Forgive

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Attitude

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.”

Help me, Lord.

I tried Lord

I tried Lord
I tried hard to be Your good little boy
Chin up, head high
All zeal and no joy
Thinking all my good deeds could please Jesus
Boy, was I wrong
Though I knew the right songs, all my cymbals and gongs played the melodies wrong
And it wasn’t long ‘til I saw my disease
A life spent wanting to please
On hands and knees
To make right, to appease
God help me please
This can’t be Christianity, it can’t be
The whole thing’s like insanity
Where’s the rest of eternal security?
Where’s the hope of a God big enough to cope with all my hang-ups and insecurities?
Certainly this isn’t breathing
My chest burning and heaving
It’s like my pulse is ceasing
Like my heart quits beating
Yet this I recall to mind and therefore I have hope:
You died, Lord
You died, Lord
Assuredly, like the coming of the dawn, the Father’s love song goes on
Drowning out my bitter songs
And breaking through walls and barriers
Christ swoops in, removes sin, picks up His bride and carries her
So I can sing in agreement with the King this thing:
There’s only one thing that pleases the Father
The God-man on the tree in the midst of the scoffers
Now I finally see that Christ is what Christ offers
And I’m finally free in the love of the Father

Past Glories

Sure, the things you used to do were great, but what about now?

This has been ringing in my head the past few days.

Been reminding me that I need to step up to do something more, more than what I'm doing now.

Sure, I've brought lots of friends to church.

Sure, I've gotten many people saved.

But that was then.

I can boast all I want to my members, the people around me about what I used to be capable of in the past.

But all that really matters is what I can do now.

What can I do, to get people saved now?

I'm so tied down at work, so tired at the end of each day.

How can I boast of what I was able to do in the past, when I was free and energetic, yet now when I'm tied down I can't do what I did.

I must learn to count on God's strength, and once I'm able to lead people to Christ, no matter how tired I am, I would count that as an accomplishment, and only God gets the glory.

So often I hear of people who used to do great things in the church.

But when I see them now, they're just sitting there, being spectators and mere members.

I think to myself, "there is no retiring, when it comes to the salvation of man."

These old timers can't possibly bask in their past glories and not continue to work for the kingdom of God.

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Just like in Matthew 20 : 1-16

1 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

³ “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. ⁴ So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. ⁵ So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

⁶ “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

⁷ “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

⁸ “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. ⁹ When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. ¹⁰ When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. ¹¹ When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ¹² ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

¹³ “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? ¹⁴ Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. ¹⁵ Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

¹⁶ “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”
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Ok I'm not dissin' anyone in particular here.

But shouldn't it be this way?

Everyone should be playing their part to add to the kingdom, yet I see idlers and people who think they've done enough and it's time to rest already.

There are times of rest, but we should never get too comfortable being in rest mode.

Cos' there are people on this earth that only we can reach, and no one else will be able to reach.

Would you be able to sleep at night, knowing that if these people were to pass away, they'd be placed in eternal torment, and all because you chose to think that there's more time.

It's time to wake up.

No more pride, no more doubt, no more hesitation.

Let's go all out to see this generation saved.

Yours to take.

Nightlights

Be Thou exalted over my reputation,

'Cause applause is a poor form of soul medication.

And I've tried it for years, but my symptoms remain:

Still fretting the day that they'll misplace my name,

Still selling my soul for American fame.

Treating the promotion of Jesus like a well oiled machine,

Advancing His kingdom just to snag some acclaim.

Now, I'm both comforted and haunted that it isn't just me though.

I see a nation of people needing to feed their own egos,

Parading status like steeples.

Do we not know it's evil to love ourselves more than both God and His people?

But see, here's where you turn this poem on it's head,

'Cause the greatest among us came as servant instead,

And You humbled Yourself to the point of Your death.

Apparently love for the Father's glory runs red.

So friends, will we point to the Son till our own flames grow dim?

Will our bright lights become merely night-lights near Him?

Words echo once, let them echo again:

Be Thou exalted over my reputation.

- Jimmy Needham