Perhaps a Gift

How many people ’round the earth
Give little thought to Jesus’ birth?
Maybe at Christmas time they’re stirred
To contemplate on what they’ve heard–
To ponder these things in their heart?

Perhaps amidst the twinkling lights
They’ll catch a dim and fleeting sight
Of Someone they once heard about
Once cherished hope now dulled by doubt–
A Child who came one Christmas night?

Perhaps the songs of carolers
Some sentiment of comfort stirs
As they recall sweet childhood joys,
A memory doubt can’t destroy
Of songs once sung which time now blurs?

Maybe they’ll see in giving gifts
Some hint of love their spirit lifts,
For love can soften hardened hearts:
Could season’s kindness play a part
In pointing to the Greatest Gift?

Perhaps the Gift of God they’ll find
Hid in the customs of these times,
The gift of everasting life
Which God provides in Jesus Christ–
A Gift to which they’ve long been blind!!

What is Truth?

What is truth? proud Pilate mused
Contemplating condemnation
While in his court stood Truth accused
As deceiver of the nation–
An unfounded accusation.

Found no fault yet had Him slain–
Took the path of least resistance;
Expedience to truth’s disdain
Would appease the mob’s insistence–
Truth drowned out by their persistence.

What is truth? You must decide;
It’s life’s great consideration–
If Christ was Truth personified
To accomplish man’s salvation
Truth’s rejection brings damnation!

The truth of God is absolute,
No subtraction or addition,
Though men may lie and convolute
With new scheme or definition
Truth has only One edition.

Faithful Shepherd

The shepherd goes before the sheep,
They meekly follow close behind,
To meadows green and pastures deep,
For by His steps their way’s defined.

At times the pastures turn to dust,
The hardened ground is sparse and bare,
Their faithful minder has their trust,
They know for sure he’ll get them there.

In heat and cold he watches them,
Through seasons friendly and hostile,
He looks on them as one with him,
He shares with them through every trial.

Onward he leads to waters still,
A place of peaceful rest and calm,
They quench their thirst, they drink their fill
In quiet comfort safe from harm.

When little helpless lambs are born,
With tender care he nurses them
Through sleepless night to frosty morn;
They always can rely on him.

From fearsome wolf and roaring lion
The faithful shepherd guards his own;
He’d lay his life upon the line
That they might all come safely home.

Christ Jesus used the shepherd’s role
To illustrate His heart of love—
The Lord and Shepherd of our souls
Would always lead, He never drove.

Legion

Thunderous look, his wild eyes all ablaze
So like boiling green seas
On black stormy days,
Wild raging bull rearing out of control—
What fearsome unease
Is steering his soul?

Locals avoid him, they fear the unknown,
They’re afraid—he’s so strange
They stay in their homes;
Dwelling in tombs, he’s cold, naked, unfed;
To the living–deranged—
No threat to the dead.

Sees One approaching, he races to meet,
Bows his head to adore
At Christ Jesus’ feet;
Deep from within him an agonised shout,
Demon forces implore
They not be cast out.

Cast into swine by God’s powerful Word,
Rushing headlong to drown,
Two thousand strong herd;
Neighbourhood pleads He departs from their land—
Prefer devils they’ve known
To God here as Man?

Legion delivered is sitting and dressed,
In mind fully restored
Who long was possessed,
Chosen by Christ as a witness to men—
Now the stranger abhorred
Speaks new life to them.

Often the Saviour commissions the weak,
Through the world’s most despised
He chooses to speak,
Showing no favour to haughty and great—
Could be angels disguised
Who beg at our gate!

Sword of Truth

The regime continues on
Though the child of peace is gone;
He held a sign up–’Peace’! it said,
Before a tank–now he is dead;
‘Democracy’! the spokesman said.

‘All men are equal’, one insists,
‘Comrades all, pure socialists’;
But when their day of rule had come
Disenfranchised everyone,
Enforced their writ by sword and gun.

In ‘Mein Kampf’ dark thoughts unfurled
Are foisted on a clueless world;
Swastikas line city streets,
Masses throng when Hitler speaks–
His sword and pen destruction wreaks.

Mass graves bear sober testament,
Which scribes and poets sore lament;
Dupes of war by dogmas led,
Lands destroyed and millions dead–
Since Eden’s fall the earth’s run red.

Swords arise in every age,
Impose their will through wrath and rage;
Pens of men though good intend
Can’t reverse the deathward trend–
War’s appointed ’till the end.

All vain philosophies of pen
Are birthed in natures ruled by sin;
Pens submitted to the Lord
Bowed before His holy Word
Know His pen’s the Spirit’s Sword.

Sword of the Spirit pierces depths
Where secrets of the heart are kept,
Separates twixt heart and soul,
Makes repentant sinners whole–
God’s pen and sword achieve their goal.

