Listen
Fear not
Never be afraid
Be strong and courageous
Follow
Follow
With faithfulness
Voice leads us
Hear name now called
Faith
Faith
Strengthened daily
Breathing with hope
Never forsaking each believer
Promise
If you have heard Jesus Christ’s voice on the billows, let your convictions go to the winds, let your consistency go to the winds, but maintain your relationship to Him.
From John 21:7: “That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he had taken it off, and jumped into the sea.”
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) was a Scottish evangelist and Christian teacher. Following his death from an illness while in Egypt during World War I, his wife took on the task of transcribing the detailed notes she had written from his lectures and sermons. Gertrude Hobbs Chambers’ efforts resulted in the publication in 1924 of MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST. I frequently read from this devotional, and it has greatly deepened my faith and understanding of God’s Word.
From 1 Peter 1:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”
Evil’s darkness surrounds
Encroaching with its sin
Life looks to turn around
Wolf hiding in sheepskin
Fraud’s light leads some astray
Moving away from God
Grace opens its doorway
Christ shatters hell’s facade
Resurrection’s new hope
Building faith’s foundation
Salvation, Christ’s tow rope
Father’s promised station
Word speaks of Lord’s power
Calling all to stand firm
Each and every hour
Holy Spirit confirms
Faith anchored in His care
Wearing God’s armored vest
All times, kneeling in prayer
Mercy braves each test
From Ephesians 6:13: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm.”
It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.
From 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5: “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.”
From Psalm 85:10-11: “Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.”
Love joins together
Blessed from God above
Faithful life journey
Sharing precious love
Love binds forever
Stirred from God above
Grace’s living bread
Feeding sincere love
Love resolves trials
Strength from God above
Hope flows eternal
Walking in His love
Love’s cherished partner
Blooms from God above
Daily life smiles back
Breathing trust in love
Love climbs each mountain
Backed by God above
Humble hands touching
Bonding in His love
Country music entertainer Marty Robbins (1925-1982) was a gifted vocalist and songwriter. In 1970 he wrote and recorded “My Woman, My Woman, My Wife.” His efforts were awarded with a Grammy for Best Country Music Song. This song served as some of the inspiration behind this poem.
When we learn from experience, the scars of sin can lead us to restoration and a renewed intimacy with God.
From Psalm 119:67-68: “Before I was humbled I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good and do good; teach me Your statutes.”
Embracing
His lead
Overcoming our resistance
Changed by God’s persistence
Prayer
Envisioning
Sharing hope
Acts of generosity
God’s works best revealed
Grace
Rain’s
Early morning
Rinsing our souls
God calling us home
Forgiveness
This series of poems (written in the German-inspired style of Elfchen or Elevenie) shares a total of eleven words in each poem, with a sequence by line of one, two, three, four, and one words.
Gratitude is as powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.
From Colossians 3:16-17: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
From Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.”
From ancient garden, crying out
Man’s sinful seeds scatter and sprout
Father’s wrath consumes with His fire
Suffering journey to hellfire
Spiritually dead from God
Lives walk in darkness, always flawed
Holy tablets proclaim God’s law
Sin’s frozen nature never thaws
Judgement follows life’s trespasses
Sticking like thickest molasses
Lord’s saving grace seeks better way
Messiah opens new causeway
Jesus steps into this abyss
Unselfish love shall never miss
Hopeless man’s eyes can’t turn away
Drawn to grim, cruel cross, Christ pays
Jesus offers Himself instead
Faith follows this new Living Bread
Father’s amazing grace enters
Salvation breathes life’s new center
From Romans 5:18-19: “Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”
To hunger and thirst after righteousness is when nothing in the world can fascinate us so much as being near God.
From Hebrews 11:1-3: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.”
Big Sky Buckeye 