Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 12/21/2014

Find the source of wisdom through the thoughts at Proverbial Thought!

Second week in a row with a fresh poem! I wrote this yesterday while driving across the USA to see family and friends … or, more chronologically, friends and family.

It is shorter, but it rhymes and is a quick reminder of who Christ is.

Son of …

Son of God, from up above,
You are worthy of praise and love.
Son of David, from his bloodline,
You are Lord and King divine.
Son of Man, from Adam’s seed,
You are our example and greatest need!

2014
12/20
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Prepare Your Heart – Advent Week 3

Continue preparing your heart for wisdom by reading the thoughts over at Proverbial Thought!

It is now the second week of Advent! (See the last two weeks’ devotional thought here and here.)

Again, Advent is a time to remember our Lord’s first coming as we look forward to His imminent return.

So, let us prepare hearts for encountering the Lord!

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
    for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old“

. . .

“for my eyes have seen your salvation
    that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and for glory to your people Israel.”
Luke 1:68-70, 2:30-32, ESV

The first part of the quote is from Zechariah, John the Baptist’s dad, at John’s birth. The second part of the quote was said by Simeon, an old and devout man, when he saw the baby Jesus at the Temple.

These two men knew that the Lord’s salvation was at hand. If you read all of chapters one and two of Luke, you can see that even they did not understand His plan of salvation. They were on the right track, but they were not aware of how things would unfold.

The Lord had come, Emmanuel, God with us, and he brought salvation. It was first brought to Israel, the Jews in Jerusalem in particular, and then it spread to “all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8) over the past 2,000 years.

What most everyone then did not know was that first the Lord would bring spiritual salvation, the forgiveness of sins and the repairing of the relationship with God and humanity; the physical redemption from all enemies is still to come.

Let us remember that salvation has come, but we await our salvation from the pain and evil of this world (see Romans 8). We do not understand fully how it will all happen, but we know Jesus will return!

May we not get caught up in the knowledge we have and miss the signs of His coming. May we remember that we are not home yet, and we await our coming Savior. May we bring as many as we can to all of this knowledge of the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of the Father!

2014
12/16
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 12/14/2014

Find the wisdom of He who found you, and get started at Proverbial Thought!

Todays poem was actually written today! I typed it straight into this page while worshipping with my local church family.

It is rather fitting for this third week of Advent!

God and i, me and God

God and i are great
for He came to earth
to demonstrate
His love for a sinner.

me and God need work
for i frequently
fail to show His worth
in my life daily

Fortunately
He works in my life
to take my eyes off me
to see that God and i
are something holy
and by His design
for eternity
through the power of Christ

2014
12/14
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Prepare Your Heart – Advent Week 2

Continue preparing your heart for wisdom by reading the thoughts over at Proverbial Thought!

It is now the second week of Advent! (See last week’s devotional thought here.)

Again, Advent is a time to remember our Lord’s first coming as we look forward to His imminent return.

So, let us prepare hearts for encountering the Lord!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-14, ESV

It is important for us to remember that God’s people, the Israelites, those who painstakingly preserved the written Word of God and pursued righteousness, failed to recognize Him when he came to them quite literally in the flesh.

Jesus said just three chapters later, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23). Our culture today is largely spiritually dull, even in many churches.

Ask yourself, “Would I recognize God if He approached me today?” Seek His face in prayer, Bible reading, and the fellowship of believers. Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Too many missed Him the first time around. Seek the living Lord!

2014
12/09
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 12/07/2014

Change your understanding and find wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2, ESV

 

you          me

Let us change,             and
(written with Kendra Page)

 

Let us change the world,

you and me,

with the help of God

for His Glory.

Let us change a life,

you and me,

by sharing His Love

with somebody.

Let us change our hearts,

you and me,

and focus back on the One

Who set us free

Let us change our thoughts,

you and me,

and rid them of anger, lust,

envy and greed.

