VESPERS AT THE END OF THE SABBATH: Mingling Praise With Petitions!!

Mindy Gottit
Grew Up
Grossly Gratified
Through The Gains Of Greed
Generously Granted To Her
By Grandfather Gottfried
AND
Granny Anne-Gel!

The Gottit's
Were Notorious
For Being Gross Grabbits!
"Thank You!"
Was Not A Phrase
Heard Used Amongst Them
Neither Did It Enter Into Their Minds
To Praise Anyone
For A Benefit That They Received
From Another's Hands!

Yet ...

Believe It Or Not
These Gottit Grabbits
Were Rabidly Insistent
That Every Single Person
- For Whom They Had Done
The Merest Favor -
Had To
Bow And Scrape
AND
Kiss Their Rings
AND
Sing Their Praises Profusely
Else They Be Called
"The Ingrate!"

One Fine Day ...

The Most Important Personage In The Public
D'Lordd
Opened Up His Castle
Stating That
He Would Be Granting Requests
To Those Who Willingly Made Petitions!

D'Lordd's Castle 
Had Twelve -  12 -  Gates
AND
A Note Was Affixed
To Every Single Gate!

The Note On The Castle Gate One Said:

Ask -  And It Shall Be Given!

Seek - And Ye Shall Find!

Knock - And The Door Shall Be Opened Unto You!

Gate TWO Said:

Give Thanks ... With A Grateful Heart!

Gate THREE Said:

By Prayer And Supplication 

Let Your Requests Be Made Known Unto God!

Gate FOUR Said: 

Oh, Give Thanks Unto The Lord For He Is Good!

Gate FIVE Said:

The Lord Bless You And Keep You!

Gate SIX Said:

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!

Gate SEVEN Said:

Praise Is Comely!

Gate EIGHT Said:

All Of Your Help Cometh From The Lord!

Gate NINE Said:

Thanks Be To God!

Gate TEN Said:

Hallelujah Is The Highest Praise!

Gate ELEVEN Said:

Oh, Give Thanks Unto The Lord 

For

His Mercy Endureth Forever!

Gate TWELVE Said:

No Good Gift Will Be Withheld!

No Surprise! No Shock ...

The First Petitions Received Came 
Wholesale
From Those Grabbits
The Gottit's!

They Had All Seen
Gate ONE
AND
Like A Ravening Locust Horde
The Grabbit Gottit's Got Their Got's On
AND
Grossly Gluttonous
They Made Their Greedy Requests Known!

Then ...
A Strange Thing Was Seen Occurring ...

The Poor
The Peaceful
The Polite
The Widows
The Oppressed
The Distressed
The Repressed
The Demoniacs
The Manic
A Lawyer
A Thief
A  Law School Teacher
A Tax Collector
The Town Whore
The Hungry
AND
The Needy
Were Seen
Steadfastly 
Walking Around The Castle!

Each Person 
Stopped
Stood Firmly
AND
Faithfully Read
Every Single Note
On Every Single Door
As If Life Itself
Rested 
In The Then Viewed Note
On The Current Door!

As Full Understanding Dawned
They Each Smiled
Raised Their Hands
AND
With Blessed Assurance
Each Went To The Door
AND
Made Their Petition
Unto D'Lordd!

As Time Passed
The Grabbit Gottit's 
Started Spreading Talk 
Around Town
That D'Lordd Was The Liar
That D'Lordd Never Answers Petitions
That D'Lordd Was Full Of Hot Air
AND
That They Wanted Nothing More To Do With 
D'Lordd!

There Was A Fine To-Do
Around The Town
As
Just About Every Body
Who Had Walked Around To D'Lordd's Way
Had Had Their Needs Met
AND
They Were Praising D'Lordd!

Gottfried Gottit
Washed Out His Mouth
On D'Lordd
Until ...
Like A Proverb
A Little Child
Led Him To The Truth!

That Little One Said
In Bell-like Tone:

"If D'Lordd's Words Resided In You

And You 

Had Resided In D'Lordd

Your Petitions 

Would Have Been Received!"

BUT ...

Said Gottfried:

"I Did What Gate ONE Said To Do 
And I Got Bupkiss!"

A Voice Was Heard Asking :

"If You Saw A Gate Marked ONE
What Should That Have Told You?"

"That There Was Another Gate!"
Those Assembled Cried In Unison!

BUT ...

Replied Gottfried:

Going Looking For Another Gate
Required Effort
And I Just Didn't See Why
I Should Walk Around!  
That Is Hard Work 
And I Pay People To Get My Work Done!
Furthermore
ONE Is My Favorite Number
AND
It Becomes My Station In Life!

