a safe coat
wraps around me
in a warm glow
that streams from within
and radiates
out into the world.
My tongue thrills,
rejoices,
sings “hallelujahs”
of childlike
spontaneous praise,
uttering, babbling, outpouring
words tumbling, end over end,
water rushing over rocks.
Why?
Why? You ask!
Because the
dirt
dark
cold ground
cannot restrain,clamp
or hold
the child of God
in its filthy grip.
The Christ
tore its hold,
ripped open its frozen clutch
from the damp darkness.
Rejoice , Sing,
Shout
Angel praises
of everlasting
thanks!
Bible
Gladness – a poem reflecting on Psalm 16:9,10
Gladness,
a safe coat
wraps around me
in a warm glow
that streams from within
and radiates
out into the world.
My tongue thrills,
rejoices,
sings “hallelujahs”
of childlike
spontaneous praise,
uttering, babbling, outpouring
words tumbling, end over end,
water rushing over rocks.
Why?
Why? You ask!
Because the
dirt
dark
cold ground
cannot restrain,clamp
or hold
the child of God
in its filthy grip.
The Christ
tore its hold,
ripped open its frozen clutch
from the damp darkness.
Rejoice , Sing,
Shout
Angel praises
of everlasting
thanks!
a safe coat
wraps around me
in a warm glow
that streams from within
and radiates
out into the world.
My tongue thrills,
rejoices,
sings “hallelujahs”
of childlike
spontaneous praise,
uttering, babbling, outpouring
words tumbling, end over end,
water rushing over rocks.
Why?
Why? You ask!
Because the
dirt
dark
cold ground
cannot restrain,clamp
or hold
the child of God
in its filthy grip.
The Christ
tore its hold,
ripped open its frozen clutch
from the damp darkness.
Rejoice , Sing,
Shout
Angel praises
of everlasting
thanks!
Categories: Bible, christian, Christianity, Devotional, Poem, poetry
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Faith, Poem, Poem on Sunday, poems, poetry
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So You Think …
“Nothing is impossible with God” Luke 1:37
So you think the virgin birth is “miraculous” even impossible, maybe ridiculous. A lie from a silly girl, who should have known better one night. You suppose walking on water, feeding 5000, is a stretch of the imagination.
You laugh at the blind man,
“Here’s mud in your eye!”
You scorn
the tale of the paralysed victim,
and the water into wine …
What vintage?
But wait,
your calloused
“There is no God out there”
heart,
Your snide aside,
the “omnipotent” God. Ha!
He’s dead!
can’t withstand the
scalpel onslaught of His Spirit
when He says,
“You’re mine.”
From the series: The Christmas Poems that I am working on at present.
Categories: Bible, christian, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, Poem, poetry, The Christmas Poems
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Devotion, Faith, Poem, poems, poetry
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Discipline – Discipling
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Hebrews 12: 5b-6
This passage from Hebrews (a paraphrase of Proverbs 3: 11&12) is not one that resonates
Detail of the Altar in a Church. Eidfjord Norway
with people today. We avoid pain, correction and discipline. We are more likely to find someone to blame than ask, “What is this teaching me? How can I change?”
In Philip Yancey’s book “Where is God When it Hurts” he explores the importance of physical pain. He reminds us that pain is an alarm for action on health issues facing our body. Discipline and correction can have the same impact for our spiritual health. They can alert us to spiritual issues in our lives – areas where we need to take notice.
Discipline and correction come in two main ways. It can occur through those things that are out of our control, such as illness, accidents or events. They are circumstances which shape us. Then we can have the consequences of our own, often foolish, actions that come back to haunt us.
The great thing is that God uses both of these sets of events to mould, shape and direct His children. God doesn’t waste any circumstances to develop the image of His son in His adopted children. Daily, His aim is to recreate the perfection of His son in us.
The other word that needs to be highlighted is “discipline”. The Greek word is ‘paidiea’ – which means to train and educate, but also to correct errors. In English the word is translated as discipline, which comes from the word to tutor and disciple: in other words, to make a follower of. On the surface these definitions sound a bit a cold. Put in Christian terms, however, it means to be formed into a loved son or daughter of God.
To be disciplined is a sign of God’s love. Tough love that prepares us for an eternity with the Maker.
P.S. This devotion was the catalyst for yesterday’s poem “But You Did”
Categories: Bible, christian, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, Uncategorized
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Devotion, Faith
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Separated From the Love of God
Early Medieval Stone Cross in Norway
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Romans 8:35
Have you ever contemplated the concept of being separated from the love of God? Now I know the true child of God cannot be separated from that love, but just think if it were possible. What would go though your mind? Horror? Fear? Despair? Probably all three and much more. Well, that would be true for me. The idea of being separated from God’s love defies my imagination. It horrifies me. It is too terrible to contemplate.
Why do I ask this awful question? Because when I look at the members of the body of Christ, including, sadly, my own heart at times, I don’t see the thankfulness, relief, joy and gratitude of people who truly understand what the love of God means. Maybe as an antidote we should reflect on what it means to be outside it; to imagine what being outside that sphere really means.
