Effectual For All Who See …

“Christ shed his blood not only to redeem us from the displeasure of God and the rigour of the law, but from all iniquity, Titus ii. 14 ; from a vain conversation, 1 Peter i. 18 ; from this present evil world. Gal. i. 4. Our dying to sin is a part of Christ's purchase, as well as pardon ; he purchased a virtue and a power to mortify sin, bought sanctification as well as other privileges, paid down a full price to provoked justice, to deliver us from the slavery of sin, and that the word and sacraments might be sanctified to convey and apply this grace to us, Eph. v. 26, that we might be encouraged. • [Christ hath taught us how to die to sin by the example of his own death, that is, he denied himself for us, that we might deny ourselves for him, and suffered pain for us, that we might the more willingly digest the trouble of mortification.”

From The Complete Works of Thomas Manton, Volume 13., page 196 (Sermon 28, “Then were all dead”-2 Cor. 5:14)


EFFECTUAL FOR ALL TO SEE
Michael E. Wood - August 31, 2022


It was the sacrifice of Christ which makes the word of God’s own grace
Effectual for all who see the lamb who took our place,
And thus not only pardon but a virtue bought in full
Was purchased by the love of God that sin might lose its pull.

No longer now a slave to sin, Oh help us in this task,
Oh, Holy Spirit to mortify the remnants as we ask
Each day afresh to see the pain of Christ on Calvary
And hate the sin within ourselves that put him on that tree.

Oh help us shrink not from the pain we feel with self denied
But follow close the pattern of the one with whom we died.
Oh help us then rejoice in Your own faithfulness and grace
Supplied to us with power 'til we see Christ face to face.

No Other Place

Michael E. Wood

August 20, 2017

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 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 1:2-7


“… the transcendent excellency of this life of communion with God: it is the life of our life, the joy of our hearts; a heaven upon earth,”


“It is the instrument of mortification, and the most excellent and successful instrument for that purpose in all the world.”


“A temptation overcome this way is more effectually subdued than by all the vows, resolutions, and external means in the world.” John Flavel, The Works of John Flavel, Volume 4, pages 250, 253, 254

Lay hold of Him through promises made

Which do not change nor do they fade.

And more secure we cannot be

Than when we first by grace believe.

Oh, venture then in every place

To please Him who has shown His face

Of glory in the Christ, the Lord,

Jesus, who thus wields the sword

Of truth which renders such effect

To slay remaining sin subject

To death and must be laid to rest

As we draw near our Savior’s breast.

Commune with Him as He with you

Will show transforming power to,

And demonstrate to those around

No other place can grace be found.

With Me

Michael E. Wood
August 18, 2017

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1

As children of the living God all His promises are Yeah and Amen through the finished work of Christ. Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is with us always and yet we may find ourselves struggling with the conscience awareness of His presence at times. While sitting in Sunday school at Beacon Baptist Church these words began to roll and then came to an abrupt stop and thus I sit this little poem to the side for nearly two weeks. Knowing I had a little extra time after some time in the Word and prayer I decided to pick it back up and here is the result.

You are with me in my studies as my mind I must submit

To the wisdom You alone can give to know that which is fit

To transform me as a vessel through which You alone may speak

By the power of Your Spirit to bring forth some who will seek-

To know You as the Father as the One who qualified

Every member of the body through the Son who for us died.

And You sent the Holy Spirit both to birth and then to teach

Every part for Your own glory, till the day we all shall reach

The apex of maturity which only shall be seen

In its, fullness as the ages show the fruit that You did glean

Through the Vine of Your own planting, that great Truth through which You shine

Forth the Light that’s everlasting in the midst of all of Thine.

Through Him Alone!

Michael E. Wood

May 19, 2017    

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.  Psalm 25:1-5

 

Pleasing the Father is perhaps the greatest reward for obedience to His commands; made possible through the merit of Christ alone for the glory of God alone.

Oh, let my satisfaction be

To know that You are pleased.

To walk within Your faithful paths

As one who once was seized

From depths of sins dominion

By Your Righteous Holy Arm

Transported by Your Spirit

Where no devil can now harm.

The truth that though I may not be

All You before designed,

I am and shall forever have

A heart in which You shined

The light of glory in the face

Of Jesus Christ, my Lord

Who paid the price of which

No other ever could afford.