"Man, You Need To Humble Yourself Before D'Lordd!"

"Did You Open The Door!"

"Door?! What Door?!"

"ALL Who Go To D'Lordd

Must Believe

That He Is 

And That He Is A Rewarder

Of Those Who Diligently Seek Him!"

"Huh?!
Believe!?
Who Said Anything About Believing?"

"I Read That D'Lordd Gives Good Gifts
AND
I Like Presents
AND
The Note Said: ASK!
AND
I Asked! Nothing To It!"

"Didn't You Ever Receive Anything From D'Lordd?"

Yeah! 
Sure!
But It Was Just Something Good That 
I Really, Really, Needed!

 A Voice Was Heard Saying:

He Just Wants The Bread And Fish!!

True!!  True!!

A Voice Asked:

Did You Give "Thanks!" 

And Praise To D'Lordd 

Just Like You 

DEMAND 

That Everybody Give You "Thanks!" 

And Praise For Everything ...

...  Including Their Paycheck 

That They More Than Earned!

Why Should I 
Gottfried Gottit
Say "Thanks!" 
For Something 
D'Lordd Asked Me 
To Ask Him For?!

Why Should I 
Praise D'Lordd 
For Giving Me Something 
That He Offered Me!

Raised In A Barn!!

Who Said That?

I Did!  Said Ma Rainey!
And I Cast Upon Your Head 
Your Charge Against Anybody 
Who Does Not Thank And Praise You 
According To Your Overblown Ideals!
You - Gottfried Gottit - Are An Ingrrraate!!

D'Lordd Gives Unto Us
What
In His Far-seeing Wisdom
Is Best For Us!
He Is Our Sovereign Lord
And
In Gratitude
For His Unmerited Favor Toward Us
We Give Willing Praise And Thanks!

That Gottfried Thinks He Is The Cat's Meow!

And He Believes His Requests Are Good Gifts To D'Lordd!

Suddenly ...

D'Lordd Is Noticed Walking Toward The Assembly!

D'Lordd! 

D'Lordd!

Gottfried! Walk With Me!
But, But, But, I Didn't Do Anything!

Exactly!
Now, Walk With Me!

We May Never Know What D'Lordd Said To Gottfried
BUT
He Is A Changed Man
AND
A Real Change Is Being Seen 
Among The Former Grabbit Gottit's!

They Are Turning Into The Gottit Givvitt's!

They Give Praise!
They Give Thanks!
They Are 
- Out Of Thankful Hearts -
Even Giving Gifts To Others
AND
Doing Missionary Work
AND
(No Need To Gasp)
They Are Exuberantly Giving Glory
To D'Lordd!

As For The Princess
Mindy Gottit
She Is A Work In Progress
For
Old Habits 
- Just Like Bad Attitudes -
Die Hard!

Pssst!

Are You 

Continually Giving 

Unto The Lord

YOUR Personal 

"Thanks!" 

And 

Praise?!

I Go To God + PRAYER: Claiming What God Says Is Mine!

I Live

In A Dying Body!

I Talk

In Prayer

To The Lord Of Life!

My Attitude

Before Him

Is One Of Reverence

Hoping Ever To Let Self

Bow Out

In Deference!

I Go To God

My Case To Plead!

I Tell God Everything

As Before Him

My Heart Bows

And

My Will Yields!

I Take No Pleasure

In Speaking

About My Sinful Disgrace

But

I Go To God Knowing

That In His House

He Holds For Me

A Beautiful Place!

PRAYER:

Lord,

I Place My Lowly Hand In Thine

And 

Willingly Acknowledge

That Thou Art Divine!

I Thank You, Lord

For Your Sacrifice

That Allows Me

By Grace 

To Grow Up

And

I Thank You For The Mercy

That Permits My Repentance

When

For Grace

By My Falling

In The Sad Day

I Fail To Show Up!

Forgive Me!

Father,

I Come To You Humbly

Knowing

That You Are Kind

And

I Claim

With Confidence

What You Have For Me

And 

In The Name Of The Blessed Jesus

I Accept It As Mine!

I Love You, LORD!

AMEN.

HAPPY SABBATH: Human Fate And Diplomatic Snakes!

There Was A Snake Named 
Diplomat
AND
There was Diplomat Named 
Snake!
Both Worked The Same Agenda
For
They Both Labored
To Delineate
Every Single Human's Fate!

