Our God is the only living God
His Kingdom is thriving
His Kingdom is renewed

Our Lord is ever-present
He dwells amongst His people
The house of Jehovah is renewed

Our Saviour dwells within us
His Holy Spirit is our comfort
Our nature is being renewed

Our Creator reigns supreme
He holds all things in His hands
Yahweh’s works are being renewed

Our Lord converts His disciples
He transforms their minds
He renews their knowledge
He changes their inner-man
In Christ, we are a New Creation

Our Father adores his children
He creates clean hearts within us
Our Spirits, in Him, are renewed

Our Lord is above all and is in all
Those who wait on God Jahweh
Will have their strength renewed

Our Saviour died and rose again
He sees our tears, knows our pain
Each morning His mercies are renewed

Our God’s Ways are not as ours
Our faith and trust we place in Him
He renews and makes all things beautiful in His time

Why do I stress? Because I forget that God is God.

Never forget that God is God.

Stressing brings out two kinds of people in me: the neurotic and the fixer. I either focus on what can go wrong or contemplate how I can fix things so that they go right (with my limited perspective this usually flops astronomically).

I hesitate to use the word ‘meditate’ because of the connotations with other practices, but it is scriptural to meditate on the Word of God. To meditate means to reflect, ponder, contemplate, think, and ruminate. So if I’m thinking of what stresses me all the time I am meditating, just on the wrong stuff. And this wrong thinking robs me of the truth that God is God, and He is in control.

Psalm 46v10 tells me to be still (calm, at peace, restful) and know that God is God.
How can I? Hello. I live in the real world here – lousy stuff has happened to me and to people who are close to me.

The disciples walked with Christ, and even they got stressed at times.

• They worried that they would not have enough food.
• They worried that their kids were bugging Jesus.
• They worried that Jesus was breaking social norms.

They were so concerned about life and so busy looking out for Jesus that they forgot He is God.

At least one hundred times I have heard and read the verse that tells me to cast all my anxiety on Him because He cares for me. ‘Cast’ is a strong word. I struggle with tentatively leaving my worries at God’s feet; never mind throwing them with abandon into the vastness of His omniscience.

Another verse that has popped up over the years tells me to be humble before God so that He can lift me up when the time is right. I always assumed that this verse referred to humility before man. How troubling that I only half-read and thus skipped over the truth in this verse. ‘Humble yourself before GOD …’ it’s so clear to me now.

Because of this, I discovered something revelationary (that’s a new word which means: a revelation that will turn my world upside-down if I let it).

The two verses I referred to above follow one after the other in 1 Peter 5 v 6-7.
If I read them together, the way God intended them to be read – instead of taking them out of context and applying each one to separate issues – the former helps me accomplish the latter!

Here they are from the easy reading version of the Bible.
“So be humble under God’s powerful hand. Then He will lift you up when the right time comes. Give all your worries to Him, because He cares for you.”
They appear exactly like that – with no extra space or new line between the sentences; which means they are meant to be read together.

So what was my revelationary discovery?

1. I need to humble myself before God’s powerful hand.
   I need to acknowledge the fact that God is more powerful than me. I can’t trust God with my uncertainties unless I am certain that He is capable of handling them to my best advantage.
2. I must toss everything that stresses me into His abundant powerfulness.
   In a Philippians 4 v 6-7, I read that when I make my requests (even more than one at a time!) known to God, the peace of God, which doesn’t make sense in the troubled times of this world, will look after my heart and mind.
3. I can be still, be calm, be at peace, have rest, and sleep well.

My revelation began while reading:
Chara Donahue and Anchored Voices

It’s the time of the year when the “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” debate rises like a star in the East.

Christians defend their conviction, affirming the true reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ.

Other religions and non-religious people assert the diversity of the festivities and want their belief or unbelief to receive an equal portion of mention in the celebrations. After all, there are approximately 29 other key religious dates recognised by seven other religions over a period of six weeks, Christmas being just one of them, somewhere in the middle.

And all the while the capitalist retail industry gloats as oodles of cash (and in some instances red money not real money) gets spent by one and all, regardless of their precepts.

Other religions regard the Christian’s attempts at keeping Christ in Christmas as a vain assertion that their beliefs are the Truth; whilst Christians themselves feel that their attempts are in vain as more and more people concede and accept the “Happy Holidays” substitute.

