Concerning the mortification of sin; is it not but the mercy of God which reveals to us the idols and sins of our hearts in His time, that He may continually refine and purify us for the express purpose of showing forth His steadfast love and faithfulness both in us and through us, to know that He is God alone, and to Him be all the glory? Ten thousand times ten thousand to infinity, YES! And thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Oh how complex at times it seems
To seek Your face in light supreme
When sin within doth veil the grace
You sweetly send by Your embrace.
As by Your Spirit You reveal
Those things within which once were sealed
Unto our minds by times appointed
To show Your love by Your Anointed.
Oh how great Your mercies store
Supplies for all our need and more,
As You consume but only dross,
And lead us gently to the cross.
Oh help us now confess and fight
The sin within by Thy pure Light.
For there no darkness dwells with You,
And all of grace our sins subdue.
And for Thy honor help us to dwell
With pure delight within the veil
Of Thy sweet presence for Jesus sake
As He the Lamb we now partake.
Anoint our eyes with Thy pure salve.
Rejoice our hearts in all we have,
By all You Are! We are made glad,
Fitted for battle, we thus are clad.
Unto the death with thankful plea,
With blessed assurance from Calvary.
More than conqueror's You made us to be
Through Christ alone, our Victory!
Michael E. Wood
September 8-9, 2010
Colossians 4:12 "...that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God."
Upon the completion of this poem, the following song by Fanny Crosby came to mind.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
(Refrain)
This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Saviour all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Saviour all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
(Refrain)
Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Saviour am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
(Refrain)
I continue to enjoy your poems. May I share a poem with you, written by my pastor friend, Chris Andersen in Ohio?
ReplyDeleteFor ev'ry branch that's high and green
A root dives downward, dark, unseen.
To stand when furious winds have blown
A tree must cling to soil and stone.
So Christians who would upward grow
Are anchored deep by secret woe.
When tow'ring ships o'er oceans blow
Their heavy ballasts lurk below,
Though lofty masts draw sailors'eyes,
The sunken burdens save their lives.
So we who race thorugh waves and reefs
Are kept upright by hidden griefs.
The soul that stretches wide and tall
Must root itself to Christ or fall.
So God of pride and peril warns,
Then tethers saints to Him with thorns.
Thus friendly thorns are gifts of grace,
And uneased pains, His strong embrace.
Pastor Barkman - Thank you so much. We loved the poem; especially the last three lines. Beautiful! Michael
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteTruly a blessing to read all but Delight Within the Veil was my favoriate. I plan on reading it to many folks, including your grandma Carden.
Gerald
Your comment has encouraged our hearts. We are thanking the Lord for you!
ReplyDelete