would live again.
He told them He needed to pay for their sins.
He declared He would defeat the enemy
He professed He would set the captives free
As they approached the sepulcher… what a glorious sight
The inside of the tomb was filled with light
Could it be, their hearts cried?
The Stone is removed and Jesus in not inside
He has risen! Their eyes wide with joy and hope within
Could it be? Can it be they would see their Lord again?
Easter time remembers the work of Jesus on the Cross of shame
And it celebrates that the Lord did not behind the stone remain.
He is at the right hand of the Father in intercession for you and me
So now we on the Solid Rock stand new, whole, and set free

Psalms 95:1
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise
to the rock of our salvation.

The Light Was Extinguished

The Light was extinguished; blown out by sin.
It was a terrible darkness that covered Him.
The One pure and as white as new fallen snow,
Was blackened by the sin-blight of every mortal soul.
His heart was broken, crushed by the pain.
The Holy love of the Father could not with Him remain.
Love called out “Forgive them they know not what they do.”
His love committed Himself to die for me and you.
What a dedicated love that chose to die for the lost;
That in such suffering, endured the terrible defilement of the cross.
But on the third day there was Light;
Jesus lives again to His disciples delight.
He that so loved… loves us still.
He that died for our sins has His Father’s will fulfilled.
The sinful, darkened, believing heart is made new and whole;
Full of light and love is the redeemed soul.
He lives! He is alive! They gladly testify.
Because He lives He brings His light inside.
Because He lives the believer is new and whole;
With sweet songs of joy, the Easter message is retold!

John 9:5
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

            I recently saw a truth.  It hit me hard.  The donkey has a natural cross on its back; And it carried Jesus to the place where He would carry the cross to die for our sins.  So many truths are hidden from our sight. Are you happy our hearts are now able to hold the Savior the real Truth in our hearts?

Hidden Truth

When the donkey carried Jesus the cheering crowd believed He was to be crowned King.
They threw down their cloaks as children would dance and sing.
The donkey the Master rode sported a cross on his back.
Jesus willingly placed Himself there; there was no turning back.
The people thought He was entering to cause profit for a better life.
They missed the timing; the truth was hidden from their sight.
Shortly after, Jesus carried the cross; beaten ragged and sore.
Many of the same crowd was now crying “Crucify” to the Lord.
He was traveling to Golgotha to truly set them free.
Again the truth they did not see.
He was pinned up on the cross  to die,
Between two thieves the Son of God was crucified.
The earth quaked, devils danced, and the heavens wept,
Still the people were blind and lost in confusion’s midst.
But into deaths door light enter in.
God paid the price for new life to begin.
Death could not hold Him; He is light, and the way.
He is alive!  He is the light that shines truth to those who believe to this day.

Romans 6:6-7
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  For he that is dead is freed from sin

John 8:32
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

How Far Could He See?

He was sorely beaten, upon His head a crown of thorns roughly placed;
Great nails pierced His flesh and the beard was torn from His face.
Placed on a rugged cross with a sign clearly to be seen,
By a sea of faces; crying, mocking, evil, and mean.
Lifted up with two thieves…one on each side,
As a mass of people waited for them to die.
From the cross; upon His back every sin of every man was known.
The perfect Son of God called each sin His own.
How far could He see, is the question asked?
He saw right now right where we are at.
He saw far into the future and as far back as sin’s start.
He accepted the penalty of our every sin so He could reign again in our heart.
Every sin, every shame, and all inability;
He saw and paid for at Calvary.
Great is the day when our opened eyes can fully know,
He rose alive on the third day so His life through us will overflow.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

2 Corinthians 5:21
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Paid in Full

Prepaid, paid in full, already the account is clear.
Nothing held against you, there is no debt to fear.
Wasted are the works of man, as he strives to pay the price.
For there is only one acceptable sacrifice.
Every sin-debt is paid, every one that ever was, and is to be.
The account has been completely wiped clean.
But every person must choose to accept help from God’s hand,
Or be prepared to pay their-own debt upon demand.
The most important thing, that everyone needs to see,
All effort to save oneself are as filthy rags- as worthless as can be.
Behold the cross and its toil done in your name
Believe on the sacrifice of Jesus, and no debt remains.

Isaiah 44:22
I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

Romans 4:7-8
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

            I used to expect trouble, kind of like Murphy’s Law.  I expected to fail, and I did.  I have since learned to hope for what God’s Word says.  I expect the God that loved me so much He died for my sins finishes the work He started in me.  I no longer live anticipating bad news; I am living the Good News watching for God’s provision for our souls.

Expectancy is Another Word for Faith

My hope for the future is colored bright.
I expect wrongs will be changed to right.
In every difficult step I take
I expect new strength in renewed faith.
Hope and expectation holds unto faith’s hand.
They are the three united to accomplish God’s plan.
We hope for a child, we in faith expect,
A beautiful God-given gift.
Love gives what we have faith to receive.
God is love and He gave all we can hope for to set us free.
When I get down in the dumps and hope and expectancy is low
My faith in God’s love lifts me up and will not let me go.
Then hope is renewed like a fresh rain on parched ground,
And expectancy for God’s favor again is found.
Faith looks up and will not look back
God’s love again has pulled the three united back on track.

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Do you love Jesus and poems that glorify Jesus?  If so perhaps you will be blessed as I have been by the Scriptures and  inspired words of rhyme that have given me sweet assurance that God loves me even more than I love Him, and that He too loves poetry.  You can get your copy on Amazon.

A Poem a Day

An apple a day keeps the doctor away;
You have heard before.
I believe a poem a day keeps the devil at bay,
As you concentrate on the Lord.
An apple has its benefits it is true,
But words that agree with God’s Word are even better for you.
Are you feeling down? Do you think no one cares?
Come and digest some words that assures God is always there.
Holy Scripture is packed with healthy things to eat;
To provide inner joy and emotional and spiritual strength.
When you are hungry for a special touch
From the God that loves you so very much,
A love poem arrives to cause heart to smile or sing.
A little extra gift delivered to the child of the King.