I believe such a genuine reflection would have at least two (possibly more) results. One result would be, our sometimes casual, complacent and neglectful relationship with God would be dealt a severe blow. Greater thankfulness, obedience, joy and probably, relief would be visible in our lives. We would live the Spirit filled life that redeemed people should be living – can be living. The second consequence would be a greater passion to see others saved. Understanding what it means to live outside God’s love, I believe, is a great motivator for our lifestyle, words and attitudes towards those who haven’t grasped the love of God through faith.
I know we can’t force people to believe, but living like people who know what they have been saved from should be obvious from every atom of our being. May our prayer be to live lives that comprehend the amazing and eternal love of God.
Categories: Bible, christian, Christianity, Church, Devotional, Faith, Jesus, Uncategorized
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Devotion, Faith, forgiveness
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A Journey Continued
Quite a while ago I wrote about the spiritual journey my wife and I are taking through the
Sheep Grazing over the Catacombs in Rome near an Olive Tree
book “A Journey with Jesus” by Larry Warner. He uses the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius as the foundation of the book.
Over the last few weeks the devotions have concentrated on sin, not in a self deprecating manner, but sin as the component of our lives that separates us from God and His grace. Sin is not a popular word today. Society, including many Christians, has sanctified many behaviours that have previously been regarded as sin. This just doesn’t extend to homosexuality and abortion but also to greed and materialism. The reasons I mention this is that we are good at judging people on the basis of the sins we don’t commit and close our eyes to the ones we do.
What I have found refreshing in Warner’s exercises is that I have been given an opportunity to lay open all aspects of my life. What this has done is that it has reminded me of how comprehensive the salvation that Christ offers had to be. It needed to cover every aspect of my life – not just the ones I select. It also halts complacency and reminds me that there is still so far to go in my sanctification.
With that reminder comes the wonderful assurance that in Christ all my needs have been met and I can say with the psalmist, “Keep my safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.” Psalm 16:1
Categories: Bible, Christianity, Devotional, Faith
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Devotion, Faith, sin
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The Already and Not Yet – The Beauty and the Pain
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Ps 32:7
On this Sunday morning my reflection is simple. Every time I am gardening I am reminded of the “Already” and not yet”. Beautiful flowers bursting forth, and vegetables sprouting and growing remind me the Christian is already seated in heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6 – Already seat with Christ). This is an important reminder because in the garden you are also surrounded by weeds and bugs – the opportunists who take any and every opportunity to destroy that which is good. That is the “Not Yet”. There is still a struggle, in this life, against sin and its pervasive results. Objectively we may be seated with Christ, but subjectively we struggle with the present.
Categories: Bible, christian, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, Reflections
Tags: Christian, Christianity, Devotion, Faith, Psalms
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The Bible and the Enigma Code
Subtitled: The Bible and Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park Mansion
In 2005 one of the first things I did when we arrived in the UK was visit Bletchley Park. It was just across the railway line and up the road a little from where we lived. As I didn’t have a car, it was an easy visit that I could tick off my list of things to see.
Bletchley Park was/is home to to the first programmable computer – the Colossus (in recent years it has been restored). It was utilised to decipher the German Enigma Code, a sophisticated encryption machine used to encrypt secret messages to be sent around the Reich – particularly to ships. Cracking the code made a huge difference to the Allied war effort.
The Turing Bombe
Where does the Bible fit into the picture? Many people I come across treat Scripture like an encrypted German message and they respond in a variety of ways. Some tell me the Bible is too complicated and they can’t be bothered decoding it. Others spend a lifetime searching for the key. Like some human “Colossus,” their brains are whirring away trying to decipher a secret code that underpins the Bible. If it is not a form of numerology, it is another scheme they try to develop by which the “truth” may be found. Countless hours have been spent and many books written on aspects of Scripture that, sadly, do not draw us closer to the truth.
In fact, the truth of Scripture is quite plain. Maybe it is too easy! The truth of the gospel is
quite simple. We are sinners. We cannot in our own strength be reunited with God, so God sent His own son to take the punishment we deserve, by which the affront to His holiness is dealt with and we can be restored to God. And even at this point God applies this truth through the amazing person of the Holy Spirit. In short, we have a triune God dealing with our deepest needs. All we need to do is believe and accept the gift He offers.Now how complicated is that?! There are no spiritual gymnastics required and any efforts on our part to obtain salvation are of no use.
The apostle John wrote nearly 2000 years “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16) It was true then. It is true now.
Yes there is more, There is the Kingdom of God, there is the call of God on the life of His children, and many other wonderful qualities. All of these extra truths are anchored on the simple gospel truth mentioned in John 3:16 (above).
One final anecdote: I had a wonderful cousin who had Down Syndrome. Stephen understood the gospel and was in love with his Saviour. The gospel message was simple enough and clear enough for him to understand and clasp to himself. He loved telling people about God’s love for them. He did not need a secret code book, or a spiritual decrypter. All he had was a simple faith. That was all he needed.
Categories: Bible, christian, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, Jesus
Tags: Bible, Christian, Christianity, Devotion, Faith, God
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Travels from Ur 