Before the work of grace the heart is “stony.” It can do no more than a stone can do to please God.
From Hebrews 4:16: “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
John Owen (1616-1683) was an English Puritan church leader and theologian.
Patience
Rejoice always
Embracing each moment
Trust in God’s promises
Answering
Courage
Faithfulness leading
Mercy opens door
God’s refuge of light
Unflinching
Grace
Deepest love
Acceptance with humbleness
God’s passion for life
Forgiving
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.
To believe, and to consent to be loved while unworthy, is the great secret.
From Romans 5:8: “But God proves His love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”
William R. Newell (1868-1956) was an American pastor, Christian writer, and evangelist.
From Joel 2:12-13: “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment.”
Even in our darkness
Hearing call from God above
Troubled waters’ rising tide
Vanquished by boundless love
Caught in sin’s wilderness
Mourning with daily fasting
Come now, embrace repentance
Trusted peace, long-lasting
Born in sin’s emptiness
Pursuing redemption’s door
God, create one more clean heart
Wandered away, no more
Broken righteous spirit
Escaping evil’s fire pit
Better days waiting ahead
Restored faith now submits
Hope’s journey pursues light
Thirsting for faith’s risen place
Glory waits at Calvary
Witnessed in Savior’s grace
From Psalm 51:10-11: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your holy spirit from me.”
It is a waste of time trying to unscrew the inscrutable workings of God. He honors faith and obedience.
From Acts 5:29: “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority.'”
Charles Swindoll (born 1934) is an American pastor and Christian author.
From the “General Confession” found in the Book of Common Prayer: “We have left undone those things which we ought to have done.”
Skeptics whispering with doubts
Tomorrow shall never come
Priorities breathe empty
Hearing enemy’s distant drum
Disciples praise God each day
Indeed, His kingdom shall come
Priorities set on Christ
Hearing blessed, heavenly drum
Skeptics gather in darkness
Distant worries always come
Priorities ignore light
Hearing only, that hidden drum
Disciples find hope in God
Heaven’s light rises to come
Priorities embrace truth
Hearing faith’s righteous, heartfelt drum
Skeptic’s voices now wither
Tomorrow will surely come
Priorities flee darkness
Hearing echoes of faithful drum
Disciples accept God’s grace
Through Son’s love, sunrise will come
Priorities witness peace
Hearing redemption’s trusted drum
From 2 John 8-9: “Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we have worked for but may receive a full reward. Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
The reception of the Holy Spirit is the maintained attitude of the believer. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive quickening life from the ascended Lord.
From Luke 24:49: “And see, I am sending upon you what My Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
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 Joel 2:12-13: “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment.”
Earth quakes, full of darkness
Wilderness surrounds thee
Wayward steps, no escape
Misplacing salvation’s key
Hope dwells in empty faith
Where is God’s gracious love?
Enemy’s fire burns bright
Obscuring Spirit above
Each transgression concealed
Yet, God views every one
Righteous breath covers land
Offering grace to outrun
Heart fills with repentance
Every sin be confessed
God’s forgiveness shall come
Redeeming faith’s final quest
Christ waits at Calvary
Hidden in faith’s Good News
Hope’s new pathway of peace
Offering love to infuse
From Proverbs 28:13: “No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
Evangelical repentance is not at the beck and call of the creature. It is the gift of God.
From Romans 2:4: “Or do you despise the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
Arthur Walkington (A. W.) Pink (1886-1952) was an English Bible teacher and Christian writer. Following his death, many of his writings were well-received by readers. This turnabout established him as an influential evangelical author.
From Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Early morning arrives
Filled with mishmash of thoughts
Searching for peace of mind
Asking God, call the shots
Waiting in the kitchen
Prayer time with the Lord
His spirit calms life down
Life’s outlook feels restored
Table’s Bible invites
Reading, learning God’s Word
His insight teaches truth
Daily lessons inferred
Accepting God’s invite
Dressed for an autumn walk
Dialog moves outside
Let’s continue to talk
From Isaiah 57:19: “Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the Lord; and I will heal them.”
Originally published September, 2020.
Big Sky Buckeye 