When Diplomat Couldn't Achieve His Game Pass
He Called Upon Snake
To Do The Follow Through
AND
With Snake Doing The Mesmerizing
Diplomat Finalized
The Territorial Agreements
Of
Nations And Kindred
AND
Tongues And People
Many More Than Just A Few!

Well ...

It Was Inevitable
That One Day
Truth
Would Come Walking
Through The Door
Followed Deftly By 
The Light Of The Ages
With Wisdom
AND
Judgment
Making A Heavenly Guard
Whose Plain Words
- Spoken With Integrity And Honor -
Sounded To Wrongdoers
Like Keys Opening
Long Seized-up
Rusted
Prison Doors!

Diplomat The Snake
AND
Snake The Diplomat
Operate On The Basis
That Greed Is A Necessary Human Function
That One Upsmanship
Is The Juice For The Fool
AND
Taking Candy From Kids
Is The Tool Cruel
AND
Perfect
Perfect Fuel!

Open Your Eyes!
Clean Your Ears!
Hear The Hiss!
Snakes Are Subtle
AND
Diplomatic Snakes
Change Their Skin At Will!

Trust Truth
Even Though It May Hurt You!
Utilize Wise Wisdom
Even Though She Brings Forth
Lessons Hard!

Walk In The Light
AND
You Will Not Stumble
BECAUSE
The Judge Of The Earth
Makes The Final Judgment!
So Be Brave
For
Satan's Willing Workers
Will Rumble
Grumble
AND
Around Fumble
AND
Finally
To Hell Tumble 
Down!

Truth May Be Thrown

To The Ground

BUT

God's Truth 

Will Never Of Itself Fall Down!

PERSONAL PUZZLER: The Mercy Of God

God's Grace

AND

Mercy

Gives Me

Provision

Position

Possession

AND 

Living Hope

AND

One Day

If 

In Him

I Stand Firm

AND

Endure

To Mortal Life's End

I, Too

With All The Faithful

Of All The Ages

Shall

Receive

The Commendation Of

"Well Done, Good & Faithful Servant!"

"Enter Into The Joy Of Thy Lord!"

Immortality

Everlasting Life

A White Linen Robe Of Christ's Righteous

A Victor's Palm

A New Name

AND

An Everlasting Kingdom Gold Crown!

And Yet ...

It Has Been Said:

Let Us Break Down This Quotation To Get To The Real Truth For Only A Person Who Does Not Have A True Picture Of The Living Holy Eternal God Will Accept This Statement!

My Dictionary Study:

Conceive:      Appreciate; Apprehend; Envisage; Grasp
Appalling:      Astounding; Unnerving; Awful;
Strangeness:  Abnormal; Singular; Inexplicable; Odd
Mercy:           Blessing; Generosity, Gentleness; Lenience; Unmerited Favor

My Bible Says:

Let Us, Therefore, As King James Bible Believers - Not Elevating Self And Its Concepts - Make The Above Quotation Personal To Our Journey With Jesus Christ BECAUSE There Is Nothing Strange In The Love Of God:

Mortal Man
That I Am
Full Of Shame
Oft' In Disgrace
I Cannot Appreciate

The Astoundingly 

Inexplicable

Blessings Of Grace 
Of 
The Eternal God
Which I Shall
One Day
In The Resurrection
Of The Just
Behold
As An Overcomer
Of
The Evil One
In Jesus' Name!

... In Living Hope!

Praising God 
I Sing
As Unto Jesus Christ
I Cling
While Waiting For The Archangels Trumpet 
To Ring
Heralding The Arrival Of The Salvation
That Jesus Himself
- As Promised -
Brings!

Don't Brag!
Don't Drag!
Don't Lag
As You Hoist High
The Coming Jesus's Truth Flag!

Sigh And Cry
In Christ-fed Hope!
Give Up Sin
AND
The Devil's Dope
AND
Through Faith
AND
In Living Hope
Through Christ Jesus
Learn How 
Against Gross Cruelty
To Prosperously Cope!

Good Is Good!
Bad Is Bad!
Light Is Light!
Right Is Right!
Needs No Spin!
No Color!
No Polish!

Live In God's Word
AND
There Stay
Permitting No One To Fool You
Into Attending 
A Lying Satan's Affair
AND
To Sit In His Soul-desolating
Foreign To Truth
Christ Denier's
Self Appointed 
Man-As-God Chair!

Pray AND Pray
AND
Trust In God
AND
Not In The Devil
That Persistent Old Fraud!

