His Mother

“But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19

Before Bethlehem, no religion of this world offered hope for depraved humanity. Mary couldn’t but know the human race was starving for a Redeemer and endeavoring to subsist on vain philosophies, fine arts, and pagan religions which left the race without inner peace, and victory over self and sin–because she was ….

His Mother

On that first Christmas morn
When our Saviour was born
In the stable in old Bethlehem,
Did the dear mother guess
That the Child at her breast
Would die to redeem sinful men?

Did she know that her Babe
In the crude manger laid
Would one day suffer our shame?
Did she think as she kissed
Each sweet precious fist
That men would reject His dear Name?

Could she glimpse in her mind
All the sick, lame, and blind
His divine touch so wondrously healed?
And each sin-burdened soul,
Through the ages made whole–
Were these to her heart all revealed?

Could her eyes see the Cross?
Did she reckon her loss
As she gazed on that life just begun?
Yes, I think that she knew,
And smiled, knowing, too,
When she gave to the world God’s dear Son!

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 For more of the poetry of my grandmother, visit the “Uplifted Eyes” page.

God Stepped Down

“For He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
II Corinthians 5:21

Surely it was the greatest humbling known to man when…..

God Stepped Down

My Lord stepped down that He might lift me up,
Impoverishment, He bore to make me rich!
Though God incarnate, He became a Man;
How can I grasp a wonder such as this?
He fought temptation, suffered burning thirst–
The enervating weakness I must bear;
The conflict I must face, He conquered first,
And so I know He understands my care!

I see Him toil to hew a simple yolk
As Carpenter in humble Nazareth–
He who fashioned worlds whene’er He spoke,
And healed the sinful anguish in my breast!
He stooped to wash the feet of friend and foe–
The Sovereign of the Universe became
A lowly Slave, that somehow I might know
The path to Heaven wends from lowly plain.

My Lord stepped down to mend each broken heart,
And bless the little child who sought His arms;
To heal the sick, and by His love impart
Deliverance from the power of Satan’s charms;
My God stepped down to suffer all my shame;
They say sin killed Him there on Calvary,
But He killed SIN, and vanquished death to reign
Forevermore–for He abides with me!

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For more of the poetry of my grandmother, visit the “Uplifted Eyes” page.

Will God Change His Mind? – Part VI

This completes this small series of articles.  These were written during the fall and winter of 2002 – a time when I really needed God to change His mind.

In hindsight, by which most things become abundantly clear, I am glad that He did not stay the punishment I deserved.  I would have been so much worse off if He had.

Of course, He knew that.

I pray that these have been helpful in some way.

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Have you ever felt as though you were in the belly of a great fish?  I have!

Have you ever stopped to imagine what Jonah experienced while there?  For three days?  I have!

But as intriguing as it might be to run down the road of sights and sounds, smells and fears, uncertainty and apprehension, the most important question to consider is, “Why was he there in the first place?”

The answer boils all the way down to his willful violation of a known command of God.

God said, “Go!”

Jonah said, “No!”

Sound familiar?  It does to me.

God said, “No!”

I said, “Whatever!”

So, while I’m not in the belly of a great fish – a fact for which I’m thankful – I might as well be.  The cell in which I spend most of my time is about the size of the stomach cavity of a whale and smells just as bad.  Uncertainty and apprehension try to fill my days and would succeed if I didn’t purposefully choose to keep my focus fixed on God’s promises, His presence and His great love and mercy.

But I digress – we have another question to answer.  The answer is the very reason for Jonah’s flight.  Jonah knew the answer to our question.  (See Jonah 4:2)  He knew God was a God of love and mercy.  And Jonah hated Nineveh.  Hated them for their ethnicity.  Hated them for their apostasy and sinfulness.  Hated the knowledge that, if they repented of their sins in response to his preaching, God would withhold His judgment.

So, when God told him to go preach, he ran the other way.  But he didn’t get very far.  God has a way of giving us just enough rope with which we inevitably hang ourselves.

In due time, with a lot more trouble than was really necessary, the Ninevites received the message and, much to Jonah’s regret, repented.

And God changed His mind.  (See Jonah 3:10)

Are there judgments coming into your life that you would like to avoid?

Check your obedience quotient.

Read Joel 2:12-14.

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For more Ponderings, click here.

