Pass me the….the….board? It was a 1/4 inch thick by 10 inch by 12 foot piece of fiber-cement siding. It beats vinyl siding all over the place for looks and durability. But in stumbling over what to call it I was reminded that name and form and similarity of a thing to the actual item does not mean it has its substance. Such are many in the church and the world: “And he said to them, “An enemy has done this!” The slaves said to him, “Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?” But he said, “No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”” (Matthew 13:27-30) “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where your are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.'” (Luke 13:26-27) How should we react to such a word? “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you- unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5) for “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40) What is the substance of your heart, a believer saved by the grace of God exhibited on the cross by the death of Jesus to take away your sins, or a believer in name and assuming the form of a believer though not actually ever having had an experience with the living God? “Examine yourselves!” Are you the actual item, wood all the way through (as opposed to cement, or cork (any baseball fans?), perhaps), or do you only bear the shape and name of the same?
Archive for September, 2010
Fiber-Cement Siding
Posted in General, Photo, Random thoughts, tagged Photos, Random thoughts on September 19, 2010| 1 Comment »
Washed, Rinsed, Eternally Clean
Posted in Beauty, General, God Thoughts, Outdoors, Photo, Poem, tagged Beauty, God Thoughts, Outdoors, Photos, Poems on September 12, 2010| 4 Comments »
I made a new aquaintence in church today. We exchanged interests and learned that one was classical music and another was potentially poetry. He wrote down a poem from memory and gave it to me at the end of church. At home I sat down to read the poem. I was really enjoying it, but then I got to the last three lines and felt disappointed. Perhaps the author did not know the good news that I know, or perhaps his focus was elsewhere. At any rate I include the poem here and two verses that I quickly added (in a different color) to, as they say in music, resolve the dissident chords, caused in me at any rate. In defense of both Dr. Stidger’s thoughts and mine, I remind you of what it says in John 13:10: “Jesus said to him, ‘He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.'” I believe Jesus means both that Judas was unclean and that His disciples can pick up dirt from this world, that though they are clean, “needs only to wash”. Oh, how glorious, I’m clean!
I saw God wash the world by Dr. W. L. Stidger I saw God wash the world last night With His sweet showers on high And then when Morning came I saw Him hang it out to dry He washed each tiny blade of grass And every trembling tree He flung His showers against the hill And swept the billowing sea The white rose is a cleaner white


The Word Before Your Face
Posted in General, God's Word, Poem, Sustaining, tagged God's Word, Poems, Sustaining on September 11, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Keeping the Word before your face Concept and meaning ever trace Continual changes in you Please God and better run the race Setting your mind on things above The things of God you learn to love Cleansing your heart so it is true Undivided heart like a dove Eternity within the heart Begun in Christ and not depart When I’ve sinned and turned away too By His Spirit I may restart Learn to live life by faith alone No schemes and planning on your own By His Word guided by each clue To heed the Spirit’s call be prone When in danger for Him you call Secure in Him never can fall Peace with God is ever in view Assurance of heaven’s bright hall The Word before your face again Best deterrent to prevent sin Knowing that all to God is due Forgiveness, glory, life you’re in