Halloween

Reading a post of a friend of mine, Cat, led me to this poem. Her original post is here: Halloween. Halloween takes place this evening, and I find it so sad to the point of anger that people just don't understand what is truly behind this night. This poem aims to speak the truth of Halloween, exposing the evil beneath the surface of costumes and trick-or-treating. Be struck, be challenged, be reminded of who we serve as our master, friend and saviour.

Halloween

Halloween, the druids’ scene,
Night of evil here again.
Why suppose would man impose
Upon his day this shame?
Knows not the meaning of this night
For else he would relent
That in celebrating all-hallow’s eve,
A wicked message sent:
That man would worship things of stone
And in these place their stock?
And celebrate such trust in these
Of wood and fire and rock

Yet behind these ways an evil sways
Of chanting druids long ago
When pagan rights detest the sight
Of all but one old foe
For only he, whom souls can take
Is benefactor of this scene
The devil set these things in flight
Without this modern-day sheen

Let not the veil of costumes hide
The darkness of the truth
For no hand of God is seen within
These parties of our youth
For when we conspire to joy in this
Our hearts are not with him
For why rejoice in evil things
When greater things are found in him?

Let us not be fooled, our minds a’blank
Of what lies in this night
This enemy’s power travels deeper than
The trick-or-treating fright
Worship not this king of night
This slippery liar of old
For even now he seeks to play his hand
And in time steal your soul

Know the truth and make your stand
For by your heart, your life is scanned

God's irrefutable will

My quiet time this morning caused me to meditate on John 19v31 which reads as follows:

'Now it was the day of preparation, and th enext day was to be
a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies to
be left on the crosses during the sabbath, they asked Pilate to

have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.'
-- John 19v31 --

As I read this verse, I was struck by air that the Jewish leaders must have been feeling in light of Jesus being on the cross. They would most likely have been congradulating themselves on the successful dealing-away-with of person who they'd discounted as being a troublemaker, someone who saught to break their hold on the people. Yet, in the midst of this, they had a special Sabbath to prepare for and as such their customs and laws brought them to order the bodies to be taken down. Little did they know that God was using this to prove that, yet again, Jesus had fulfilled another of the prophesies, for we find John quotes (from the old testament), shortly after this in 19v36:

'...Not one of his bones will be broken.'
-- John 19v36 --

And true to God's promises from way back in the Old Testament, none of Jesus bones were broken. Here's the good bit tho! Had the Jews not ordered the people on the cross taken down early, the other prisoners would not have had their bones broken, and the guards would not have noted Jesus to already be dead.

Thus we find, although the Jews had saught to kill and discredit Jesus, their ordering the guards to finish the bodies led to Jesus fulfilling a prophecy.

I was so encouraged by this, to be reminded that whatever the plans of man, whether good or evil, they cannot contradict or halt the fulfilling of God's promises. Taking this to heart helps us to realise that God's promises to us -- both from the Bible, and personal ones he's shared with us -- WILL come to pass. What we need, is patienc hearts that are faithful to trust him.

Worship

Yet another poem hot off the press from 24/7 prayer week!! Man I love God SO much!!!! We had a worship session at about 1-2am on Friday and this was what came out of it as we were praying after :) Not so much a well-thought throught, methodical, revamped poem, but just a reflection on coming before God in worship and being struck with the question 'but how?'

Worship

Lord I sit before your throne
yet I know not what to say.
what words can sing such praises true
that wholly glorify your name?

So undeserved but yet such love
my praise to you I'd bring
yet my mouth can but in part express
the praise my heart would sing

The glories of your name, in word
can never full be said
yet through your power I find myself
by your spirit, led

So Lord, with heart upon your name,
I thank you now for who you are
your love unparalled, love so pure,
that wipes the sin that marrs.

I praise you Lord for you are good,
your word has never let me down,
your faithfulness is matched by none
your name holds the highest renown

Your plan is good, your promises true,
my side, I know, you'll never leave.
To think that I might love an other
my heart can not believe

My future's safe in you, my lord,
my place in rule with you
for' one day I shall stand beside
and rule as you now do

such inheritance I know is mine,
but how hard to believe
that you loved me o'er e'en your son
this mind cannot conceive

Thus I find myself once more,
overwhelmed by your grace.
This love, though I can't comprehend
has paid this this sinner's place

So I savour now your presence sweet,
aware of none but you
for only through your father's love
can I live my life for you

I seek your way, in this my life,
my it chart along your course
for I shall rest in this, as sure:
I know that I am yours

Scandelous love

I have to say that I have sorely missed 24/7 prayer! Last night I spent 10pm-4.30am in prayer/worship/praise with a group fo 7 guys and girls. We spent a time in contemplation before the cross, with the option of having our hands washed as an aid in remembering what Christ accomplished for us there. And that's where this poem has come from - considering the cross, and the incredulous nature of God's love for us. Scandelous love indeed.