God Answers Prayer

“Pray without ceasing.”  I Thessalonians 5:17

Prayer! The golden key that unlocks the vaults of Heaven! The storm must pass; the dawn must come. Our song may  have a sweeter and sadder refrain, but we shall sing again. I know for….

God Answers Prayer

God answers prayer! No night can be so long
But He is there, and comforts with a song!
I know, for I have groped through trials dark
With faltering faith, and fainting heart;
But when I claimed God’s promises,
Believing in their power
To save unto the uttermost–
God answered in that hour!

God answers prayer! Oh praise His Name!
No fowler’s snare, or fettering chain
Can fail to yield to steadfast faith;
There’s victory at the Throne of Grace;
I know, for just when failure
Seemed inevitable for me,
I claimed the Blood of Jesus,
And lo, He set me free!

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For more of the poetry of my grandmother, visit the “Uplifted Eyes” page.

Exchange

“Great peace have they which love thy law; and nothing shall offend them.”
Psalms 119:65

The days which seem without either accomplishment or compensation are those in which we go our self-centered way, failing to “seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, ” but the touch of God upon our souls makes an irrefutable….

Exchange

Praise God, this was no ordinary day;
For when I rose at dawn and knelt to pray,
I heard my Father whisper from above,
“I have loved thee with an everlasting love! “

Upon my Saviour’s bosom I found rest
That soothed my anguished soul, and I was blest
To know that, though the arm of flesh may fail,
My Father cares, and doeth all things well!

He spoke my name; the sorrow I had borne
Was lifted like the darkness yields to morn!
He took that load I’d carried, oh, so long,
And dropped into its place an angel’s song.

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For more of the poetry of my grandmother, visit the “Uplifted Eyes” page.

Because You Cared

“Evening and morning, and at noon will I pray and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice.”
Psalms 55:17

Somewhere a heart had yearned for my soul; somewhere a voice had been lifted in importunate prayer! A new name was written down in heaven ….

Because You Cared

Because you cared enough for me
To travail daily in your secret place of prayer
With blinding tears, and heart poured out in agony,
I came in deep contrition to the cross, to live anew!
My sins are gone; old things have passed away
Because you cared enough to pray!

Because you cared enough for me
To plead again with unrelenting zeal
That I should know that glorious touch of blessed purity,
I came in deep contrition to the cross;
Christ reigns supreme! 
His Presence giveth victory day by day,
Because you cared enough to pray!

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For more of the poetry of my grandmother, visit the “Uplifted Eyes” page.

Gratitude or Grumbling

     I wondered how it would be.  As my out date from the Department of Corrections approached and my mind began to focus more and more on life after prison, I wondered how I would react to freedom and the accompanying stress.
     The possibilities were many, each with a blend of circumstance and dilemma, but they can all be reduced to two general categories: gratitude or grumbling.
     Would I be like Peter who, released once from the prison of brick and mortar and later from the prison of his failure, spend my life in grateful service to my God?  Or would I be more akin to the children of Egypt who weren’t out of sight good before they started in on poor Moses?
     Would I be thankful for the blessing of release and employ my God-given talents to help others – a modern-day Joseph?  Or, to pick on the poor Israelites again, would my attitude turn sour at the first setback, disappointment or difficulty?
     Well, on this day which marks the six month point of my post-prison life, I can answer that question.  Not that this is the only time this question will need to be addressed for there is a lot of life left if God allows it, but, as with the first one hundred days which was the subject of another article here, this milestone is a big one – if only to me – and I feel the need to report for the glory of God.
     My answer to the question of which side of that fence I am on is resoundingly gratitude!
     There have been – and will surely continue to be – challenges and trials as the readjustment continues.  There will probably always be a little financial stress.  There will surely always be times of loneliness for my children and the life that could have been had I not allowed the enemy of my soul to gain that foothold in my life.
     But I am, indeed, grateful.  As I stepped out of my little rented house in the country setting north of Nashville this morning at just after five to head to work, I couldn’t help but pause to give thanks for all He has done for me.  In the quiet, early morning moment, as the birds celebrated Spring and the sleepy community began to come to life, I was again humbled – as I have been many times over the past six months – by God’s love, His provision, and all that He has restored to this once-shattered life.
     I am very grateful.