Through Him alone we’re qualified

As sons who once bore shame,

Forever to proclaim the praises

Of Your Holy Name!

New Songs in Your Glory (New Song, first since moving back to N.C.)

Michael E. Wood

April 28, 2017

Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!  His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.  Psalm 98:1

 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.  Colossians 1:2

“Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!  Job 19:23-27

What began with simple meditation from Colossians 1:2 on the grace and peace which comes from God our Father began to develop into a new song interwoven with the prophetic words of the Psalmist from chapter 98 and later confirmed with the opening words of congregational prayer by Bobby LaTour and a message preached by Pastor Michael Karns at Beacon Baptist Church which included the passage from Job.

You are holy, You are righteous, You are just, and You are good.

You are gracious, and compassionate, these things are understood.

Not because of what is found in us but all because of You,

Christ redeemed us from our dead estate, gave hearts made all anew.

You have opened by Your Spirit our blind eyes that we might see

And our ears to hear the voice of Christ that to Him we would flee

And You welcomed us as children to be part of one true fold.

Holy Father help us now approach in fear and yet as bold.

May Your kingdom come and thus fulfill Your purpose and decrees

Where all peoples of all time will find ourselves on bended knees.

Every tongue confessing truly, Jesus Christ is Lord of all,

To Your Glory Holy Father, blessed Savior from the fall.

Oh, Lord Jesus, when we see You then unhindered by Your grace,

No more sin and no more sorrow as we look into Your face;

For You made us to be like You and forever then we’ll be

Singing new songs in Your glory then through all eternity.

Singing praises with the new songs that You give eternally.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

May 18, 2017

Over the last seven years it has been my tradition to write a poem for our anniversary.  Though there were some lines that came to mind last night, they never completely gelled.  My good intentions have been disrupted you might say with the business of getting some things done around our new place of abode in preparation for my wifey's arrival here in North Carolina next week.

So, to my surprise and delight she wrote one and we rejoice together in the goodness of God.

Here it is ....

"Sweet Kisses" on my husband's face
Although he's far away
He calls me every morning
before I start my day.

At 5 am, it's 8 am

My phone begins to ring

Three messages delight my heart

A Song he picks to sing

A morning prayer, A Bible verse

The sweetest sounds I've heard

I hold the phone close to my ear

And hang on every word.

I love this man with all my heart

We're very strange, it's true

But seven years ago today

God knew just what to do.

No one really understood

The weirdness that is me

Until I met my Michael

And he let me, be me!

God took two wacky people

Three thousands miles apart

And joined us both together

But, that was just the start!

Sweet Kisses on his handsome face

We're very strange it's true

But strange is good, and weird is fine

When there are two of you!

After seven years of marriage

It gets clearly every day

How blessed I am that this sweet man

Loves me anyway!

So husband, as I close these lines

Although we're far away

Sweet Kisses on your handsome face

I love you more each day!

Happy 7th Anniversary Husband!

Dianna Lynne Wood

To Your Praise

Michael E. Wood

April 21, 2017

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 
  Is. 55: 6-11

For those of us whom God has given the capacity to both read and comprehend His Word to some degree, we can easily find ourselves reading passages repeatedly with a disciplinary mindset.  This is not bad but if we are not careful we can very well find that in the habit of reading we are doing just that, reading out of habit rather than seeking to know Him and desiring to see His face in the reading.  While our heavenly Father is pleased to see, us reading His infinite Word, and has promised it will not return void but will accomplish that for which He has sent it, the benefits which we receive through reading are greatly increased as we are empowered by His Spirit to hear His voice through the scriptures and enabled to do what He says to the praise of His glory.

Words of glory, words of grace

Help me through them seek Your face.

Not mere duty but with glee

Brighten more my eyes to see

The wonders now of who You are

My Jesus, My bright Morning Star.

In seeing more, Oh, make me then

Renewed in mind so that within

The change will wholly demonstrate

You save for Your own glory’s sake.

So now in time and end of days

Oh, may my life be to Your praise.

