Branching Out

From Joshua 24:15:  “Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

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Glory of God breathes

Upon those who serve

Accepting His call

Filling faith’s reserve

 

Light’s pathway to serve

Faith growing robust

Witnessing Jesus

Branching out with trust

 

Christ’s blessed invite

Service taking root

Maturing in faith

Sharing Spirit’s fruits

 

Filled with reverence

Journey’s faithful prep

Holding fast to serve

Walking in Christ’s steps

 

Humble in spirit

Unselfish intent

Assisting faith’s growth

Serving as Christ meant

 

Promise to follow

Grace flowing with love

Growing faithfulness

Serving Father above

 

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From John 12:26:  “Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am, there will My servant be also.  Whoever serves Me, the Father will honor.”

In Step With Jesus (Elfchen Series #214)

Trust

Pursuing

Faith’s righteousness

Light opens path

Steps honor Savior’s grace

Found

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Community

Building

Lasting relationships

Quiet reflection’s refreshment

Accepting Savior’s timeless grace

Strengthened

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Harvest

Tasting

Precious wisdom

Cultivating Savior’s grace

Sprinkled with tomorrow’s hope

Behold

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Charles Swindoll Quote

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It is only through Scripture, applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that we receive the grace to trust God in everything.

From Hebrews 10:39:  “But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost but among those who have faith and so preserve our souls.”

Charles Swindoll Quote

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Acceptance is resting in God’s goodness, believing that He has all things under His control.

From Proverbs 16:9:  “The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.”

Max Lucado Quote

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We love to be with the ones we love.  So does God.  How else do you explain what He did?  Between Him and us there was a distance, and He could’t bear it.  So He did something about it.

From Philippians 2:6-8:  “Who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a human, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.”

Mercy’s Door (Elfchen Series #211)

Unlocking

Receiving

Father’s grace

Nourishing future hope

Flowing with Spirit’s guidance

Deliverance

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Welcoming

Pursuing

Tomorrow’s peace

Fulfilling Father’s promises

Building faith’s mighty fortress

Salvation

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Everlasting

Rescuing

From darkness

Resurrecting fallen Savior

Lighting with eternal life

Redemption

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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.

Charles Stanley Quote

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God didn’t bestow grace on us at the moment of salvation, only to leave us on our own to live the Christian life as best we can.

From Titus 2:11-12:  “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly.”

Abundance of Hope

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For all who thirst

Come to blessed waters

Now follow carefully

Every son and daughter

 

Listen with care

Abundance of hope waits

Covenant’s faithful love

Key found to Heaven’s gate

 

Witness David

Leadership born in him

All for Father’s glory

Faith’s light shall never dim

 

Truth from Heaven

Look toward Savior’s grace

No longer forsaken

Trust brings us to His place

 

Return to God

Leave each unrighteous thought

Sin’s indictment erased

Messiah’s blood has bought

 

Embrace His way

Mercy looks upon earth

Thorns transformed into blooms

Anchored at Spirit’s berth

 

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Hearing His Calling

From Psalm 119:105:  “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

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Father’s tender voice

Presenting oneself

Hearing His calling

Old ways left on shelf

 

One body in Christ

Transforming faith’s breath

Hearing His calling

Rising from sin’s depths

 

Father’s trusted Word

Walking faith’s new road

Hearing His calling

Sharing burden’s load

 

Response to Christ’s grace

Tuning in faith’s love

Hearing His calling

Finding peace above

 

Father’s righteous ways

Honoring faith’s flight

Hearing His calling

Embracing Christ’s light

 

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From Romans 12:2:  “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Mercy’s Tender Fields (Elfchen Series #208)

Timeless

Grace

Unconditionally planted

Rising with purpose

Faith’s emptiness now fed

Fulfilled

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Bountiful

Faith’s

Seeds scattered

Night and day

Growing fully, then ripening

Harvest

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Harmony

Sowing

Tiniest seed

Maturing into fullness

Faith nurtured by Spirit

Righteousness

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The German hymn, “We Plow the Field and Scatter,” was written by Matthias Claudius in 1782.  The lyrics were set to music in 1800 by Johann A. P. Schulz. The hymn was translated into English in 1861 by Montgomery Campbell.  

As you listen to this song, focus on the lyrics as they appear on the screen.  They add a meaningful visual image to this series of poems.  The hymn’s piano melody is played by Mary Munson.