To be in Christ is the source of the Christian life; to be like Christ is the sum of His excellence; to be with Christ is the fullness of His joy.
From 2 Corinthians 5:17: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!”
Charles Hodge (1797-1878) was an American theologian and Christian teacher.
Instead of living in the grip of fear, held captive by the chains of treason and dread; when we release our preoccupation with worry, we find God’s hand at work on our behalf.
From Ephesians 2:13-14: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace; in His flesh He has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.”
From Philippians 2:1-2: “If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
Living, Messiah breathes
Defeating Calvary’s death
Affirming His Resurrection
Forgiveness fills every breath
Witnessing humbleness
Calling believers to serve
Following Savior’s faithful steps
Grace conquers death we deserve
Praising faith’s light above
Confessing to Christ, our Lord
Finding hope through redemption’s door
Body of One comes aboard
Bending each fearless knee
Grasping depth of Savior’s love
Absorbing His peace through prayer
Spirit descends from above
Sharing joy with others
Pouring out His love through grace
Seeing faith’s home through Father’s eyes
Messiah’s welcoming place
From Philippians 2:17-18: “But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the service of your faith, I rejoice, and I rejoice together with all of you; in the same way also you should rejoice and rejoice together with me.”
When life is not a bed of roses, remember who wore the crown of thorns.
From John 19:1-6: “Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they dressed Him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and striking Him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, ‘Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no case against Him.’ So Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ‘Behold the man!’ When the chief priests and the police saw Him, they shouted, ‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!'”
God does not keep a man immune from trouble; He says–“I will be with him in trouble.”
From Romans 8:35: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?
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 Proverbs 10:2: “Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.”
Footsteps seeking shortcut
Tempted with distractions
Detours filled with wrong turns
Darkness shrouds each transaction
Father’s road forsaken
Evil offers his way
Man’s eagerness to shine
Misguided bypass each day
Pulled away from Father
North, then south . . . now alone
West, then east . . . deeply lost
Next destination . . . unknown
Spirit’s faithfulness breathes
Constant grace, always bright
Jesus walking ahead
Resurrection’s blessed light
Filled with hope’s renewal
Witness of Savior’s peace
Fruits of Spirit descend
Wondrous joy fills every piece
Pathway of righteousness
Obstacles cleared away
Father’s trusted wisdom
Faith’s choices follow His way
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.”
True liberty is not the power to live as we please, but to live as we ought.
From Galatians 2:20: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
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 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.”
Walking through trials
Shepherd’s voice of peace
Trusting to follow
Grasping faith’s newfound lease
Seeking to believe
Wonders offer signs
Trusting to follow
Rising faith shall align
Affirming Lord’s Word
Each day follows night
Trusting to follow
Watching darkness take flight
Feeling love come forth
Savior’s light proclaims
Trusting to follow
Witnessing heaven’s flame
Overcoming death
Christ shall never rest
Trusting to follow
Tasting grace, faith digests
Filling hope with joy
Resurrection thrives
Trusting to follow
Knowing Shepherd’s alive
From John 11:14-16: “I am the good shepherd. I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
From Philippians 2:5-7: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 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.”
Chained to sin’s wilderness
Faith missing what matters
Detached from Father’s love
Like sheep, mankind scatters
Father responds with love
Relationship desired
Son of God empties self
Divine plan now hard-wired
Born in human likeness
Messiah shares His love
Father’s trusted guidance
Promised grace from above
Given name of Jesus
Mercy’s love now descends
Servant becomes Shepherd
Father’s own heart transcends
Calvary’s death vanquished
Jesus forever reigns
Every knee shall now bend
Father’s love breaks each chain
From Philippians 2:9-11: “Therefore God exalted him even more highly and gave him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name given to Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Bearing
Virgin Mary
Riding blessed donkey
Birthplace beneath Bethlehem’s star
Messiah
Celebration
King’s arrival
Riding blessed donkey
Betrayal, Calvary’s empty darkness
Shattered
Redemption’s
Victorious grace
Riding blessed donkey
From manger to cross
Savior
All images courtesy of Pinterest.
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.
Big Sky Buckeye 