Taste of Heaven

Michael E. Wood
April 8, 2017

And they ate and drank before the LORD on that day with great gladness.
I Chronicles 29:22

While simply reading several portions of scripture as my normal portion for the day, the thoughts of this poem came to mind. I am fairly certain lingering thoughts from the preaching of Pastor Mark Webb at Beacon Baptist Church for the annual Spring Bible Conference had an impact on the resultant lines and they have a special place in being written as the first poem in our new place of abode in Burlington, N.C.  The preceding text of scripture is aptly appropriate and was read after the poem was written. How Great is our God, to confirm us as we go. To Whom is all the praise.

Oh taste of heaven in my heart
Which You by grace through Christ impart,
And all the glory goes to Thee,
Oh, Father through that matchless tree.
Though simple now these lines profess
The gift of Thine own holiness
Which by Your Spirit, You conform
Each child of Thine to be the norm,
To be like Christ in every thought,
Transformed to live as we are brought
Into Thy kingdom of the light
To show Thy glorious beauty bright.

While reading through Thy Holy Word
These thoughts of joy did thus occur.
Oh, take from us the frothiness
And fill with solid comforts bliss,
That we may honor as we stand
For truth, protected by Thy hand.
And help us see the open doors
By which Your Spirit thus out-pours
The Gospel to a dying land
Till all of Yours before You stand!

His Grace is Sufficient for me (Chorus)

Michael E. Wood
March 14, 2017

Sometimes simplicity is the best translator of eternal truth and this little chorus which came to mid is proof .

His grace is sufficient for me today.
His grace is sufficient for me.
Christ hath redeemed me from sin and shame.
His grace is sufficient for me.

The Providential Hand of God

Michael E. Wood

March 13, 2017

While God has shown Himself faithful to do abundantly above all Dianna and I could ask or think, He has likewise revealed wisdom in withholding things in the past to provide for things both in the present and for the future in relation to the temporal things that we have need of.  How much more are we enabled by His Spirit to trust Him for those things we need to be consistent in proclaiming His greatness both in the present and to future generations.

The providential hand of God by all who see is seen,

The glory of His majesty, and on Him wholly lean.

Tis seen by those who do not know and do not understand

His glory is the reason He controls with His own hand

The movements of His people for the gospel to be known

Both in and through and to all those whom Christ has made His own.

Oh, that we might with humble hearts and firm affections go

Where e’er He leads from day to day as soldiers made to grow

In strength to strengthen others for the battles yet to fight

That Christ be magnified to show the power of His might.

For of Him, through Him, to Him may the glory ever be

Expressed through songs of praise to God for all eternity.

All Creation Points to Jesus (New Song)

Michael E. Wood

December 25, 2016

  Having posted the Christmas poem “To Jesus”, Dianna decided to share it with the ladies Bible study group she has been involved with.  One of the women liked it so much she said, “You ought to put that to music”.  Upon hearing that, the music to “What Child is This” almost immediately came to mind and I began to sing it to Dianna. The music was a little bit of a stretch for my voice but she liked it so much I decided to work on it and sing it in the various assisted living facilities during the week.

  A funny thing happened in the “Life Guidance” (Alzheimer/Dementia unit) Center at Atria El Camino Gardens. I read the introductory remarks and prepared to sing when suddenly I realized I couldn’t remember the music.  How appropriate is that?  So, after standing there for a moment with a surprised and blank look on my face, the LORD brought the music to “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken” to mind and I began to sing. Amazingly the flow of the music fit perfectly to the music and was a far better fit for my voice.

  To top it off, after singing it a couple of times at different facilities I found I was having to double up on one of the phrases to work with the music. On Christmas morning while thinking these things over, the last two lines came to mind and thus we have the finished product.

All creation points to Jesus; Son of God and son of man.

Even Adam in his forming was a type to show God’s plan.

Now the angel’s proclamation clearly seen by all who see

Glory in the incarnation of the Christ who set us free.

For His Name’s sake, God did send us such a Savior, humbly born,

Living life that we have failed to, cursed, rejected, bearing scorn.

Yet He stumbled not by seeing joy beyond that rugged cross,

Offering Himself completely to redeem us from our loss.

Now in heaven, how amazing and in hearts of all of those

Who are joined as one abiding in the knowledge, He arose!

Oh, to grace, how great a debtor, mercies fruit both you and I

If we’ve humbly bowed before Him, Jesus Christ, who reigns on high.

