When the hand of faith opens to lay hold of Christ, it drops the sin it had grasped before.
From Isaiah 53:5: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that made us whole, and by His bruises we are healed.”
John Angell James (1785-1859) was an English pastor and Christian writer.
Jesus
Always first
Easing life’s burdens
Grace fills another moment
Faith
Messiah
Offering light
Mercy’s navigational compass
Comforted through His love
Trust
Savior
Destiny’s truth
Shaping every step
Each worry set aside
Righteousness
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.
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.
From Galatians 6:14: “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to Me and I to the world.”
George Bennard (1873-1958) was an American pastor and hymn composer. The chosen lyrics were written in 1912 and became part of the popular hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross.”
From Psalm 23:1-3: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for His name’s sake.”
Faith’s redemptive journey
Along this wilderness route
Seeking salvation’s light
Removing seeds of doubt
Shepherd’s constant presence
Along tranquility’s stream
Leading to Savior’s light
Trusting hope’s rising beam
Darkness from long ago
Consumed with enemy’s flesh
Finding merciful light
Rising, peace shall refresh
Wholesome eyesight restored
No longer blind to thy sin
Embracing Savior’s love
Forgiving light within
Father’s Word crystal clear
Righteousness nurtures faith’s way
Leaving darkest shadows
Following light each day
From Ephesians 5:8-9: “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.”
There is a peaceful path available to us in God.
From John 14:27: “ Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”
Jess Ray is an American singer and songwriter. She produces her works from North Carolina, and much of her music shares a Christian theme.
From Psalm 31:3-4: “You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me, take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.”
Crying out from devilish wasteland
Surrounded by desert’s empty sand
Caught, tangled in sin’s deceptive net
Buried under life’s heaviest debt
Captured by evil’s sly temptations
Confined to cellblock’s harsh reception
Engulfed by relentless guilt and shame
Throwing key away, dimming life’s flame
Praying to Holy Father above
Singing of His steadfast, faithful love
Seeking His mercy in valley’s distress
How will life move forward, from this mess?
Coming to life’s rescue, Jesus Christ
Accepting His grace, He pays full price
Breaking free from sin’s ongoing grip
Sailing on Spirit’s armored flagship
Exiting darkest, shame-filled prison
Beholding blood-stained Cross, He’s Risen!
Remaking character, with each day
Walking with Jesus, never shall stray
From Psalm 18:1-2: “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Originally published February, 2021.
We forget that it’s in the interruptions, the waiting seasons, the disappointments that we grow best.
From 2 Peter 1:5-7: “For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with excellence, and excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.”
Sara Hagerty is an American Christian author.
From 1 John 4:9-10: “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Lost in darkest wilderness
Uncertain where to turn
Truth’s light marked with God’s love
Finding hope’s blessed return
Sky above filling with light
Destiny of Christ’s gift
Assurance of God’s love
Trusting, no longer adrift
Every breath of Spirit’s grace
Heaven’s light to behold
Radiance of God’s love
Removing sinner’s blindfold
Together at Calvary
Who can be against man?
Forgiveness through God’s love
Knowing from where light began
Every heart redirected
Strengthened from faithful light
Steadfast stream of God’s love
Redeeming on mercy’s flight
From Romans 5:3-5: “And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
No less a person than God is needed to assure us of God’s love.
From 1 John 4:9-10: “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Richard Sibbes (1577-1635) was an Anglican theologian and a Calvanist.
Discipleship’s
Pivotal investments
Spirit’s motivating breath
Redeeming grace offers transition
Witness
Faith’s
Maturity embraced
With every truth
Purity experienced through Spirit
Righteousness
Salvation’s
Journey defined
Spirit’s guiding light
Altering human nature’s mainspring
Transformation
Big Sky Buckeye 