A fundamental fact, that adds even more discord, is that Jesus Christ was not born on 25 December. His real birthdate is unknown.

Due to this technicality there are some Christians who do not celebrate Christmas. Others, still, say that it has been commercialized and the true significance of celebrating the Saviour’s birth has been lost, so they withdraw into a holy huddle and wait for the day to pass.

The sharing of gifts is a tradition passed on from the three kings or three wise men that brought gifts to the baby Jesus as he lay in the manger.

The Christmas tree with all its tinsel and baubles bears no relevance to the Christian commemoration whatsoever. The closest symbolism may be the star or the angel that adorns the top, because on that very first Christmas there was a star that lead the wise men to the manger and a host of angels appeared in the sky.

Sadly Christmas festivities have become an entanglement of Christian and non-Christian symbolism.

The true essence of Hope, Peace, and Joy seem to have been swallowed up by the tinsel, the carnal desire to overindulge and the disputes about whose holiday it is.

I wonder what God thinks when He watches us:

• The Christians who choose not to celebrate.

• The Christians who are caught up in the covetous need for material things.

• The unbeliever who enjoys the holiday, the gifts, and the food, regardless of the “who and why” behind it all.

• The other religions who shout louder every year, “It’s not about Christ. It’s not Christmas. It’s Xmas. We choose to remove the Man who is central to the celebrations and rather introduce a wishy-washy, neutral expression that will not offend or convict anyone, the politically correct, socially acceptable term “Happy Holidays”.

I imagine that in heaven God says to His Son; “Does it hurt you to see the way that your birth has been distorted? Does it distress you to see how the Day has divided men into so many opposing factions?”

And Jesus says, “Father; man will always find something to squabble about, we knew that would happen when we created him to have the freedom to reason and to choose. Their debate about my birth does not concern me so much; I care more that they get the facts straight about my death and resurrection. Therein lies their eternal hope.”

it matters not
what man thinks
nor what man says
his opinion is
inconsequential
limited by
time and lack
of perspective
affected by
feelings and
frame of mind

it matters well
what God thinks
and what God says
His opinion is
of the utmost consequence
unlimited
omniscient and
omnipresent
He knows all
and sees all
God never changes

One Saturday morning I met a lady named Sarah.
I had just dropped Justin off at a friend and was headed home when I noticed her. She was walking in the same direction as I was driving and in my heart I felt I needed to offer her a lift. In hindsight I realise she could have said, “Yes please, I’m going to Rustenburg.” That would’ve been a bit awkward.
But as it turns out she was going to West Rand Packaging in Krugersdorp. I had a list of goodies I needed from there so, even though I wasn’t planning on going there that day, I decided to turn this opportunity into a spontaneous shopping trip.
When Sarah got into my car I asked her where she came from and she told me where she lives. What I actually meant to ask was where she comes from originally because she had an accent I couldn’t place.
So I rephrased my question and she told me that she was born and raised in Pretoria.
“But your accent is so English!” I exclaimed. “You pronounce your words so beautifully I thought you were from a French speaking country.”
Sarah chuckled and told me that her accent is a testimony.
I was delighted because now I knew she was a child of God! I asked her to please share her testimony with me.
She began with, “Well, I am born again…” at which point I interrupted with, “I knew it!” And we both laughed.
Without further interruptions from me, here is Sarah’s testimony.

Born and raised in Pretoria, Sarah could only speak Sepedi, Sesotho and Afrikaans. She found employment as a domestic worker with a couple who had recently moved from Zambia; they could only speak English. Her employer is also a child of God.
One day, using mainly sign language and gesticulations, Sarah’s employer asked her to wash the baby’s nappies in the steri-nappi bucket. Sarah did not understand the instruction and instead washed all the dishcloths.
Naturally her employer was very upset when she realised what Sarah had done. She called the domestic worker from the neighbour’s house to explain to Sarah what she actually needed her to do.
Sarah said she was so afraid she would lose her job because of the language barrier. Thankfully her employer was patient and kind-hearted. She and Sarah struggled along; each of them learning a few words and phrases from the other’s language until they had developed a workable situation.
However, Sarah told me that on the night of the steri-nappi bucket incident she cried out to the Lord and asked Him to please make a way for her to learn to speak, read and write English.