For the glory of the Father is more worth than all of men

And the hearts of all who love Him shout His praise who has no end!

In His Likeness, all redeemed will see Him as He truly is

And forever marvel in His Grace who made us for Him, His.

To Jesus (a Christmas Poem)

Michael E. Wood

December 19, 2016

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Philippians 2:5-8

Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. Romans 5:14

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Luke 2:13-14

What do you think of when you think of Christmas? Going into debt, to buy things that may not be appreciated by those who receive them? Are you focused on the giving and receiving of gifts? Are you in angst about dinner parties or family gatherings? Do you think it’s all about the children? Or do you really think of Him, who emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men?

When we think of Jesus in any fashion, whether it be His preexistence as God the Son or His incarnation as the son of man; fully God and fully man, we should be humbled by the very thought of Him who gave himself for our sins. In our contemplation's of Him we should be changed from glory to glory. Obviously, this can only happen if we have been born again. Through our union with Him by the power the Holy Spirit and the instruction of His revealed will through the Word of God we are given the understanding of this unspeakable gift we have been given. For from Him and through Him, and for Him are all things, to Whom be all the glory both now and forevermore.

All creation points to Jesus; Son of God and son of man.

Even Adam in his forming was a type to show God’s plan.

Now the angel’s proclamation clearly seen by all who see

Glory in the incarnation of the Christ who set us free.

For His Name’s sake, God did send us such a Savior, humbly born,

Living life that we have failed to, cursed, rejected, bearing scorn.

Yet He stumbled not by seeing joy beyond that rugged cross,

Offering Himself completely to redeem us from our loss.

Now in heaven, how amazing and in hearts of all of those

Who are joined as one abiding in the knowledge, He arose!

Oh, to grace, how great a debtor, mercies fruit both you and I

If we’ve humbly bowed before Him, Jesus Christ, who reigns on high.

For the glory of the Father is more worth than all of men

And the hearts of all who love Him shout His praise who has no end!

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

Dianna Wood
December 18, 2016

Sometimes God makes his presence and power known in our lives in ways that are undeniable!  This is one of those times.  The story begins in North Carolina before Michael and I were married.

Placed near Michael's computer in North Carolina was a copy of a short poem that had been written by Bob La Tour, one of the Pastors from Beacon Baptist church--the church that Michael attended before he and I ever met.  When I flew to North Carolina in May 2010 to marry Michael, one of the wedding gifts we received was from Pastor La Tour.  It was a beautifully framed copy of that very poem.  We cherished that gift and hung it in our apartment upon arriving in California after our road-trip honeymoon from North Carolina.

Over the past six years, Michael has provided individuals in the facilities where he ministers with copies of the "Impact"--Pastor La Tour's weekly one-page devotionals.  Although they have never met Pastor La Tour in person, many of them feel as though they know him and look forward each week to their copy of his devotional.

In April of 2014, the lease on our apartment would be ending.  My mother was living in a senior mobile home park and had recently experienced several health related issues which left her temporarily in need of family assistance.  Rather than move her closer to us, we decided to not renew our lease at the apartment and purchase a small single-wide mobile home just a few streets over from mom in the same mobile home park.  Over the past two and a half years, mom has realized that in order to stay in her little mobile home, she would have to make modifications to accommodate her physical limitations and those modifications would be costly.  Her home had no room to accommodate live-in assistance.  She also realized that if she could not safely stay in her home alone she would eventually loose her home and end up in an assisted living facility.  That was not something that she desired and after spending just 3 days with her in one of those facilities after her last fall, it was certainly not something I would want for her, either.

With monthly lot rental fees going up each year and no rent control in place, mom was paying almost $700 a month to rent the dirt her little house sat upon and we were also paying almost $700 a month to live in our little mobile home just so that we would be in close proximity to mom as she needed more assistance with normal daily activities.  Earlier in the year, we discussed finding a home here with an in-law quarters so that she could live with us as long as possible and avoid the high cost of modifying her little mobile home and facing the increases in lot space as the years went by.    She was very excited about that possibility.  Unfortunately, we quickly discovered, because of the cost of real estate here in California,that was not even a remote possibility.  Things were not looking good in terms of options.

