IMPUDENT OR IMPORTUNATE: Paying Dues To The Lord Christ!

Impudent Sinner
And
Importunate Prayer
Are As Unlikely A Pair
As It Is Possible To Meet In The Kingdom Of Grace!

Impudent Sinner Is Bold In His Iniquitous Ways
And
Sincerely Contemptuous Of All Attempts
To Cause Him To Give The Lord Christ His Daily Dues
Which Are Owed By All The Citizens Of The Realm
Be They Young Or Old
Believer Or Nay
Rich Or Poor
Free Or Bond
Righteous Unrighteous
Thankful Unthankful
Holy Unholy
Clean Filthy
Just Or Unjust!

None Were Exempted From Paying The Necessary Dues!

Importunate Prayer
- By Stark Contrast -
Is 
A Humble Christian
Waiting For The Consummation Of Her Hope
For Faith To Be Made Sight!

Importunate Prayer Had Learned To Pray 

And
To Sincerely Petition From Her Old Granny-Ma
Who Had Had Cause To Appear In Court Before
- Of All People To Be Avoided -
The One And The Only
Unjust Judge!

Unjust Judge Did Not Fear Almighty God
And
He Had Not Even Common Respect For The Local Citizenry!
He Was Law Unto Himself ... Or So He Thought
And
He Did As He Pleased
To And For Whomever He Pleased
As And When He Saw Fit
Until He Butt Upon Granny-Ma Able Prayer
Who Had Cut Her Teeth In Her Mudda's, Raisah Prayer, Home!

Unjust Judge
Prided Himself On Having A Hard Heart
A Dead Conscience
A Face Of Flint
And
The Harshest "No!" Ever Uttered
To Those To Whom He Refused Justice!

Impudent Sinner Is His Well-Beloved
Some May Even Say
Favorite Grandson!

Importunate Prayer Loved Impudent Sinner 

With A Love That Would Not Let Him Go To Hell 

In A Hand-Basket Without A Fight
And
Impudent Sinner Was Quite Content To Let Her Swing In The Wind
While He Dallied With Heat Enda Night!

What He Did Not Know Or Expect
Was That Importunate Prayer
Intimately Knew The Lord Of Light
And
Had Personally Received Of His High And Holy Hand
The Living Word
Which Was A Lamp Unto Her Feet
And
A Sure Light Unto Her Path! 

As Long As She Had And Used That Living Word
She Could Never, Ever, Go Astray From Truth
And
By So Doing
Miss Entering Eternal Life!

Importunate Prayer Desired 
- With Her Whole Heart -
To Have Impudent Sinner Join Her In Eternal Life
In The Realm Of The Blessed
The Place Of Peace And Rest
In The Kingdom Of Glory!

Only Overcomers Of Sin May Enter There!

Only Those Who Wear The White Linen Robe
The Robe Representing The Righteousness Of Saints
- The Lord Christ's Righteousness -
Have The Right To Enter There
By Walking Through The Twelve Pearl Gates
And
Into The Glorious City
Wherein Is The Tree Of Life
And
The River Of The Water Of Life!
Angels Excelling In Strength 

Will Be The Companions Of All Who Enter There!

Impudent Sinner Thought He Had Importunate Prayer On Lock-Down

And

Check-Mated With No Options 
But 
To Wait On Him Until He Was Good And Ready To Come-To!

He.  Thought.  Wrong! 

Impudent Prayer

- Through The Blessing Of Experiential Worship -

Knew And Waited ... Patiently

On Her God

The Eternal God Of The Universe

The God Of All Graces

The God Who Saves And Seals

Helps And Heals

Leads And Feeds

Provides For And Protects

Guides And Chides

Teaches And Tests

Commands And Corrects
And
Oh, So, Very Much More!

Importunate Prayer Had Placed Impudent Sinner

On The Altar Of Sacrifice! 

He Was At The Top Of Her Prayer List!

She Prayed For Him!

She Prayed for The Salvation Of His Soul!

She Prayed That He Would Come To Jesus Christ

As His Forever Friend 

His Savior Lord And King

And

That He Would Repent Of His 

Willful Wayward

Sinful Selfish Ways

And

She Prayed For Him Without Ceasing!

Without Words Of Acrimony

And

With Kind And Gentle Ways

She Spoke Kindly To Him

And

Every Conversation They Had Together

She Ended The Same Way:

I Love You

But I Love Jesus Christ More! 

I Love You!

But Jesus Christ Loves You Best!

Time Passed As Time Does ...

Just As Water Against Stone Eventually Makes An Indelible Impression

Importunate Prayer's Living Example

Was Not Just Leaving Its Mark On Impudent Sinner

But 
Also On Everyone Observing The Interactions

Their So-called Relationship

And

The Self-Same Importunate Prayer!

Brethren ...

He Who Teaches, Learns! 

He Who Learns, Shares And Teaches  ... Another! 

And

He Who Teaches ... Learns ...!

A Light Held In The Hand

Illuminates The Light-Bearer! 

Light Shining On A Path Mark's The Way For Self And Others!

Light Shed On The Word Illuminates Aka Edifies The Reader

And

Exposes The Handler

And

Informs The Observer! 