A few years later Sarah’s employers decided to move to Krugersdorp and they asked Sarah to move with them.  Sarah prayed and sought the Lord’s direction. The Lord confirmed that she should move with the family. He reminded her of her prayer to learn to speak, read and write English and He told her that her prayer would be answered in Krugersdorp.
They began attending a church in Krugersdorp and Sarah went to church with them even though she could only understand a little bit of English.
One evening at a prayer meeting the Pastor said he wanted everyone to have a turn to pray. Sarah said her heart nearly stopped and she felt embarrassed that she would be unable to pray.
The Pastor put his hand on her arm and said, “Sarah, I know you struggle to speak English, but pray anyway and the Holy Spirit will help you.”
Sarah prayed, and although she did not understand her own words, the people at the prayer meeting told her she said a beautiful prayer in English.
At the prayer meeting that evening was an English teacher who offered night classes. She invited Sarah to start attending night school so she could learn to speak, read and write English.
Sarah attended the night classes for several years. She was very committed and was soon ready to write her final exam! However, Sarah said, she failed her final exam four times. She got so angry with herself and asked the Lord why she was unable to pass the final exam. She said the Lord gently reminded her that her heart’s desire was to learn to speak, read and write English – all things she was perfectly capable of doing without having to pass her final exam. So, although she never received her final certificate, through hard work and perseverance Sarah practically completed night school and can read, write and speak English beautifully!

I am so very glad that I listened to The Still Small Voice in my heart that Saturday morning. By stopping to give Sarah a lift I met a beautiful child of God and I was blessed to hear her wonderful testimony.
Hearing Sarah’s story reminded me that God hears His children’s prayers, and He answers them in His time and in His way.

 

 

 

I enjoy being outdoors on a mild, sunny day. I know it’s not wise but I love to feel the sun on my back and shoulders.
I worked in the garden today, and as is often the case when I’m outside in nature I thought of analogies between my activity and biblical or spiritual lessons.
None of these lessons are profound, but I feel that sometimes the simplest of lessons can be applied to our daily lives and benefit us as much as the deeper truths that the Lord chooses to reveal to us.

First and foremost: dress correctly.
It makes no sense to work in the garden in an evening gown and high heels! Comfortable, homely clothes, a hat and gardening gloves are a no brainer. In a similar way we have to dress our inner man. There are a few scriptures that come to mind in this regard. The Bible tells us what virtues to “put on” and what things to “take off”.
Colossians 3v5-14 (excerpt)
“…since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self… Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience… And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Ephesians 6v10-17 speaks about putting on the armour of God (excerpt)
“…put on the full armor of God…”

Secondly: use the right tools
I could have used a kitchen fork and a steak knife to weed my garden but it would have taken a long time and they would probably have bent and broken before I was finished. So although they are useful they are not right for the job. I could have used my little hand-sized spade to hack away at the edges of lawn to trim it back out of the garden beds, but although the spade may be a garden tool it is not made for edging the lawn.
In the same way God has given us tools to use in our daily walk with Him. Prayer, fasting, personal Bible study, praise and worship, and fellowshipping with other believers are some of the tools God has given us. People try other things like meditation, yoga, reading self-help and self-improvement books; all of which have benefits, but they are not perfect for the job. Sooner or later they are going to come up short and ineffective.

My third point: persistence.
I last weeded my garden about a month ago. Today I pulled out a refuse bag full of weeds and old plants. I have to pay regular attention to my garden or the weeds will take over and strangle the other plants and cover the pathways. The fact that I weeded a month ago makes no difference to the new weeds.
Weeds can be an analogy for worldliness. If we do not tend to our spiritual lives often worldliness grows and can eventually take over. Looking after the state of our inner man has to be done persistently, consistently and with the endurance of a long distance athlete.
New challenges, new temptations and new struggles present themselves daily. The longer you leave a weed in the ground the bigger it gets and the harder it is to dig it out. The same with unrighteousness. The sooner you allow the Holy Spirit to highlight the areas of worldliness in your life the sooner it can be dealt with and eradicated.
It’s common knowledge that weeds have to be pulled out by the root or they will just grow back. Likewise we should focus our efforts on the root of the struggles we face in our lives if we want to rid ourselves of them for once and for all.