Believe In Jesus Christ!
Please Don't Be Deceived!
Deny The Liar
AND
Trust In God's Promises
AND
Receive
The Eternal Gift Of 
The Eternal God
Eternal Life
With Jesus Christ The Lord
In The Realm Of The Blessed
In The Holy God's
Great 
AND
Glorious Reward!

Really Living Dead!

I Stand Before You 
As
A Dead Person!
Not Any Old Pedestrian Dead
BUT 
A Person - According To The Bible
Who Is 
By Choice
Dead 
To The Call Of This World
Where All Sinful Lusts Are 
With Pious Devotion
Fed!

I've Tasted Of 
The World's Sweet Meats
Which Gregariously Pulled Me
Away From God 
AND WHICH
Without Fail
Left In My Mouth
A Bitter After-Taste
AND
A Sour Stomach 
On Riotous Repeat!

From The Reading Of The Holy Scriptures
I Know That
- If Left Unrepented
AND
Unconfessed -
All Known Sin
Is Going To Rear Up
In Accusation
Against Me When 
The Great Judge Of The Earth 
We Meet!

Only Problem, Though
When We Finally Face 
The Judgement Bar 
Of 
Jesus Christ The Righteous
It Will Be Too Late
To Confess Our Sins
OR 
"Try" To Make A Passing Excuse
AND
For This Very Reason
I Choose NOW
To Be Dead To The World
NOW
AND
To Be Alive In Jesus Christ
So That In That Great Day
I Will Not Be Among The Rejected
Who
- In Fact -
Are Accounted To The Kingdom
As Total Cast Outs!
The Ejected!

I Implore You, Therefore, Brethren ...

Let Us Live 
In The World
BUT
Not Be 
A Part Of It!

Let Us Be The Salt That Flavors
That Points The Taste-buds Of Others
 To Jesus Christ!

Let Us, Therefore
Lift Up The Savior
So That His Mercy And Grace
Will Enlarge Us
As We - By Right Living -
Set Stones In The Path Called 
The Holy Way
AND
Then Lift Us Up To Glory On
That Great And Glorious Day!

Are YOU 
Really 
Truly 
As A Born-Again 
United-With-Christ Christian
Living ... DEAD
To This World?!

INDICTED: Working For God?!

You Love ME?!

How Can You Say You Love Me
When
You Say Nothing
Whilst Knowing That My Life Is A Big Fat Lie?!

How Can You Believe That You Love Me
When You Know That The Life I Lead
Will Cause Me To Eternally Die?!

You Say Your Way Is Better
BUT
Have You Shown Me
How To Live The Right Way?
Or
Is Your Better Way
Just For You
AND
Everybody Else
Is To Live Like
A Rabid Stray?!

I May Not Know Much
About The God That You Trust
BUT
I Have Heard A Thing Or Two
About The Holy God
AND
I Know
That The Truth
That You Are Unwilling To Feed Me
Makes You
Nothing More Than
A Laid Up
Weak
Unholy Fraud!

Love Me?!
You Most Certainly Do Not
OR
You Would - In Love -
Point Out
The Errors Of My Ways!
You Would Find Me
A Burden Upon Your Soul
AND 
Make Helping Me To See 
The Real Jesus
Your Life's 
True 
AND 
Ultimate Goal!

My Life Is Not
The Best One!
Lord Knows
It Is The Only One I Have Got
BUT
If I Were You
- An All-Fired Christian -
Working For My Jesus
I Would Try My Best
To Show The Right Way To You!

Please ...

Don't Try To Be Polite
Saying 
You Don't Want To Hurt My Feelings!
What Good Are Feelings
When As A Lost Sheep
I'm Dead?!

Tell Me Plain!
Let Me Make The Decision
To Accept 
Or 
To Ignore You
BUT
Don't Feed Me Lovely Provender
- With Poison -
On A Comfortable Four-Poster Bed!

Hurt Me ... With The Truth!
Don't Comfort Me ... With A Lie!
Help Me To Make
An Informed Decision
So That
If 
I Choose The Lie
I Made That Choice
FREELY!
AND
I Won't Be Dying
Because
You Came To Me 
Pretty AND Lying!

The Lord Gave You Mission?!
So, Go On AND Do It!

The Lord Gave You A Message?!
So, Get Up AND Deliver It!

Do God's Work
For Which You Say
You Have Been Called
AND
Stop Acting Like
An Undercover Agent
For The King Of 
The Underground Fraud Squad!

So ...

Tell Me?

What IS The Word Of The Lord?