Because He Came

“That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our LIFE.”
Luke I:74, 75

Life is fraught with beautiful value and meaning, and we are conscious that God has not deserted us, but is working that one day the forces of hell will go down to ultimate and conclusive defeat ….

Because He Came

Because He came, the stars of heaven shine more brightly
Across the troubled night of this old earth;
Though chaos reigns, and hearts fail for the future,
The Christmas chimes still herald Jesus’ birth!

Each tinkling bell assures us “God is with us, “
And naught can thwart His great eternal plan;
V{hen heaven touched earth the hour of Jesus’ coming
Eternal hope became the gift of man.

Because He came, the power of sin is broken,
His strength is ours for all life’s weary race;
Because Christ came, the Christmas bells are ringing,
And my heart sings of His redeeming grace!

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For more of the poetry of my grandmother, visit the “Uplifted Eyes” page.

Assurance

“And I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by.”
Exodus 33:22

The certainty that no difficulty, no hindrance, no obstruction that God permits must be borne in my own feeble strength, brings blessed….

Assurance

I do not know why obstacles
Sometimes obstruct my way,
Or why so often tunnels dark
Conceal the light of day;
But this I know: no dangers lurk
That I must face alone,
For He who marks the sparrow’s fall,
Will lead me safely Home!

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For more of the poetry of my grandmother, visit the “Uplifted Eyes” page.

Will God Change His Mind? – Part V

Amos was just a working stiff – a sheep breeder by profession – from the little village of Tekoa.  In his day the town was about ten miles south of Jerusalem, but it has long since been swallowed by the great city.

He was an average guy, doing his work, caring and providing for his family, worshipping the only wise God.  Well, maybe he was special after all.  There were very few of his contemporaries worshipping the way they should.  At least not in the northern kingdom of Israel.

So one sunny day, while dealing with the stresses of his daily work, he was interrupted – interrupted by God Himself – and told to go north to Bethal and prophesy against the northern kingdom.

Can you imagine his reaction?

Prayer Meeting

The pastor often said, it’s the “filling station” in the middle of the week. And so I have always found the….

Prayer Meeting

There’s a blessing that awaits us
Every time we wend our way
To the church on Wednesday evening,
Where the saints all meet to pray.

For the cares that would perplex us,
And dishearten or disturb,
Are forgotten in Christ’s presence,
As we feast upon His Word.

When someone arises, shining,
With God’s glory on his face.
Every word of Blood- bought victory
Brings new consciousness of grace.

There’s able blessing in the singing,
In the humbleness of prayer.
In the fellowship of Christians;
It’s God’s hour! You should be there!

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For more of the poetry of my grandmother, visit the “Uplifted Eyes” page.

Temptation

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15.

This is the balm for my healing in….

Temptation

The unkind wound that cuts and grieves your soul,
And tempts your lips to utter bitter things,
Dear one,  is but a challenge to keep step with God,
For underneath each cloud a bluebird sings!

“In all points like as we are, ” was the plan
That marked temptations which were Jesus’ lot;
So I would not exchange His glory on my life
For all that man can give, or can be bought!

I would not change His whisper in my heart
Which through the years has comforted and sustained,
Or visions of His Presence which have winged
Across my soul until my tears have rained!

If you have God, and Christ enthroned within,
There is no testing that can e’er defeat;
Give thanks that He still saves and sanctifies–
That He still guides unerringly, your feet!

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For more of the poetry of my grandmother, visit the “Uplifted Eyes” page.

Prevailing Prayer – Part II

“The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much.”  James 5:16

In the Garden of Gethsemane our Blessed Lord, at age thirty-three, was so physically and emotionally engaged in soul travail that His Father actually dispatched an angel to strengthen him!  Luke 22:44 states, “And being in agony He prayed more earnestly and His sweat was, as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

The cold, powerless worldly churches of today need to return to the prevailing, spirit-inspired praying of Apostolic days - the kind of prayer that will usher in a Last Days Revival that will turn church sanctuaries back into revival centers instead of banquet halls, theaters and rock concert arenas!

Will God Change His Mind – Part IV

I had a good life.  I had a good marriage, three beautiful little boys, a thriving law practice and an overall influential life.  Very active in church, both musically and administratively.  By all outward appearances I was at the top of my game.

But something was wrong.  Wrong on the inside.  The outward success had no foundation – no spiritual basis – no real relationship with God to hold up the massive structure being built on top.

