² Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

³ And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Isaiah 6:2-3 KJV

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Imagine standing fore the throne of God,

With seraphims above it shouting praise.

Our best envisionings would still be flawed;

The mind cannot conceive the slightest gaze.

But here we are surrounded by our things,

While just outside the door the world is wide.

So full of God’s great glory nature sings,

And every grain of earth He did provide.

In Eden and again when all’s complete,

The Earth in all her splendor will be known,

Yet even now her beauty’s so replete

God’s glory can be found in leaf and…

⁹ And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

¹⁰ And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

¹¹ And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Mark 1:9-11 KJV

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When Christ emerged from Jordan full of love

The Heavens opened wide and He did see

Descending from the sky just like a dove

The Spirit came upon Him graciously.

Then God did say “You’re My Beloved Son,

In whom I AM,” He stated “so well pleased,”

And there the essence of the Holy One

Well marked His favor on the One appeased.

Beloved sister, now that Spirit’s Here!

O, my Beloved brother, He’s in you!

When you accepted Christ your…

³⁸ Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.

³⁹ But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas

Matthew 12:38-39 KJV

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There still are those today who look for signs,

For they don’t have the Spirit faith reveals;

They seek some thund’rous roar and light that shines

And still would turn to court with their appeals.

But just as Jesus said so long so ago,

The only sign He’d show the cheating crowd,

Like Jonah three days in the fish below,

He’d lay inside a tomb under the shroud.

Then, O, the miracle our Saviour wrought!

Within the gut of death three days gone by,

He then came back to life as He once…

For the law was given by Moses, 

but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

John 1:17 KJV

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The Lord gave Moses laws defining sin,

And spelled the things that man should never do,

But laws don’t teach forgiveness there within,

And do not mention grace the whole way through.

So once a year a lamb was sacrificed

To pay for all the sins men did accrue,

Then came along our Savior Jesus Christ,

To be the truth and give God’s grace to you.

He taught the way of love to all who’d hear,

And lived the fullness of God’s righteousness.

He gave His life, a sacrifice so dear,

And through this perfect Grace God’s love confess.

            The substance of the shadows of the law

            Lived as the Lamb of God without a flaw.

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sonnet #363

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV

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Of all the gifts that God so freely gives,

There’s none to match the one on Calvary.

The sacrifice of Christ our heart relives,

And breaks it every time, too much to see.

He willingly went forth with you in mind;

His body torn and beaten horribly.

A crown of thorns upon His head was twined;

He bore it all for you so humbly.

Then, O, upon the cross they hung our Lord

Upon the cross that’s meant for you and me!

He took our sins upon His own accord

And suffered there – my Lord! – unspeakably.

God sacrificed His Son upon the cross,

A gift so great my tongue is at a loss.

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sonnet #362

³⁸ And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

³⁹ But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.

⁴⁰ For he that is not against us is on our part.

Mark 9:38-40 KJV

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When you arrive in Heaven one fine day

You just might be surprised at who you find.

There will be those you thought had gone astray,

Believing doctrine you once knew was blind.

There’s one prerequisite to step inside,

And it’s not what you know, but rather who.

If you let Jesus in your heart abide

You will be counted then among the few.

Accept Him as your Lord and Savior now

And He will guide…

⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 KJV

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

How precious is the Word from God to man!

The light that shines from darkness dwells within,

Infused by Christ, the Holy Ghost did fan

Until it raised the dead once lost by sin.

So like a pearl within an oyster shell,

Or diamonds held inside a leather pouch,

This treasure in our earthen vessels dwell,

Too dear for any man to claim and vouch.

We all are blind from birth without the light,

But then the love of Jesus brushes by,

And if we do believe He…

And they departed from the presence of the council,

rejoicing that they were counted worthy

to suffer shame for his name.

Acts 5:41 KJV

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

Are you prepared to suffer in His name,

The Son of God who died on Calvary?

Would you then follow Jesus just the same

If all your kin and friends should disagree?

The Christians in Iraq are being killed,

And in Somalia are flogged and flayed,

But if believers here are slightly grilled

They hide their crosses for they’re so afraid.

No matter what the world may do to you,

Remember what it did to Christ the King.

So count as worthy what you’re going through;

It’s only temporary what they bring.

            Are you prepared to suffer in His name?

            Are you prepared to suffer death or shame?

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sonnet #359

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,

worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory

2 Corinthians 4:17 KJV

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

We strain beneath the stress of misery;

Our bodies and our minds begin to fail.

Though as we age we have our memory,

Yet also it plays tricks on us as well.

No matter what may happen to us here,

Disease or loss of limb or far much worse,

And even when we face men’s final fear,

We’ll know that we are not within the hearse.

The glory that awaits the child of God

Is worth all of the anguish of this place.

No matter how severe we’re crushed and clawed,

It can’t outlive the splendor of His Grace.

            If we knew all the joy this next life brings,

            We never would complain about a thing.

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #358

And as ye go, preach, saying,

The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 10:7 KJV

            ~~~~~~~~~~~

The time has come, the time is here, my friend,

To share the news of Jesus to all men,

And when you hear some mock Him, then defend,

For He will stand for you and them, amen.

The Savior is returning, be of haste,

And spread the Word as if He’s coming now,

Then bring them to the cross where sin was placed,

Where Jesus died for them with humble vow.

Now, be like Christ and preach to all you meet,

Pour out the living water for their soul.

If you bring one to Jesus on the street,

It will be worth the effort as a whole.

Don’t be so shy, recall how you were freed;

How someone let the Spirit take the lead.

~~~~~~~~~~~

sonnet #357