It's Good to Be Near God

I am always with You,
You hold me by my right hand
You guide me with Your wisdom
You will lead me to where You stand

Whom have I in heaven but You?
Earth's desires will all fade and tarnish
My heart and my flesh may fail
God is my strength, my soul's wish

It is good to be near Him, 
My Sovereign Lord and God;
I will tell of His salvation,
The wondrous deeds of my God
---
(Psalm 73:23-28)

God’s Invitation To Life

Come, all who are thirsty
Though you be poor
Come and eat. Wine and milk
Will freely pour

Spend money on food
That doesn’t sustain? Why?
Or labour for that
Which does not satisfy?

Listen to me, ingest what is good
And to your soul I will give
The richest of fare that your soul
May abundantly live

Seek the Lord while He may be found
Call on Him while He is close
Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous, their thoughts dispose

Let them turn to our merciful God
Who will pardon, restore
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts
Neither are your ways Mine,” says the Lord

As the heavens are higher
Than the earth below
So are My ways higher than yours
And My thoughts also

As the rain and the snow
From heaven come down
And do not return to it
Without watering the ground

And making it bud and flourish
Yielding seeds to be spread about
And bread for the hungry
So is My word that from My mouth goes out

It will not return to Me void
But will accomplish what I desire and achieve
The purpose for which it was sent
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace

The mountains and hills will burst into song
Junipers and myrtles, and every tree will applaud
Replacing the thorn bush and briars
For the everlasting glory of God
---
Isaiah 55                    

Lord, Fuel My Passions

Lord, fuel my passions;
May they only serve You
May I only bow down
And bring worship to You
For You are my God,
My righteous Creator
You're my King and my crown,
Good and merciful Saviour
---
Isaiah 44:14-19

Live Worthily with Unity and Maturity

Live worthily of the calling
You received from the Lord above
Be humble, gentle and patient,
Bearing with each other in love

Strive to stay united 
Through the Spirit's bond of peace,
Serving the body of Christ
Until mature faith we all reach

Speak the truth in love; put off
Your corrupted self; put off the old;
Put on righteousness and holiness;
Don't give Satan a foothold

In your anger, do not sin, 
Nor let it fester and brew
Do honest work so you can share
With those who've less than you

May others be built up 
By encouraging words you utter,
Not unwholesome talk
That belongs down in the gutter

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit;
Get rid of brawling and anger,
Along with every kind of malice,
Bitterness, rage and slander

Be kind and compassionate, 
Forgiving everyone,
Just as God forgave you
Through Jesus Christ, His Son
---
Ephesians 4

Faith in Action

Be confident and hopeful 
That God's promises are true
Live a life that pleases Him
His presence, earnestly pursue

Persevere through persecution 
And you'll receive your reward -
The joy of righteousness,
Perfection with the Lord
---
Hebrews 11

Follow the Way of Love

Follow the way of love,
Speaking words of encouragement
Make room in your heart for those
Who are holy and reverent 

John's Confession of Christ

John freely confessed, "I am not the One
The Jewish people have been waiting for,
But a voice calling in the wilderness,
Preparing the way for the coming Lord
I am not the Prophet, nor Elijah
Nor the Lamb of God, nor the Messiah;
I saw the Spirit descend from heaven above
As gentle as a peaceful dove
And remain on Christ, God's Chosen One
The Son of Man, God's only begotten Son"

The discerning disciples discovered 
That Moses and the prophets wrote of Him
If you hear Christ's voice calling out to you,
Leave all behind and quickly follow Him 
---
John 1:19-51

Let There Be Good

The Alpha and Omega,
The Beginning and End
Said, "Let there be, 
May it be so, Yes and Amen"

In all, that God sees as good, 
Let us bear fruit, and multiply
For God gives all that we need,
Our good Creator, and Lord of Light
---
Genesis 1

The Body of Christ (1 Cor. 3)

Brothers and sisters, do not be worldly
Like mere infants in Christ,
But live by the Spirit,
Without jealousy and strife

Do not say, "I follow one"
And, "I follow another"
For we are all servants of God,
All sisters and brothers

One plants the seed and one waters,
But God makes it grow, producing a yield
And each will be rewarded 
For their personal labour in God's field

By God's grace, I laid a foundation
As a wise builder would,
But each should build with care,
Not with straw, hay or wood

Since our foundation is Christ,
We should use gold, silver, precious stones,
For the quality of our work
Will be, through God's refinement, shown

Remember we are God's temple
And He dwells among us
So do not boast of foolish matters,
But boast in Christ Jesus

The Stoning of Stephen (Acts 6 & 7)

When the early church was rapidly growing,
The disciples selected seven men
To serve widows in their distress,
One of them being Spirit-filled Stephen;
He was full of faith and wisdom
And God’s power and grace,
Performing great signs and wonders
But opposing Jews vainly tried to debate
Then they plotted and stirred up the people,
Bringing false witnesses before the Sanhedrin 
Accusing him of blaspheming Moses and God
All who sat in the council saw an angelic Stephen 
The high priest inquired of him,
"Are these charges against you true?”
Stephen replied, explaining 
How the God of glory had moved
Through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
How God’s people would be set apart
And how Joseph was sold into slavery
By his jealous brothers, the patriarchs 
Stephen spoke of how Moses, the prophet 
Was powerful in speech and deed
And how God called him and used him
In the wilderness and at the Red Sea
Though Moses spoke living words from God,
They chose to worship idols instead
“You are like those who killed the prophets
But you’ve killed the Christ,” Stephen said 
The members of the Sanhedrin 
Became enraged and on Stephen they gnawed
He said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man,
Jesus, standing at the right hand of God”
They all yelled and rushed at Stephen 
Stoning him, as he prayed on his knees
“Do not hold this sin against them,
Lord Jesus, my spirit, receive”

Do Not Fear, Nor Worry

Do not fear, little children,
For your Father is pleased
To give you the kingdom
Where there are no thieves
And no destruction or decay
Do not worry about food and clothes
Look at the ravens that God feeds
And wildflowers splendidly robed
You are more valuable to Him
Than one could ever measure
So seek Him and His kingdom;
There, your heart will find its treasure
---
Luke 12:22-34

Our Glory Yet to Come (Romans 8:18-30)

Do not compare your present sufferings
With the glory yet to come
When God, the Father, will reveal
His true daughters and sons
Then all creation will be set free
From decay and death
No more will we groan in pain
And labouring breath
Now we, who have a foretaste,
Await the feast with anticipation
The hope of our redemption,
Waiting patiently for our salvation
The Spirit helps us in our weakness
With wordless groans and prayers
In accordance with the will of God
Who knows our concerns and cares
And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those
Who love and serve Him,
Who He foreknew and chose
To be conformed to the image
Of His Son, Jesus Christ
Those He predestined for this purpose,
He also called them justified
---
September 5, 2017

Petition and Praise

Lord, help me learn from You
And turn from my sin,
To enter in
Your kingdom
Of righteousness and peace
Help me decrease
And submit to Your will
As I spill out my heart 
To my loving Father
Who will gather me close
Like a bird under its wing;
May I ever sing
Endless praises to Jesus
For He has freed me
From sin, shame and death;
May my every breath
Be lived for Your glory
For You are worthy
Of honour and praise;
Oh, High King of Heaven,
To You, I raise
A song of rejoicing,
Of victory
For You've delivered me
From the enemy's snare
Lord, thank You
For hearing my prayer
---
September 5, 2017

Prophecy is Unfolding (Matthew 24)

Prophecy is unfolding Before our very eyes   A new world  order  is coming    Ruled by deception and lies Do not be alarmed    When wars and...