Showing posts with label Matthew 5:17. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matthew 5:17. Show all posts

Friday, June 10, 2016

HAPPY SABBATH: The Lived In Face








In The Old Days
Before It Was The Thing
To Spackle And Fill
Dermabrade
And Do Botox
It Used To Be Said Of A Person
With A Weathered Face
That
His Her Life Is Written In Their Face!

I Was Always Enthralled With This Idea 
And Really Loved The Road Maps Produced!

I Was Am Enamored With The Lived-In Face!

The Face Marked
Marred
With The Evidence Of A Life Lived
With Its Trials
Tribulations
Hopes Achieved
Hell Endured
Victories Won
Failures Overcome
Pleasures Enjoyed
Pains That Annoyed
Satisfaction In Arriving At Salvation
Sorrow For Sin That From Jesus Drew You Away
Pride When Children Excelled And Kept Shame At Bay
Love In The Home
Joy In The Lord
Worry That Made One Humble Self Before God In Prayer
Triumph That Made One Sing Praises To God
Confidence In The Living Word Spoken From The Sacred Desk
Knowledge That Peace And Rest Are Found In Him Who Loves Us Well And Best
Assurance That He Who Paid Our Price Will Carry Us Home Across The Divide
Peace In Knowing That Our Holy God Is Real And Alive
AND
That We Can Ever Always
What's In Our Hearts
To Him Confide!

There Is Faith In Him
For
The Living And The Loving
The Crying And The Dying
AND
There Is The Assurance Of The Knowledge
That The Record Of Life
Shows That We Have Confidence 
In The Finished Work Of Christ On The Cross!

There Is No Fearing
That Hope For Heaven Is Loss
For The Living Lord
Is
The First
The Final Boss
AND
We Are Satisfied
With How God Made Us
Knowing That If We Sow To Eternity
Our Promised
Purchased
New Life Will Be
Youthful
IMMORTAL
ETERNAL
Unmarred
Unmarked
PERFECTION!

Alas ...

The Face Of Today
Without Rhyme Or Reason
Is Plain
Plastic
Ever New
Always Tight
Severely Unmarred
BUT
Still Marked:


  • Knows Not The Living God!
  • Never Lived In For Real!
  • Never Had A Root Crop Just Shale!
  • Never Been Tilled Nor Irrigated!
  • Never Been Manured!
  • Never Had A Waiting For Any Reason!
  • Never Known A True Growing Season!


How Sad
That To Show
You Have Lived Honestly In Your Body
Is To Show
To The Wicked World
That You Are
A Penniless Nobody!


God Bless The Child
Reared
To Invite
The Spirit Of The Holy God
In His Inside
To Abide!


*********

Better A Warm Face
Of
Life-Carved Flesh
Than A Factory Face
Of
Brittle Cold Porcelain Perfection!




Friday, May 13, 2016

HAPPY SABBATH + Dying To Live ... With The Lord!




I Listened To  A Sermon
Recently
That Made A Big Impression On Me!
It Was Of A Son Mother Apostle
Who Had Prior Long-Range Knowledge
Of The Coming Death
Of A Beloved's Body!

The Son
He The Savior
He The Sure Word
Knew Of His Own Death
Before He Even Created The World
And,  Yet
Despite This Fore-Knowledge
Despite His Being All-knowing Wise
He Still Created
The Instrument Of His Own Demise!

And, Indeed ...

At The Appointed Time
He Was Vilely Crucified!

The Creature Crucified Its Creator!
The Creator Stood Not In The Creature's Way!
The Created Was Consumed
With The Creator's Death
AND
Thereby Sealed Its Own Doom!

But ...

That Is Not My Point!

A Mother Gave Birth To Her Son
Her Own Soul's Savior
And Met In The Temple
A Prophet
On The Eighth Day
Who, Holding The Blessed Child
In The Mother's Hearing
Did Prophecy
How In The Distant Future
The Mother's Son Was Going To For The World Die 
Thrusting A Sword Through Her Heart 
And Making Her Cry
For She Would Know That Her Heaven-Sent Baby
Was Born To Die!

How Did She Have The Heart
To Nurse 
Comfort 
Raise 
Teach Her Boy Baby
Knowing He Was Born To Die 
But Knowing Not The Day Of His Death!

But ...

That Is Not My Point!

The Disciple
Turned Apostle
In An Epistle
Declared His Love For His Lord!
He Even Cut Off The Ear Of The High Priest's Servant
The Night They Came To Arrest 
His Master Savior 
Teacher Friend 
The Lord!

Just Before The Disciple Became An Apostle
Just Before The Master Returned To Realm 
Where He Is Our High Priest 
AND
Coming King
The Friend To The End
Told The Friend Born Of Mere Men
The Manner In Which He Would Reach His Life's End!

Lord Almighty!
The Weight Of The Burden!
To Know That You Are Going To Die
For The Cause Of Your Risen From Death
And Soon Departing Master
And Knowing It Will Be In Your Old Age
But Not Knowing The Year Day!
How Does One Proceed To Live
When Having Reached
The Prophesied Old Age?

That Bombastic
Lord Denying
Repentant
Renewed
Christ-commissioned Apostle
Knew Of A Surety
Death ... Is Coming
Any Day
His Way
AND
He Lived Out The Great Commission
Doing Exactly What His Master Had Told Him
On That Fateful Day!

Simon?!
Do You Love Me?

Lord, You Know I Love You!

Feed My Lambs!

Simon?!
Do You Love Me?

Lord,  You Know I Love You!

Feed My Sheep!

Simon?!
Do You Love Me?

Lord, You Know Everything!
You Know I Love You!

Feed My Sheep.

Commissioned
Provisioned
Prepared
Broken
Remade
Declared
Simon Called Peter
Walked Among The Human Herd
And, Of It
Culled
A Flock
Fit For His Master
Sustained
By The Love Of His Lord!

Simon Peter
Had His Lot In With His Lord Cast 
Knowing Full Well
Any Day
Today
Could Be His Very Last!

He Didn't Travel Around
Waiting
For A Talking Ass
To Tell Him
His End Was Coming Up Fast!
He Lived Each And Every Day
As If Each Was The Last

AND ...

One Day
Don't You Know
He Was... RIGHT!


The Love Of God
Sustains Us
When Mankind's Chains
Restrain Us!

No Complaints
Will Come Out Of Us
For
Our God Goes Before Us
And
Is Always Assuredly With Us!

*********

All Committed Christians 
Stick
To Their Appointed Task!