Prevailing Prayer – Part I

“The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much.”  James 5:16           

     My precious mother, now with Jesus, practiced the lost art of ‘prevailing prayer!’  I heard her in her bedroom weeping and crying out to God for our family when I would come home from school in the afternoon as a teenager; for a period of time she was the only Christian in our home.  One night while my brother and I were sleeping, mother burst into our bedroom and through her tears exclaimed, “I’ve heard from heaven!  I’ve heard from heaven!”  She had been ‘God wrestling‘ in her bedroom and her faith reached all the way up to God’s mercy seat, for she told us through her tears, “The Lord has given me the assurance that all our family will be saved!”

     One by one our family surrendered to Jesus!  My brother David and I both answered the call to preach the gospel and today we are still preaching the ‘Way of Holiness‘ in jails and churches and wherever God calls us!  My father was saved in a little Wednesday night prayer service!  Mother and dad are both now with Jesus, and we’ll all be home together soon!  For it’s almost ‘Suppertime‘.

      As we witness the ominous signs of prophetic fulfillment on an almost hourly basis, many people have asked me, “Pastor, what can we do about it?  It’s all beyond our control!” 

Will God Change His Mind – Part III

I am an old man now – my life, both the good days and the bad days, are behind me now.

I guess from that last statement you could gather that I regret my life – and while, it’s true, there are moments of my life that I deeply regret, most of it has been wondrous and even miraculous.

There have been days of wonder, sitting on the hillside basking in God’s creation.  There have been moments of intensity as God delivered me from the attacks of wild beasts and the threats of giants.

There have been moments of incredible embarrassment, as when Samuel skipped over all my older brothers and announced to everyone that I would be replacing Saul as the King of Israel.

But then there were the shameful moments in my life, the most glaring being centered on the lust of my flesh to which I succumbed and caused a national scandal. 

Love’s Reaping

“Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.” Jeremiah 31:16

The sweetest melody is so often borne on hope’s last string; the sweetest hour that which comes with ….

Love’s Reaping

 

How few can comprehend your heart’s deep burden,
Or see beneath your smile, the nagging pain.
But Jesus holds the crucible of suffering–
He knows that out of anguish cometh gain.

Your Saviour hears each fervent plea ascending;
He marks each scalding tear–each trying hour.
I KNOW HE KNOWS, for out of night’s long darkness
My eyes at last beheld faith’s perfect flower! 

I saw His hand fulfill that certain promise
That “they that sow in tears shall reap in joy, “
I saw the bonds of Satan break asunder—
The glory of the Lord transform a boy!

 

“This is a Job for Superman”

“Help, Superman!” cries LOIS LANE, as she appears in the window of a twenty-five story building, with stairways and elevators a raging inferno of flaming destruction!  Two blocks away, CLARK KENT views the flaming building and with supernatural hearing and x-ray vision, KENT says to himself, “Good grief,  LOIS is trapped on that twenty-fifth floor and there’s no way the firemen can reach her in time!  Into this phone booth and off with these clothes…  THIS IS A JOB FOR SUPERMAN!  And so, faster than a speeding bullet, SUPERMAN sweeps LOIS LANE from the windows ledge and places her gently on a street far from the burning building and out of danger!  The echo of the cheering crowd reverberates through the tall buildings of downtown Metropolis, “THANK GOD FOR SUPERMAN!  THANK GOD FOR SUPERMAN!           

Jesus said in Luke 21:10, “NATION shall rise against NATION and KINGDOM against KINGDOM;

Come On In

     “These things we pray in the blessed name of our risen Lord, Jesus the Christ.  Amen.”

     The wizened old man looked up and smiled at the small group.  Diversity was the only commonality.  No, that’s not quite true.  Each face was radiant with a supernatural glow.  That, in addition to the diversity, made this little group truly intriguing.  But it was the leader I was most interested in.  He looked up, his eyes brimming with tears – not of sorrow, but of joy – and said, “Beloved, that will have to do for tonight.  We should not stay out too late these days.”

     Turning to a youngster sitting at his knee, he continued, “Marta, please blow out that candle before we open the door.”
     And with a puff from that small child, we were all cast into darkness.  I heard shuffling as those around me moved toward the door and departed.  I, however, was riveted.  I had to know more about what I’d just heard and seen.

     So I waited.