Monday, October 21, 2013

His Name Is Jesus! (New Song)

Michael E. Wood
October 8, 2013

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

While contemplating the fact, that it is God which gives a new heart through the sacrifice of Christ which brings about brokenness over sin, this new song was written.

Only God can make a heart
That’s truly broken over sin.
A Holy God has made the way
To make us pure and clean within.
And only God could offer up
Himself to make the covering;
Sufficient purchase by His blood
Upon His cross of suffering.

His Name is Jesus!
He is the Christ; the crucified!
And only Jesus
By His own death with which He died
Could ever take the guilt and shame
And for our sake take all the blame.
His Name is Jesus!
His Name is Jesus!

Only God can justify
Ungodly souls before the throne.
A Holy God is satisfied
By only One who did atone.
And only God could give us
Access by true faith into this grace.
And we rejoice in hope to see
The glory of our Savior’s face.

His Name is Jesus!
He was condemned to set us free.
And only Jesus,
Both God and man upon the tree,
Could as the Just One, justify.
And it was “finished” when He cried!
His Name is Jesus!
His Name is Jesus!

Only God can take the mess
We made and work it for our good.
A Holy God, who is Omniscient,
Planned before Creation stood.
And only God can make anew
All things, who reigns above as King,
And see’s the smile upon our Father’s face
As we to Him now sing.

His Name is Jesus!
He will return in victory!
And only Jesus
Has conquered every enemy.
With all the angels shout His praise,
As all His children, He will raise.
His Name is Jesus!
His Name is Jesus!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Spark - All These Things

Michael E. Wood
October 7, 2013

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 
2 Peter 1: 5-7

Since the passage from 2 Peter speaks of the process of our ongoing sanctification while we remain on earth, which is the effect of the gospel to the glory of God, I thought it would be appropriate to also include the following quote with the little spark of poetry that came to mind while reading the scripture passage.

“… we think of holiness in terms of deliverance from particular sins, but that is not its object. The object of holiness is to bring us into fellowship with God, that we may enjoy this fellowship; it is to prepare us for heaven. It must all be thought of always in terms of this fundamental relationship to God and not some feeling you are going to get. No, no; but to give you this deep knowledge, and to lead to a communion that goes on ever deepening so that eventually you shall have a vision of God: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’ That is the object of holiness.” *

All these things we’re called unto
Reflect the glory found in You.
So help us show the full effect
Of grace You give to make perfect
The fruit that others may partake
Of Christ who suffered for our sake
The wrath of justice that was due
To show, O God, Your mercy too.

*From An Exposition of Romans 9, page 130, D. Martyn Lloyd Jones

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Forgive Me Father

Michael E. Wood
September 2013

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

While many accountability groups require confession of wrongs done toward mankind as a part of their "program", many or most are actually designed simply to make the individual feel better about themselves. And though outward sin against an individual should be confessed and appropriate restitution should be made when possible, it should likewise be understood that all sin is an infinite offense against an infinite Almighty God, to whom we shall give an account.

Thus a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, are the only sacrifices that God accepts. These can not be conjured up through the imagination of the mind but come as a free gift of the grace of God through the one sacrifice acceptable to Him. The sacrifice, He provided by sending His own Son to bear the iniquity of many, that He might redeem us from all unrighteousness.


Oh, not the guilt and shame I feel
But knowing my offense is real
Toward You, my God, and Father’s Son
That nailed You to the cross as one
Of all of Adam’s race that day
Is why I look through You and pray,
Forgive me Father, I have sinned.
In brokenness, I comprehend
The truth of what I’ve really done
And what You did that I be won,
As a captive of the war
From all my pride, to love You more!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

This Wonder I See

Michael E. Wood
September 17, 2013

For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life
2 Corinthians 5:4

As children of the living God, we groan, being burdened. We groan through the process of aging. Bodies which were once vibrant, seemingly without care, are outwardly deteriorating. Minds which seemed to grasp and retain things with very little effort, struggle to be disciplined and to focus on the One who set us apart from our mother’s womb and called us by His grace to be conformed to the image of His Son, to the praise of His glory.

We groan, being burdened with the remnants of our old Adamic nature, which is continually rising up fighting against the Spirit. But thanks be to God which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, and has given us of His Spirit, continually working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

And we groan, being burdened for those which are lost, both from within our earthly families and those with whom we encounter on a day to day basis.

Yes, we groan being burdened, and yet we rejoice in our Sovereign God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who will change our vile bodies to be like His glorious body and will perfect the deficiencies of our minds. He is ever present, just as He promised, and He will leave none of His behind at His return.


Where ever I am, this wonder I see,
God ever present and made known to me.
And this for His glory, His captive to be,
With God ever present and made known through me.

Each circumstance guided, controlled from above
To shape me within and without by His love.
To be like my Jesus: no shame will I see
When all that is mortal, no longer shall be.