“You shall have no other gods before me” and “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them” were the first to of the Ten Commandments.
God had to give them, because … things have not changed even 3,500 years later.
During the Christmas season, to use the cliché, let us remember the reason the season: Jesus the Christ, and not our gifts and finances.
paper idol
throughout history
man has rebelled
against the One
Who created it all
they created their own
gods they could control
metal and wood
all kinds of idols
in our world now
we have our false gods
some still look the same
silver and gold
some are of wood
others of fabric
idols of flesh
and even two sticks
the idol today
that is popular
is moved around
on slips of paper
these idols have
many different
sizes and colors
and also prints
sometimes only
the evidence
of these idols
of dollars and cents
will be found
instead of a clear
and physical
legal tender
our paper idol
controls our lives
even when we
try to deny
but in opulence
and in scarcity
all people find
they are in need
though some may not
worship this thing
our culture has made
money the king
Here is another look at who we are, this time through the lyrics of David Crowder.
Consider the following passages:
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:7
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Matthew 13:3-9
43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Luke 6:43-45
God created us from the earth, and we are frequently referred to as soil or plants (which grow from soil).
Earth is soil which can support life.
Dirt, on the other hand, is misplaced soil. While things can grow from dirt, usually all you get are weeds or weak plants.
Only with soil do you get strong plants which are capable of producing good fruit. Good fruit are good deeds, good speech, and praise of God.
Weak plants and weeds do not give good fruit. Any good deeds from people like this are tainted by pride or do not have lasting or good results. There is a lack of, if any, praise to God.
And the thing that needs to be remembered is that only God by the grace shown through work of the crucified Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit can make us clean soil, fertile soil capable of growth and good fruit.
Listen to David Crowder and his band worship God for His creation and grace. Read the lyrics, and I pray grow in some understanding of just how much our God has done for us out of His love for us.
Wholly Yours by David Crowder Band
I am full of earth
You are heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym of me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From a broken earth flowers come up
Pushing through the dirt
You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I wanna be holy like You are
You are everything that is bright and clean
And You’re covering me with Your majesty
And the truest sign of grace was this
From wounded hands redemption fell down
Liberating man
You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy like You are
But the harder I try the more clearly can I feel
The depth of our fall and the weight of it all
And so this might could be the most impossible thing
Your grandness in me making me clean
Glory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah
You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy, holy God
So here I am, all of me
Finally everything
Wholly, wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly, wholly Yours
Teach your mind to worship in all wisdom by reading thoughts at Proverbial Thought!
Last week the poem looked at glorifying God by responding in faith to the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.
How, then, do we continue to glorify God with our lives?
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. John 15:7-9, NIV
teach me to worship
teach me to worship show me what it means to live a dedicated life to live a life of praise teach me to honor You show me how to sing to go into the world and share Your Great Name how can i worship how can i praise how can i honor Your Holy Name You have told us to love You have said not to hate be kind to everyone as an act of praise
We serve a great God. He deserves all praise and glory.
Your Wisdom is perfect
Your love beyond comprehension
You orchestrate our lives
while managing all of creation
how could a God so great
Who is bigger than everything
be content with a little speck
or love such tiny beings
You have planned out our days
and know all we could say
before we ever speak
or even finish to conceive
Your ways can seem ominous
the events in life strange
but it all works to Your glory
and i must give You the praise
You made me before time
and knew all of my ways
You counted all of my hairs
and mapped out all my days
i bless Your Holy Name
and offer You my life
in praise of Your greatness
for You i will live until i die
Your love is astounding
Your grace amazing
i cannot express
how much You have blessed
my spirit and soul
to those who do not know
just how majestic
and yet simplistic
the love that You have
and salvation that
is for every person
offered through Your Son
Who through a gruesome death
and with His last breath
gave praise to the Father
Who forgives forever
all of the many sins
of those who call on Him
and truly repent
of a life misspent
to turn to a God
and true servanthood
Proverbial Thought is ready and waiting to share wisdom from the wisdom book!
I would like to wish my wonderful wife a happy birthday! If you wish to see a great example of the Proverbs 31 woman, look at her! She lets the light of Christ shine through her!
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value. Proverbs 31:10-11
Speaking of worth, our God has demonstrated our worth for us in this: He came to die for us! God said “You are worth my life!”
As we enter Holy Week on the day we remember His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, let us remember that He is the God who saves and worthy of all our praise all the time!
there is a place made for me
made by the Man that set me free
my Savior came to this lowly place
to die on a cross in my place
His act of service on that tree
where nails pierced His hands and feet
gave to me life eternal
and a forgiveness that is total
my transgressions have all been
wiped clean by that Holy Person
i am given a brand new start
my sins having been moved far
like the east is from the west
and He offers nothing less
to all who will call on His Name
and praise Him every single day
please join me in praising the King
and making Him our everything
He deserves for what was done through Jesus
the praise that is rising up from us
Last week, we looked at the freedom that comes from Christ. I can not remember, having written both poems five and a half years ago, whether I was thinking through these same thoughts, but this poem explains more of how that freedom comes through in our lives.
It takes forgiveness. It is God’s forgiveness of our sin. It is forgiving ourselves for our sin. It is showing that same forgiveness to others. It is treating others better than any of us deserve.
thatisallworship
first comes forgiveness
that from God
second comes forgiveness
that in my heart
third comes forgiveness
that to others
fourth comes service
that from us
that is all worship
which should be
life
This month of Weekend Words has had a focus on overcoming by the work accomplished through Jesus Christ for the glory of God. What better way to end the month than praising our Lord for His work!
Jesus is Lord
Who has saved us?
By Whose Name are we redeemed?
It is the Lord!
Jesus the Christ, our King!
His life was perfect,
Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets,
All that was said
Including His horrible death.
But what came of it?
“Hosanna!” fulfilled in Him!
Forgiveness dished;
Salvation from a life of sin!
And hallelujah!
Three days later He is risen!
Our Lord conquered death!
He is alive and lives again!
Praise the Lord!
Through His death and Resurrection
We too have a hope
Of seeing Him Who is in Heaven!
Let us proclaim,
Run up and down the streets,
“Jesus is Lord!
He ever was and ever will be!
Bow down to the King!
Praise His Name forevermore!
Let all who do not know hear
Our Jesus is Lord!”
Do we truly love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths? Maybe I can help with the mind part, at least! This is Daniel M. Klem, apparent poet, reluctant yet passionate Disciple (Peter?), and foolish man attempting to understand theology!
a simple man of God 