Vision

In dream I saw an open book
Whose pages long had lain unread;
I felt the urge to take a look-
The bookmark said, ‘Your daily bread’.

I picked it up with nervous hands
Maybe fearing what I’d find,
Little knowing then the bands
That bound me captive, heart and mind.

With reticence I read at first-
Could these depicted things be so?
Creation! Fall! The awful curse!-
Was so much there I didn’t know!

The flood! Babel! then Abraham!
My mind was boggled with the news,
God gave His written Law to man,
He pledged salvation through the Jews!

Much sacrifice and temple rite,
Shed blood of bulls and goats and rams-
From sin and evil no respite
‘Till there would come the Promised Lamb!

Up to this point I only saw
Men’s failings, falls and sinfulness,
While everywhere God’s written Law
Demanded final just redress.

But then He came—Immanuel,
Of virgin mother, manger-born,
Came to the land of Israel-
Almighty God in human form.

He trod the land from east to west-
Disease and darkness fled His sight,
He raised the dead, the children blessed,
Demon powers put to flight.

I saw Him as He climbed that hill,
Bleeding, battered, bent and scorned;
It broke my heart to see man kill
The greatest Person ever born.

The emptiness, the sheer despair-
A shroud of hopelessness descends-
Evil’s ruling everywhere-
We’ve murdered Him! Where will it end?

Who moved the stone? The tomb is bare!
No lifeless body to be found;
The empty garments lying there
Suggest a mystery profound.

For God has plans that far transcend
The feeble thoughts of worldly wise—
Through death the reign of death will end,
The death of Christ brings Hell’s demise!

His resurrection from the dead
Breaks the curse of Eden’s fall;
Wrath due to us He took instead—
Oh the wonder of it all!

My dream’s become reality,
On things above my vision’s set
‘Gainst backdrops of eternity
Anticipating wonders yet.

Prayer Place

His Father’s house, a prayer place,
Where men were meant to worship Him,
Where those from every tribe and race,
Could come and pray and seek His face,
Now bustled loud with raucous din.

In righteous anger Christ expelled
The traffickers who bought and sold;
His holy heart by zeal impelled,
Irreverential trade He quelled–
A zeal the Word of God foretold.

Our hearts become exclusive space
If we by faith are found in Christ;
He’s purposed in this age of grace
To make our hearts His dwelling place–
The temple of His Spirit’s life.

Should not the temple then be clean
Of merchandise that would defile?–
Profanities and things obscene
Should never reign, be even seen–
Cast out the things that would beguile!

May we respond with righteous ire
When traffickers entice our soul;
May we with zealousness aspire
To guard our hearts with holy fire–
Then fruitful lives would Christ extol.

A prayer place my soul shall be,
A house of constant peace and rest,
A home of holy harmony,
A foretaste of eternity,
Indwelt by my Beloved Guest.

The Hour is Late

‘Wise’ men propose to soon impose
Their agenda for progression;
They’re all convinced it makes good sense–
Borrow more to beat recession!

For climate change, it’s all arranged–
There’s a guaranteed solution–
All parading ‘carbon trading’
As a fix for world pollution!

The great arms race now taking place
Is foreboding conflagrations,
But yet they trade and masquerade
As ‘peacemakers’ of the nations!

Who counts it gain when babes are slain
With governmental blessing?
Is ‘mercy death’ the next concept–?
What!! And we think we are progressing!!

Get on our knees with urgent pleas
Before judgement overtakes us,
That God would grant repentant hearts,
That His mercy won’t forsake us.

Solitude

Solitude is not loneliness
But space to sit and reminisce,
Where distress fades to nothingness
In its secluded silent bliss.

My mind’s set free to roam awhile
To meditate on mysteries;
The world’s amusements don’t beguile
And pesky interruption flees.

Sequestered in this serene place,
Truth’s understanding is my goal,
Away from life’s unceasing race,
To be replenished, heart and soul.

God’s Word I’ve stored within my heart
For times of quiet solitude,
That in the stillness He’d impart
Some precious insights of His truth.

Then maybe I’ll have truth to share,
That He’ll equip my pen to write,
That I’m not spouting to the air
But touching hearts and shining Light.

Oh solitude! I love to rest
Within the confines of your space;
It’s here so often God has blessed
With insights of His love and grace.

Random Thoughts

The scientist who dares oppose
The Word of God is a simple fool–
For all the things he claims he knows,
If he believes they were composed
By random chance and no One rules,
What right has he to then suppose
His randomness should be imposed
On all the students in our schools?

What ‘random’ way can be proved best?
This question I propose to you–
For even thoughts, I dare suggest,
In an unordered universe
Cannot be trusted to be true!
But he who trusts God’s Word is blessed
With the answer to this simple quest–
True science will believe Him too!!