Fast forward to just a few weeks ago...

A co-worker started talking about her family moving to another state because of the laws recently passed in California, as well as, the cost of living and cost of real estate in other states and that got us looking at the possibility of finding an option for mom that was affordable. We quickly discovered that real estate near Michael's home town, large enough to accommodate all of us comfortably; with a fixed rate mortgage, was as low as $500 a month. So we talked to mom about how she felt about us looking into that. She was thrilled with the idea and we all realized that if we didn't seriously look into this now, she might be too old to make a move across the country, should we put it off for too long a time.

Here is where the reality of the intimacy of God's providence and sovereignty in our lives shinned undeniably brilliant, clear and overwhelmingly powerful!

On the Wednesday after Thanksgiving, Michael contacted the secretary of Beacon Baptist church in North Carolina and got the contact information for a Real Estate agent that was a member of the church. We contacted her and she advised that we take a look at Realtor.com to get an idea of the market and the prices so that we could give her a better idea of what we were looking for.

We spent that following Saturday and Sunday evening looking at hundreds of homes online and found several homes that we liked and could afford; but none were practical if we had mom with us. We really were hoping for a home with an in-law quarters and a walk-in shower.

Right before crawling into bed that Sunday night, and admittedly feeling a bit discouraged, the thought just popped into my mind, "What about homes for sale by owner?" So, once in bed, I grabbed the I-Pad and entered, "Homes for Sale By Owner" followed by the city and state. The first listing that came up was a 3 bedroom, 3 bath, with in-law quarters and a 30 x 24 shop with a price that we could afford. I showed the listing to Michael and we both said, "Wow, that seems to good to be true".

Early that next morning, we decided to email the link to the real estate agent and asked her to please look into that property for us. As I was getting ready for work, another thought popped into my head and I said to Michael, "Wouldn't it be weird if the owner of that "perfect sounding house" was somehow associated to someone at Beacon Baptist Church?" An hour later, I arrived at work and turned on my computer to find an email from the real estate agent informing us that she knew about that home and that we might know the seller of that house.

Well...  

That house was Pastor La Tour's mother's house. She had passed away several years ago and his sister had contacted a real estate agent a week or two earlier to see if she would list the house at the end of the month. Yes, the very same real estate agent that Michael contacted on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving!

As we move forward, we are placing our trust in Him and will accept whatever His plan may be.  The passage that comes to mind from Proverbs 3:5-6 reads, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him,  and he will make straight your paths.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."  Proverbs 16:9

As we look back on the lines of Bob La Tour's poem, we are encouraged and inspired to see and trust God's providential workings in our lives.

Invasion of the Morning Glories

Michael E. Wood

August 16, 2016

When we look at God’s creation do we enjoy it for its own beauty’s sake without considering the God who created it, or what elements of His truth He may convey through His Word to understand it?  Morning Glories blossom and fade in a day. God declares to us by His Spirit through His word, “for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

1 Peter 1:24-25  Put all mankind together in the light of eternity and we are but like the grass of the field that withers and whatever natural beauty we may have is like the flower that falls. The good news for all who look to Christ and live is that He clothes us with the beauty of His righteous robes which fade not away, but rather display His infinite glory forever!

The invasion of the morning glories

Now in full array

Show forth some facets of the beauty

Of our God’s display,

To cause us to delight in Him through

Whom all things were made

And wonder at the privilege

He gives to them He bade.

Oh, Come and worship Him for Whom

Your hearts were made to know

And longingly look in His face

By which we’re made to grow

Into the likeness He knew best

Would bring such joy and peace;

For Jesus only, through the cross

Makes sin and death to cease.

So as we, like the morning glories

Peak and fade so quick,

Oh, Help us Great Physician

Look to You who heals the sick!

The Rest

Michael E. Wood

July 31, 2016

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!   

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, Psalm 95:1-2, 7

 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. Hebrews 1:2

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, Hebrews 3:7

 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.” Hebrews 4:4-5

Psalm 95 can be divided into two distinct parts. We are given an invitation to worship the LORD in verses 1-7 and then a warning against unbelief in verses 7-11. Whether we come before Him individually or especially as in the context of this Psalm assembling together with the people of God, we are to come joyfully, thankfully, humbly; believing the good news that Christ alone enables us by the power of the Holy Spirit to enter the presence of God to worship Him.

