I was inspired by my niece, Jennifer, to post a new entry. Has anyone heard this poem? If so (or if not), what do you think of it? I thought it was worthy of all acceptation:

SERMONS WE SEE (by Edgar A. Guest)  

Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
– II Corinthians 3:2-3 

I am glad I know the author of the best book in the world, the Bible. It is God himself who used men to pen His thoughts. Some of the best poems I’ve seen, however, with the exception of some wondrous poems by family members, have been written by unknown authors. This particular poem, though I know neither the author nor the title of the poem is one of those wondrous poems, in my estimation. I do believe, however, that God knows the author (and that’s the important thing, isn’t it?). If I could name this poem, though, I might name it: “The Choice of the Lord.” See what you think of this:

I may never see tomorrow;
There’s no written guarantee,
And things that happened yesterday,
Belong to history.

I cannot predict the future,
I cannot change the past,
I have just the present moment,
I must treat it as my last.

I must use this moment wisely,
For it soon will pass away,
And be lost to me forever,
As part of yesterday.

I must exercise compassion,
Help the fallen to their feet,
Be a friend unto the friendless,
Make an empty life complete.

The unkind things I do today,
May never be undone,
And friendships that I fail to win,
May nevermore be won.

I may not have another chance,
On bended knee to pray,
And thank God with humble heart,
For giving me this day. 

Life without purpose is barren indeed.
There can’t be a harvest unless you plant seed.
There can’t be attainment unless there’s a goal.
And man’s but a robot unless there’s a soul.

If we send no ships out,
No ships will come in,
And unless there’s a contest,
Nobody can win.

For games can’t be won,
Unless they are played,
And prayers can’t be answered,
Unless they are prayed.

So whatever is wrong with your life today,
You’ll find a solution if you kneel down and pray.
Not just for pleasure, enjoyment and health,
Not just for honors and prestige and wealth.

But pray for a purpose to make life worth living,
And pray for the joy of unselfish giving.
For great is your gladness and rich your reward,
When you make your life’s purpose the choice of the Lord. 

- Author Unknown

Have you ever heard the expression, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”? I tend to be competitive (hopefully in a good way), especially when I think about running in this Christian race (endeavoring always to do better at something than previously done, striving to do what is right, striving against sin). Perhaps the biggest part of our striving “to win” should be in playing the game FAIRLY. I liked this poem that brings out this thought. See what you think:

Prayer of a Sportsman

Dear Lord, in the battle that goes on through life
I ask but a field that is fair,
A chance that is equal with all in the strife,
A courage to strive and to dare;

And if I should win, let it be by the code
With my faith and my honor held high;
And if I should lose, let me stand by the road,
And cheer as the winners go by.

And Lord, may my shouts be ungrudging and clear,
A tribute that comes from the heart,
And let me not cherish a snarl or a sneer
Or play any sniveling part;

Let me say, “There they ride, on whom laurel’s bestowed
Since they played the game better than I.”
Let me stand with a smile by the side of the road,
And cheer as the winners go by.

So grant me to conquer, if conquer I can,
By proving my worth in the fray,
But teach me to lose like a regular man,
And not like a craven, I pray;

Let me take off my hat to the warriors who strode
To victory splendid and high,
Yea, teach me to stand by the side of the road
And cheer as the winners go by.

-Berton Braley

And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
- II Timothy 2:5 

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
- Daniel 6:3

I came across this poem as I was thinking of a theme for the new year, something I could share with others who might read this blog entry. I thought of blessings and benefits the Lord has granted me this past year and wondered if I should write of those. I thought of some victories of the past months, some prayers answered. I thought of family and friends. I am grateful for all of this, but my heart remains burdened for those who are “without,” who may not know the way, who are caught up in “worldly things,” who are unaware (whether willfully or not) of salvation, God’s love, the gospel message, the sacrifice of Calvary, the triumph of the resurrection, THE HOPE OF THE CHRISTIAN!! This poem is introspective, and I hope that it may cause the reader to “ponder the paths of thy feet” (see Proverbs 4:26), that one may know that TODAY is the day of salvation—the day for ONE AND ALL to take time to walk with Him, to take the proper steps to being saved from sin—which are repentance, baptism in Jesus name, and the receiving of the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in another (unlearned) tongue as the Spirit of God gives the utterance. This is our entrance into the kingdom of God and the chance to have our names written in the Lamb’s book of life!