Scandelous love

What blood is this, what wash the stain?
Infinite love, for eternal gain.
a son's pure heart for prodigal kind
judgement's cost to free this mind
mercy shown to one as this?
the Father bestows a heavenly kiss.
The son descends that I may live
that eternal life I may receive
Crimson care of countless depth
Father's love of measureless breadth.
To die a death of lonely pain
and power raised to life again!
Such love I scarce can understand
God's son upon a cross, for man

Shouldering your cross

As I did my quiet time this morning, I read the account in John where Jesus, 'Carrying his own cross, went out to the place of the skull (which in Aramaic is Golgotha' (John 19v17), and I was deeply moved with Jesus' attitude towards his duty and passion. As Christians, we often speak of taking up our cross as if it were a burden/trial, when the truth of the matter is that Jesus' walk, towards to the hill where he knew he was going to die, speaks of a number of things different to this.

God laid several things on my heart regarding our attitude towards taking up our cross. They are, that we should take up our cross:

Daily - there's no such thing as a weekend or CU-Chrisitian. We are called each and every day to serve God. This means a daily dedication to serve God, first thing in the morning til last thing at night. If we are only living for God, or 'giving him' Sundays and bible study meetings, then we cannot have truly understood what we are living for!! We are called to serve God, not out of bondage or duty, but because we are now 'Slaves to Righteousnes' (Romans 6:14-19), living under and in God's Grace.

Faithfully - God does not expect us to carry our cross on our own, as if he were one of the crowd watching, booing and cursing as we walk by. No, he is the one who steps out of the crowd, endures the booing for our sake, and helps us carry it. If we take up our cross, God is faithful to give us the strength of character, heart, mind and soul to be faithful to him in our lives.

Humbly - The cross is not a status-symbol. When we take up our cross and follow Jesus each day, this is humbly and in great awe of who Jesus is, and what he accomplished on the cross for us. If we do boast, then let it be in the cross (Galatians 6:14) and in what Jesus achieved for us through it.

Joyfully - This was the most challenging aspect of my quiet time this morning. Why should & how do we shoulder our cross joyfully? We should do this, because in Joy, there is a large element of willingness to do it. We do this, not because we have to, but because we have a passion to grow in and live for our Lord and saviour. We should do this joyfully because this is an outworking of God's love in our life. As for how? It comes down to 'What is your heart focussed on?' If it is on the praise and recognition of other people, then the joy will not be there. 'You cannot serve two masters'. To joyfully serve God, I have come to realise that we must have our hearts in the right place firstly. It is only then that we follow humbly, faithfully, daily and joyfully. With our hearts set on God, carrying the seemingly cruel (at times) cross-beam of our faith, becomes the humbling awe-inspiring daily walk that it ought to be.

Never lose the wonder of the cross - it shows love incarnate, beyond our understanding. Never forget, that the reason God loved us that much to send his son, and still loves us now, is because we are, and always have been, his.

Sunrise from the eyes of my heart

Sorry it's bin a while guys & gals, but here we are :) the title explains this poem in a nutshell. I wrote this after I'd done my bible meditation a few mornings ago and just sat there wanting to praise God, it being morning, the sun was going to rise soon-ish and thus here we are.

Sunrise from the eyes of my heart


'Upon the glorious wings of dawn
I see a day revealed to me.
Rays of new light fill my eyes
as birds a a heavenly chorus sing.
None other than a maker's hand
could craft a sight as this.
Such care and beauty shown to all,
I find myself enamoured still.
As tides within me rise atop
the patient silence of my mind,
to sing my praise to him, who with one hand
painted every fleeting ray that dance before my eyes.
Oh what deep hued tones, what glory this,
my mind cannot compr'end.
The spectrum of my saviour's love,
painted upon the canvas of the heavens.
I can but watch, I dare not speak,
for here I see my creator speak.'