My forth point: everything has a place
A well-tended green lawn is a beautiful thing, but grass in the flower beds or encroaching on the pathways isn’t that great. In the same way, flowers and shrubs decorate my garden but I don’t want those flowers and shrubs springing up in my lawn or between the paving bricks. Trees, hedges and shrubs that get too big and grow beyond the boundaries of the suburban garden can look untidy as well as scratch passersby. Not to mention interfering with the electric fence when it rains (a typically South African problem).
The analogy that I drew from this is that we need to ensure that all things in our life are in the right place and within reason. Let me elaborate. Love is a good thing when it is shared among the right people in the right situation. But when it is shared inappropriately it is no longer good.
The same can be said if you have a calling, a passion or a conviction to help others, enrich the lives of others or make the world a better place. If that ministry, as good as it seems, takes you away from God or shifts your focus from God then it is out-of-place in the perfect order of things and it is no longer good.
I must clarify here that I am of the belief that nothing can be good in the sense of being holy, set apart and pleasing to God if it is done in our own strength or for our own fulfillment. What is perceived as good by worldly standards is not necessarily good in the eyes of our Heavenly Father who can look into the heart of man and see what man cannot see.
Proverbs 16v2: “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” 

Fifth: is it a weed?
If, while I am weeding, I find a plant but I’m not sure whether or not it is a weed, I leave it. The next time I work in or walk through the garden I will take a look and see how it has grown and developed. The expression of ‘judging a tree by its fruit’ comes to mind.
Similarly we are not always aware from the onset if something in our life is a weed or not.
The example I have to offer is a new friendship or relationship. As some relationships develop we might find that the person does not bring out the best in us. Possibly they might become abusive or they simply drain us and make our lives miserable.
What about a new hobby, pastime, job or any other opportunity that presents itself? How will we know if it is a good thing or not? A plant or a weed? Prayerfully wait and watch. As it grows you will be able to distinguish it by its fruit. But be sure that you pull it out soon if it presents itself as a no-good weed.

My sixth and final point: camouflage
We have a pair of bunnies as pets. I feed them a variety of plants that grow in our garden. One of the plants they enjoy is considered a weed by some, namely clover. Because the rabbits like it I leave it to grow. Due to the drought, the clover is spreading like wild flowers in our garden beds and it was growing over the geraniums and agapanthus, so I had to put in an effort to control it a bit. Lo and behold when I pulled it out what did I find? Dozens of grass runners making their way under the camouflage of the clover. If I hadn’t decided to remove the clover I wouldn’t have seen the grass hiding away under it.
This situation made me think of the kind of worldliness that is camouflaged as acceptable behaviour due to certain compromises that are made. In other words, socially acceptable ungodliness. A society where some sins are mistakenly viewed as less sinful than others means that we have promoted ourselves and assume we have the right to judge. The truth is we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3v23), and all sin is viewed the same in God’s eyes.

“When you can see God in small things, you’ll see God in all things.”
Donald L. Hicks, Look into the stillness 

 

 **Please note that this blog is my interpretation of the scriptures. Please pray for discernment. **

Three hundred million years from now, the only thing that will matter is who is in heaven and who is in hell. What are you doing of significance today that will matter in three hundred million years from now?

“Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter,” wrote Charles Haddon Spurgeon. There are so many hurting people who are looking for Truth and love.
Do you realise that the one thing you can’t do in heaven is talk with a lost person? Shouldn’t it be a priority in your life to reach out to all the lost people on earth while you can? We are commanded: “Preach the Word, be ready in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with long-suffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4v2

We need to realize something of the value of other people in the eyes of Almighty God. What is a soul worth?
“If you ever put a price tag on yourself, it would have to read ‘JESUS”. His death on the cross was payment for our sins. You are ‘worth Jesus’ to God because that is what He paid for you”. Josh McDowell.
We can never repay Jesus for what He did for us on the Cross, but what a fantastic ‘Thank You’ we can give Him each time we step out and share our faith with the lost!

We need to change our mindset from the dutiful ‘I have got to witness’ to ‘I get to witness’. It isn’t a burden – it’s a privilege! It’s not that we’ve got to go to church but that we get to go to church! By just changing a vowel, it goes from being a task to being an opportunity!
We get to pray to the Almighty God of the universe!
We get to read the Holy Word of God!
We get to worship the King of kings!
We get to give some of what God has provided for us and invest it back into the work of His Kingdom!