When You Stand Before The Lord

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. – Revelation 21:27.

Christmas cards often depict 3 wise men coming to Bethlehem to seek the child born who was to be Governor and rule God’s people Israel. However, surprising as it may be to some, the Bible never tells the number of wise men who went searching for the child. Perhaps it was the 3 gifts (which the Bible DOES mention—gold, frankincense, and myrrh) the wise men offered that lead some to believe it was also 3 wise men. Regardless of how many wise men came from the east, it was perhaps the 3 gifts themselves that were significant and symbolized some pretty profound and prophetic things. Here’s a poem I found, liked, and thought I’d share. It’s short, but you have to read it “with attention,” I feel, to understand its meaning. See what you think. Hope to hear your comments.

Gold and frankincense and myrrh,
Lord, they brought to Thee;
And myrrh was death, and incense prayer,
And gold was victory.
But first is last, as last was first;
The myrrh they gave Thee in Thy thirst
Upon the tree.

And through the solemn centuries
The prayers of saints have risen
From hearth and chancel, crypt and tomb,
From pyre, and from prison.

My niece, Jennifer (who incidentally just turned 16 and had her first behind-the-wheel driving lesson the other day) INSISTED that I FINALLY do another post. I’d planned to do a Thanksgiving post (which I did in Entry #37 before this one), but this post is in dedication to Jen. Hope she will get a laugh at the end, though she may have seen this before:

Dear God

So far today I have done all right.
I haven’t gossiped.
I haven’t lost my temper.
I haven’t been greedy, grumpy,
nasty, selfish or overindulgent.

I am very thankful for that!

But in a few minutes, Lord,
I am going to get out of this bed,
And from then on,
I’m probably going to need a lot more help.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?   Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  - Mark 8:37

Jesus asked these words and today asks mankind these questions.  In response, I humbly ask you, dear reader—What is most important to you?

Is it body—how you look, what you’ll put on, what you’ll eat/drink?  Important, but most important?  Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?  Jesus indicates the most important thing is the soul.  How can a soul be saved from sin?  Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom.  In Acts 2:38, Peter preached:  Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

In repentance we ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins.
In baptism, we are immersed in water as the name of Jesus is called out over us.
In receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, God fills us with His Spirit, and we speak in another tongue as His spirit gives us utterance.

Once we have completed these steps, we have entered into His kingdom, go on to live for Him and have a hope that when He comes again, we will be ready to meet Him in the air . . . and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

It’s been said that for every mention of Jesus’ first coming, there are 2 mentions of His 2nd coming.  It could be soon.  Don’t put off too long what could be done today.   Do you attend a church that teaches this truth?  There may be a church near YOU.  Click on Church Locator and enter your zip code.  God Bless you!  www.upci.org

 When I was a child, I didn’t mind “stepping on ants,” swatting flies.  Nowadays, I’m a little more circumspect in the ant department.  It doesn’t mean that all ants are good, but I think of this verse: 

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise;
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer,
and gathereth her food in the harvest. 
- Proverbs 6:6-8

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Beelzebub (commonly known as ‘”Lord of the Flies”) is a term known to be used for the devil himself (as is “that old serpent”).  I don’t mind so much now swatting a fly or two (though I don’t spend all day doing it). 

I wanted to focus on the ant and a spiritual application:

 The encouragement to “go to the ant” points man toward one of the purest examples of initiative.  (See Proverbs 6:6-11.)  Without a guide, an overseer, or a ruler, the ant provides her meat in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.

In other words, the ant has no one to command her to do what needs to be done (ruler), she has no one to force her to do the commands of a ruler (overseer), and she has no one to show her what should be done (guide).  Yet without these external assists, the ant does what needs to be done.  She anticipates future needs and prepares for them well in advance.  Here, in one of the smallest of God’s creation, is a trace of that attribute demonstrated by God in making the heavens and the earth.

Initiative is a by-product of wisdom, a lofty quality which is nevertheless achieved by the lowly ant.  “There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:  the ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer” (Proverbs 30:24-25).

Did not Jesus say He would be our Comforter and He would be our Guide?  This is one of the benefits of His indwelling Spirit.  I don’t know where I’d be without that.

Jhn 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Jhn 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Jhn 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Jhn 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Psa 94:19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul

I just wanted to share a few verses with you.  God Bless!