Month: January 2014

Faith Unlocked’s Friday Haiku #3 – the Way, Truth and Life

Jesus is the Way –
His light shows the righteous path –
We come to the Father

Jesus is the Truth –
God’s Word become sinless man
Dying sinners’ death

Jesus is the Life –
His death wipes away our sins –
Lives again as Lord

The Road to Oblivion

On the road to oblivion,
Seeming not to care,
Yet part of me clung on,
And You found me there.
You opened my eyes again,
Took my blinkers off;
My heart had become hard –
Your grace made it soft.
You blessed me through strangers,
Gave me close loving friends,
Challenged my guilt,
Helped me see through your lens.
No more self-destruction,
No more running scared;
There’s a Father up in Heaven,
There’s a banquet table all prepared;
Royal work for these worthless hands,
A willing heart to serve You;
Righteous tasks in a fallen world,
For a servant child born anew.
Though there be trials and opposition,
Obstacles to the paths which You light,
They make the journey much more rewarding
As I try to fight Your glorious fight.

Thursday is Verse Day @FaithUnlocked – 1 Thess 5:16-22

Be joyful always;
pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not put out the Spirit’s fire;
do not treat prophecies with contempt.
Test everything.
Hold on to the good.
Avoid every kind of evil.

1 Thess 5:16-22

A Commission

Protect the weak, and
Challenge the strong.
Shelter the homeless,
Provide for the poor.

Speak up for the voiceless, and
Defend the vulnerable,
Protect the innocent,
Forgive those who sin.

Nurse the sick, and
Care for the broken.
Lift those who stumble,
Comfort who mourns.

Approach the hostile, and
Befriend the lonely.
Honour your parents
And nurture your child.

Teach the enquiring, and
Encourage the doubters.
Hear your elders;
Love the children still more.

Celebrate the living, and
Share hope with the dying.
Preach the Good News to
Convict hearts and minds.

Live out your worship!
Love the Lord your God!
Love always your neighbours
Still more than yourself!

Fear the Lion
Give thanks for the Lamb
Pay heed the Word
And kneel to the King

Join with the host
And welcome the Spirit.
Freely and finally,
Accept salvation.

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”
Philemon v.6

Your Credit? Your Debt?

You are unique; there is no-one else
On this planet who is quite like you;
No-one else in all of history who can claim
To have done the things which you do.

Your achievements are all your own
All due credit for them goes to you.
Are you proud? Would you repeat them all –
Those things that I’ve seen you do?

Would you make them headline news, each
Deed attributed by name to you?
Or do you cringe, ashamed, when thinking
Of some things I’ve seen you do?

Each person’s unique, yet aren’t all guilty?
Everyone who’s ever lived, just like you?
No! There was one, still pure and innocent,
Whose death paid the debt your life leaves due.

He rose again, and lives now at God’s right hand
Speaking graciously over you,
‘Forgive then Father,’ He whispers mercif’lly,
‘For they know not what they do.’

So turn your back on your fatal sins,
Live in Christ, reborn and shining new; and
Make sure when your deeds are finally weighed,
Jesus stands by your side, absolving you.

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Hebrews 4:13

What Should I Call You?

So what should I call You,
Now that I know You?
How do I describe
What my mind cannot form?
When my words cannot capture
What flows through my thoughts,
How can I say
What You mean in my heart?

I hear Your voice
On the whistle of the wind,
In the still of the mountains;
And in the falling of the rain.
I see Your simplicity,
In the complexity of each snowflake.
You reveal Your diversity
In each face I meet.

My Creator, my Counsellor,
My confidante, my guide;
My strength and inspiration,
My talk and my song.
My judge and my Saviour,
The unbreakable broken,
The mighty become humble,
The un-bindable, bound.

So, what should I call You,
Who knew me at my beginning?
Who calls me each day
And saves me beyond my last?
With me each moment,
Whether waking or sleeping,
Miraculously within reach,
Whilst exceeding my grasp.

I shall call You, “Name above all names”,
Through Your truth I claim it;
You are my Jesus,
By Your mercy, my friend.