Let us take the Light of the Gospel into the darkness and watch how the Lord works in amazing ways.
We need to be ready to do crazy things out of love for the lost around us. They will never forget it.
There are three possible things that can happen when you share your faith:
1) The person can accept Jesus Christ
2) The person can reject Jesus Christ
3) A seed is planted in their lives
If the person rejects the gospel, you receive a reward for being reproached for the name of Jesus.
So every time we share our faith it is a winning situation. The only time we lose, when it comes to witnessing, is when we don’t share our faith.
As you share your faith, there are three things you should talk about in every conversation – sin, repentance and the Cross. For people to understand their need of salvation it is vital that they understand God’s Law. One of the biggest lies satan tells the lost is that they will be good enough for God on Judgement Day.

“O my friends, we are so loaded down with countless Church activities, while the real work of the Church, that of evangelising the world and winning the lost, is almost entirely neglected!” Oswald J. Smith.

We should desire to be used by God in what really matters to His heart. But, although we know we should witness, there are many reasons why we don’t boldly step out and share our faith – fear of rejection, fear of losing a friend, ‘I don’t know enough’, ‘I don’t know how to’, ‘I witness with my life’, and ‘I’m just lazy!’
Are you more worried about what people think of you or about what God thinks of you? When we don’t want to talk about our faith, it is usually because we are ashamed of what people might think of us.
Some people don’t share their faith because they don’t really have any faith to share.
Charles Spurgeon said: “Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself! Be sure of that!”
If you have a theology that’s dwindled into a philosophy, in which there is no thrill of faith, no terror of doom and no concern for souls, then unbelief and worldliness have taken over.

It is important to pray that the Lord will lead you to lost people during the day and that He will prepare their hearts. Witnessing is one of the best ways that you will learn more about your faith. When you talk with lost people and can’t answer their questions, it drives you to the Bible to find answers. Also, your prayer life changes. As you meet hurting people and want them to know the Comforter, you begin to pray for others and not just for yourself.

People love gifts – so give them a gift that talks about the greatest Gift ever given, Jesus Christ! Plant gospel ‘seeds’- a presentation of the gospel on a small piece of paper, a postcard, a booklet, CD or DVD.
“To be a soul winner is the happiest thing in the world. And with every soul you bring to Jesus Christ, you seem to get a new Heaven here upon earth.” Charles Spurgeon.

You can be guaranteed that no matter how long you live, you will be dead a lot longer! Since that is true, you should be searching for what is on the other side, because you will be there a whole lot longer than here on earth. Remember, eternity is an awfully long time.
Make a friend. Be a friend. Lead a friend to Christ.
One advert for responsible drinking declares: ‘A real friend doesn’t let a friend drive drunk.’ I would say: ‘A real friend doesn’t let a friend go to hell.’
If you want to see your friends in Heaven – invite them! It is our responsibility to invite others to Heaven with us. It is their responsibility to decide how they are going to respond to this invitation.

Be bold in sharing your faith with the lost.
To be a missionary you don’t have to cross the sea, you just have to see the cross.

**A modified and abbreviated excerpt of an article in Joy! Magazine issue number 36, from a book titled: One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven. Author Mark Cahill. **

 

 

I believe that God Almighty is the Only Living God; The Creator; God Eternal.
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; conceived by God’s Spirit and born of a virgin as the Old Testament scriptures foretold.
I believe that Jesus Christ lived on earth as a man without sin, yet He was crucified.
I believe that Jesus Christ defeated death and rose from the grave on the third day; choosing to reveal Himself to some so that they could bear witness to His resurrection.
I believe that Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven to be seated with Father God; to mediate for us and to pray for us.
I believe that God sent His Spirit to dwell in those who give their hearts to the Him and who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
I believe Holy Spirit is here to speak to us, guide us and comfort us – helping us hear and follow God’s unique plan for each of His children.
I believe that Jesus Christ will return. That at His return all men will know that God is God and Jesus is King.
I believe that everyone who has received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour will spend eternity with God, while sadly those who have rejected Christ will be cast away from God’s presence.
I believe that eventually every knee will bow to Jesus Christ; either now as their Saviour or later as their Judge.
I believe this with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my spirit.