Shed Light Is The Silent Witness

Which Speaks ... Volumes!

The Fact Of The Matter Is That ... 

On All Participants In The Story

The Holy Spirit Was Doing A Good Work

And

Those Trees

- In No Way Surprising To The Heavenly Intelligencies -

Started Sending Down Good Roots

Which Led To Those Good Trees Sumptuously Blossoming

And, Ultimately

Bearing Good Fruit!

Impudent Sinner

- Uplifted And Transformed -

Changed His Name To Repentant Sinner

And

That One Now Known As Repentant Sinner

In The Very Day He Went Down Into The Watery Grave

- Which Symbolized His Sharing In Christ's Death

And Being In Raising Up To Share The Newness Of Life

Because He Had Forsaken The World

And Because It Demonstrated Outwardly

What Had Changed Inwardly -

Proposed Holy Matrimony To Importunate Prayer!

On The Day Of The Nuptials ...

When The New Family Was Officially Presented To The Congregation

The Pastor Announced Them Thusly:

Mr. And Mrs. Repentant Sinner-Saved!

Three Boisterous Cheers Of Felicitation

Were Energetically Raised For Importunate Prayer-Saved

And

Joyful Hallelujah's And Prayers Of Thanks 
Were Offered Unto The God For Whom

Nothing Is Impossible! 

The Sinners-Saved Gave All Glory To The Eternal God Holy!

The Congregation Humbly Said:

AMEN!!!

The Day Love and Life Met

If That Isn't Love

The Day Love and Life Met

– D'Andrea's Story

For as long as D'Andrea could remember, she had always wanted to meet Emmanuel a/k/a Mr. Right. Her Mr. Right! And the day that she finally did meet him, she truly understood what all the girls at the mission meant when they talked about meeting “the one!”

He was not classically handsome. In truth, he wasn't much to look at!

He was tall – but not imposing.

He was dark, and light, and fair, and comfortable-looking.

He wasn't so important that she couldn't get close to, or reach for, him.

He wasn't so cold and formal and judgmental and imposing and intimidating that she would want to pass him by with nary a second look.

He was, well, like Bear Mom's porridge. He was just right! Kinda.

He didn't have a house, or any visible means of transportation.

He had an entourage, and a lot of groupies, and hangers-on but what made him worth knowing was the fact that the two most important big-wigs in the country hated him!

Family by marriage, rich, and politically connected, An Nas and Cai A. Phas, hated anyone who was more popular than themselves, and who – they believed – took glory away from their house, and their productions.

Truth be told, it was being bandied about that those two were plotting to have Emmanuel killed!

Emmanuel didn't even have a job though, it was said, he was a master craftsman having trained and worked under the eminent Davidite artisan Joseph Carpenter, and it was a fact that all he seemed to do was walk up and down the countryside, and the seaside, talking to the locals as though he was canvassing for elective office.

Some of the people who had met him personally had reported that he had some unknown power controlling him for he was able to dismiss their impossibilities as if they never were!

The day that D'Andrea met Emmanuel was the day that D'Andrea finally found her home, her heart, her love and her true life.

D'Andrea's recent life was one fraught with frustration, frugality, feeble-mindedness, filth and fomentation.

In short, her life was not a life or, at least, not a life worth living.

Disappointment, drudgery, deprivation, disavowal and disturbance were her realities.

What was to become of her?

Then, she heard the noise, and she knew! This was going to be her day!

Come hell, or high water, D'Andrea determined, then and there, that she was going to meet her Emmanuel!

Yes! He has her Emmanuel and she was going to claim him for her own!

And, then, there he was! Right in front of her face!

Oh, his eyes! Such beautiful eyes!

There was a banked fire burning in those eyes that bid one to come and rest for a while, and forever.

And, that voice! How it undulated as it flowed and covered one in the wet and wonderful warmth as of a soothing bath!

Emmanuel's words as sound on silent wind caress D'Andrea's soul, and there is ecstasy.

Finally. Finally!!

No more lies!

No more half-truths!

No more dissembling!

Here is her heart! He took it!

Here is past life. He cleansed it!

Here is love made true. She accepted it!

Emmanuel loves D'Andrea loves Emmanuel, and it is righteous.

D'Andrea's life has met her love, and she is ... home!

Father, Forgive Me!

Heavenly Father,

I come to You  today with a contrite heart and beseech Your forgiveness.

I ask you, Lord, to forgive me for all the times I did not trust You to make 

a way for me; for all the times I ignored Your wise counsel not to make 

a move and paid a heavy price for disobedience; for all those times that 

I have been willful, and hard-headed and chose to walk in my own wisdom; 

for all those times I chose to ignore  conscience and knowingly did what 

I knew to be  wrong in Your sight. Oh, Father, forgive me! Father, I beseech

You to forgive me for my often lack of faith in You, my Almighty God.

I beseech You, Father, to forgive me for the many times I have given

You my burdens only to take them back and made matters worse.

Father, I am sorry for being an often wayward child, and I ask You to help

me to stay on the straight and narrow path, and to always 

do right even in the face of rabid opposition.  Father, I love You, and I ask

these mercies in the name of Jesus Christ, the Righteous, and I thank You for

hearing and answering prayer. AMEN.