Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:19 KJV

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A doctor telling patients they should smoke

Would soon not have a practice left to hold.

A man who works for Pepsi selling Coke

Won’t have a job for long to be enrolled.

If you’re a Christian teach the Christian way:

You meet the Father only through the Son. *

To tell that other ways to God’s okay

Will find that in the end you’ve come undone.

The least of God’s commandments should be kept;

Don’t break one and then teach that this is good,

For if you do, you’ve really overstepped;

The least belongs to you, as well it should.

It’s bad enough…

Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, 

that they may follow strong drink;

that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

Isaiah 5:11 KJV

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Beware that cup of wine, that mug of beer;

It may well be the drink of no return.

Imbibing alcohol can bring you cheer,

But too much booze is cause for great concern.

You think you can control it, and you may,

Yet there will come a time it turns on you.

Addiction causes spiritual decay;

Your passion’s not of God, but of the brew.

It’s good to know your weaknesses today,

For that is where the devil burrows through.

Avoid them like the plague; just run away.

Temptation can’t compete if your faith’s true.

If it’s too late and you just cannot quit,

Turn quick to Christ and counselors submit.

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sonnet # 415

To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.

O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

Psalm 8:1 KJV

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O Lord of Lords, Your glory shines above,

Illuminating Heaven and the earth!

Your power, truth and mercy rich with love

Was evident upon Your mortal birth!

How wonderful the grace you grant to man!

Unworthy though he is, You love him so!

You sacrificed Your life as was the plan

To bring salvation to the lost and low!

Jehovah, O how excellent Your name!

The universe in all its splendor fails

To demonstrate the grandeur that You claim

Upon a crown of thorns, a cross and nails.

Your glory is above the heavens heights,

But still Your spirit soothes our darkest nights.

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sonnet #414

This is my commandment,

That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

John 15:12 KJV

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The world is filled with malice, hate and scorn,

And every day is darker than the last,

But don’t despair, it is not time to mourn,

Just love your fellow man despite his caste.

The Savior loves you more than you can know,

He died for all your sins upon the cross.

If you love one another you will grow

To better understand His pain and loss.

If you show love to everyone you meet,

And give without a thought of some return,

The love of Christ in you is more complete,

And love begets more love with less concern.

This is the Lord’s command, that you should love

With all your life, as Jesus has above.

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sonnet #413

Are they not all ministering spirits,

sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Hebrews 1:14 KJV

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Oh child of God, you’ll never be alone,

Though all your friends and family depart.

When dark despair has gripped you to the bone,

There is an angel working on your heart.

He ministers to you when you are down,

Sent forth by God to comfort and restore.

When all the world conspires to make you drown,

An angel’s called to pull you back ashore.

The presence of the Lord is with you now,

And there are angels waiting in the wings.

When grief and pain descends upon your brow,

You’ve got the help you need from where love springs.

Oh child of God, know Jesus lives within,

And angels serve to minister therein.

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sonnet #412

Jesus answered and said unto him,

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:3 KJV

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A birth into this world means tears and pain;

Your mother can’t forget nor you recall.

But when you come to Christ you’re born again,

A new creation free from Adam’s fall.

Now quickened by God’s Spirit through and through,

The blood of Christ has washed your sins away.

No longer bound by flesh you live anew,

A citizen of Heaven now to stay.

Admit that you’re a sinner, dead and lost,

That Jesus paid the price for all your sins.

Put all your trust in Him whate’er the cost

And you will be reborn – your life begins!

Drink deep the Word as milk, then eat as meat,

And watch the Grace of God make you complete.

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sonnet #411

Please forgive my absence from “Back of the Choir.” I am currently visiting relatives rarely seen. My intention was to continue with the daily sonnet during my stay, but the Lord quickly reminded me that even His Sonneteer deserves a few days off. With the exception of a day here and there, God has had my feet to the fire for well over a year, and I am as amazed as anyone that He has provided me the words and scriptures to praise, exhort and teach the newly saved. This work is far from finished, though, and so count this upcoming week as merely the intermission of a much greater body of work – of which I am but one voice at the back of the celestial choir. May His love never cease in your life!

¹⁰ He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

¹¹ But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

1 John 2:10-11 KJV

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The light of Christ is like a beacon bright,

Illuminating the environment,

And where it shines the darkness must take flight,

For light is love and love is heaven sent.

And he that loves his brother lives in light;

His heart is firmly planted in the Son

Enlightening him with authentic sight

To let him see the way God’s will be done.

To those who hate, the way is dark as night;

They stumble, trip and fall as if they’re blind.

Destruction marks the way of these souls’ plight,

And hate begets more hate, it’s so entwined.

If you…

⁵ Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

⁶ And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

⁷ Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Matthew 4:5-7 KJV

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When Satan brought the Lord to temple’s top

Where all Jerusalem could see the sight,

He tempted Him to try a belly flop

To prove that angels save Him from that height.

The Devil hoped that Jesus would be proud

To show the world He was the Son of God,

But Lucifer was wrong, Christ won’t be bowed,

And tempting God just would not…

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah:

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee:

my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee

in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is

Psalm 63:1 KJV

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If you would seek the presence of the Lord,

You must be thirsty like a desert man,

Bereft and wandering, an empty gourd,

A single minded need without a plan.

When you awake, have God be your first thought,

So hungry He consumes you heart and soul

Until your neck is thin, your stomach taut,

Your tongue so thick with thirst and black as coal.

You cannot find the Lord while on your duff;

You must engage the world, but be aware:

When He is all you need, then sure enough,

You’ll find Him all around; He’s everywhere.

The intellect itself cannot find God;