My first thought upon seeing a beautiful rainbow after a rain storm one afternoon was to reflect on the promises of God. In my mind I went back to the first time God placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign of His covenant with Noah. How awesome must it have been for earth’s few inhabitants to witness this arch of colour across the sky for the very first time?
My first reaction when I saw it was to take photos and send them to my nearest and dearest and then post them on Facebook with the following quote from Abraham Lincoln: “I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how man could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.”
Why couldn’t I just put the photos on Facebook without the quote? Surely if I had not added a quote about God some of my non-believing friends would have ‘liked’ the photos; but because the quote is a Christian quote my non-Christian friends will avoid the ‘like’ button in case I think they have recently converted.

I was reflecting on the rainbow, the post on Facebook and the quote from Mr Lincoln and I thought of something…

Are you familiar with the feeling of loving somebody so much that you want to share everything with them?
And loving someone so deeply that everything you see and hear reminds you of them in some way?
I had one of those moments when I saw that rainbow. It took my breath away and made my soul cry out, “Oh God, I see that beautiful rainbow! I see the dark sky above the rainbow promising rain to other areas and the light sky under the rainbow showing that our rain is finished. I see the sunlight reflecting off the raindrops on the leaves. I see the birds fluttering about catching bugs that are too wet to escape. God, mighty God, I see all this and I know in my heart, in my soul and in my spirit that this is all the work of your hands. How can people – your very own creation; made in your image – how can they refuse to believe you exist?”

That is why I could not post the photos of the rainbow without including the quote.
In those moments my spirit communed with God and He touched my soul with the beauty of His creation and the reminder of His kindness, mercy and love through the covenant He made with Noah. God will make a covenant with each and every person who acknowledges that He is the Only Living God. God wants us to know that He loves us so much He sent His Son to die for us that we might be free from a life of bondage to sin. He longs for every human being to look at the wonders of creation and feel their soul cry out, “Oh my God! I see the wonders of your creation! I feel your Spirit alive within me…”

But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat Him like God, refusing to worship Him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in His hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
Romans 1 v 18-23 (The Message)

For the truth about God is known to them instinctively; God has put this knowledge in their hearts. Since earliest times men have seen the earth and the sky and all God made, and have known of His existence and great eternal power. So they will have no excuse when they stand before God at Judgement Day.
Yes, they knew about Him all right, but they would not admit it or worship Him or even thank Him for all His daily care. And after a while they began to think up silly ideas of what God was like and what He wanted them to do. The result was that their foolish minds became dark and confused. Claiming themselves to be wise without God, they became utter fools instead. And then, instead of worshipping the glorious, ever-living God, they took wood and stone and made idols for themselves, carving them to look like mere birds and animals and snakes and puny men.
Romans 1 v 19-23 (The Living Bible) 

 

They were looking for a Lion,
He came as a Lamb
…and they missed Him.

They were looking for a Warrior,
He came as a Peacemaker
…and they missed Him.

They were looking for a King,
He came as a Servant
…and they missed Him.

They were looking for liberation from Rome,
He submitted to a Roman cross
…and they missed Him.

They were looking for a fit to their mould,
He was the Mould Maker
…and they missed Him.

What are you looking for?
Lion? Warrior? King? Liberator?

What are you looking for?
They were looking for their temporal needs to be met,
He came to meet their eternal needs
…and they missed Him.

He came as a Lamb to be sacrificed for your sin.
…will you miss Him?

He came to make peace between God and man.
…will you miss Him?

He came to model servant-hood for all mankind.
…will you miss Him?

He came to give you eternal life.
…will you miss Him?

When we submit to the Lamb we will meet the Lion.
When we join the Peacemaker we will meet the Warrior.
When we work with the Servant we will meet the King.
When we walk with the Submitted we will meet the Liberator.
When we concern ourselves with the Eternal,
We will have the temporal.

If Jesus is not fitting into the mould you have then come to the Mould Maker and get a new one.
Submit to His plan for your life and you will see the eternal met first – then all the other things you have need of will be taken care of as well. (Matthew 6:33)

I found this poem in an old publication of JOY! magazine – Author unknown.