Let us change our actions,

you and me,

by standing strong for God,

not being lazy.

Let us change our minds,

you and me,

by realizing God

is all we need.

2014
12/07
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Prepare Your Heart – Advent Week 1

Prepare your heart for wisdom over at Proverbial Thought!

It is the first week of Advent!

Advent is a time to remember our Lord’s first coming as we look forward to His imminent return. Continue reading →

2014
12/02
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 11/30/2014

A little birdie told me to tell you to find some wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

I remember seven years ago, I was sitting on Arizona State University’s main campus waiting for some friends to get out of class. We were going to meet up for a quick dinner (I was not a student, but they were … in fact, I was practically homeless at the time!), and then go to the weekly Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) meeting. I was sitting in the middle of the watery area near the Union reading my Bible, specifically Matthew 26 (verses 25-27, in the NIV):

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?“

Immediately after reading this, I looked up to see a bird flying overhead, performing all sorts of aerial acrobatics.

Then this poem came into my head.

It is rather fitting considering we just celebrated Thanksgiving in the good ol’ USA, as it is a reminder to focus on how God provides for us.

O birdie

O birdie in the air,
flying to and fro and everywhere,
what is it that you think about?
Do you worry about the clouds?
Is God a concern of yours?
That He is your real food source?
Do you contemplate people?
Do you wonder if they are real?
If God made you, then He made them,
so do you think about heaven?
Of all the cares that you have,
is it where you get your next bath,
or just maybe … perhaps …
that this world will not last?
But why should you care about that?
Do you know God controls your path?
O birdie flying oh so free,
Will you please share your thoughts with me?

2014
11/30
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How to Fix the Fergusons of the World In 12 Difficult Steps

Instead of writing my own, I submit Anthony’s thoughts. He did this pretty well.

Daniel

Anthony Baker's avatarThe Recovering Legalist

My Confession

Let me begin by confessing that I am not a person of “color,” at least not in the politically-correct use of the term. This is important to recognize up front because, according to many, my color (or lack thereof) disqualifies me from commenting on racial issues (unless I’m willing to confess any bigotries).

However, even though I am “white” (regardless of the fact that my shading is tinted by several hues on the palate of history), I would like to suggest some steps that could lead to true reconciliation and sustainable peace, not only in Ferguson, Missouri, but in all areas suffering from racial tensions, gang violence, urban decay, poor leadership, and civil unrest.

The Qualifier

Now, let it be known that the following suggestions will only work in a nation that supports the rule of law, condemns mob violence, and understands that there is a Higher Standard…

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2014
11/29
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The Undeniable Religious Underpinnings of an American Holiday

Anthony Baker's avatarThe Recovering Legalist

No Arguments

I don’t want to get into any arguments this Thanksgiving, believe me. I only look forward to meeting with family, eating turkey, along with every imaginable kind of casserole, then later flopping prostrate onto some flat surface to nap through the mythical effects of tryptophan and marshmallows. But just as with so many other things in this modern life, there are those who want to make a case against Thanksgiving, at least the religious underpinnings it brings to the dinner table.  Like as with Christmas, there will inevitably be those who want to keep God out of Thanksgiving.

There has been so much debate over the level of influence religion (specifically Christianity) had in the founding of our great nation, the United States of America. Many have argued that our forefathers wanted nothing more than a completely secular society void of anything sacred. Others have argued that our…

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2014
11/27
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Thankful for the Savior

Jesse Walker's avatarThe Unwinding Path

It is so, incredibly appropriate that Thanksgiving begins the Christmas season. Unfortunately too many people are caught up in the materialism of “doorbuster savings” and getting the newest electronic gismo (that will be outdated by the time they get it home), that they fail to take time to be truly thankful. The truth is, if you have a roof over your head, food and clean water you are better off than most of the people in the world.

This Thanksgiving, be sure to start off the Christmas season right by really setting everything aside, and being thankful for everything God has done for you.

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2014
11/27
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