While researching and contemplating the authorship of this Psalm, the following came to mind.

The voice of the Father, the voice of the Son,

The voice of the Spirit, the great three in One;

His Word now declares as He speaks from on high

To humble our hearts and rejoice to draw nigh

To give Him the praise and with thankfulness lift

Our voices as one though we tend now to drift

With our doubts and our fears, but exhorted to seek

His presence, our Savior, who Shepherd’s His sheep.

For we are His people and graze in His land,

The pastures of promise till with Him we stand.

So help us, Oh Father, endure every test

With joy now with Jesus who gives us the rest

To see You Are my Prize!

Michael E. Wood

July 10, 2016

Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?  If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. Psalm 94:16-19

It is absolutely amazing how many ways we can be distracted from seeing clearly by faith things that are above. The psalmist, while longing and crying out to the LORD God to bring an end to the wicked, is enabled to see how God uses the wicked to bring correction to His people resulting in our ultimate blessedness. He understood that the LORD would never forsake or abandon His people. Martin Luther closed out his song “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” with these words, “The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.”

As the psalmist bore witness to the murder of widows, sojourners and the fatherless, by those who were foolish enough to think the LORD neither sees nor perceives, he faces the immanent prospect of meeting the same end. He is in this case delivered not only from death but from his own fears and cares by the providence and unchanging love of our Sovereign God. In the midst of a multitude of distractions the consolations of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit cheer his soul. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Does He not bring consolation to your soul?

Frustrations, doubts, and fears arise

And cause me to forget

Priorities You give to me

And by Your Word You set

Each thing in order as You please

Beyond what I can see

For when I think, “I slip”, Oh LORD,

Your promise then will be

The truth of steadfast love upholding

Me when I would fall.

As only You could answer as

You will before I call.

And when I am distracted by

The cares which blind my eyes,

Your consolations cheer my soul

To see You are my Prize!

Accepting Correction

Michael E. Wood

June 23, 2016

Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.     Psalm 94:12-15

There is a brand of so called Christianity in our current culture which promotes everything as positive and encouraging rather than Biblical and balanced. The writer to the Hebrews tells us not to regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives. He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. While in the process of being disciplined it seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

The psalmist being carried along by the same Holy Spirit records for our learning, the blessedness of the one whom the LORD disciplines. Though He has various means by which He can bring about discipline in our lives the context of the passage seems to point to God’s use of the wicked to bring about this discipline, and thus displays His Sovereign power and providential use of all things for the good of His people and the praise of His glory.

Let us continually be learning and putting into practice the habit of giving Him thanks in all things while trusting Him with all our hearts, and not leaning on our own understanding.

Do we now build our lives on our comfort and ease

Imagining somehow that God is well pleased?

But then in a moment when things are all changed

Through circumstance, turmoil, and lives rearranged;

We question His goodness, and kindness, and love,

Not seeing that all things are sent from above

To mold us and make us like a Potter the clay.

Are we hardened or nimble for shaping that day?

For He in His mercy sees better than we,

Designing each detail to drive to the knee,

*Accepting correction to know and commune

With Him in His sweetness like finest perfume

Perfecting His praise in a life offered up

Through Jesus who drank of the bitterest cup.

Oh, none can imagine the extent of His pain

That He bore to remove our gross sin and our shame,

But not only that, to present without fault

The church as His bride, one with Him to exalt

The glory and praise God alone has, as due.

Oh, Help us, Dear Father, to magnify You!

*Footnote: In printing this out for a hard copy distribution, Dianna pointed out to me that I had originally used EXCEPTING ( a preposition - used in the sense of apart from or excluding, also used as a conjunction at times) instead of ACCEPTING ( a verb - used in the sense of agree to or receiving something without saying no). The two words sound similar and can be easily confused, but my, what a difference a single word can make. Thus, it seems appropriate to receive correction even in the writing of this poem.

Congratulations!

Michael E. Wood
June 3, 2016



It's that time of year here in the U.S.A., wherein many of us know someone or several that have arrived at a certain level of academic achievement. Some of us who have been down the path of formal education or not, like to encourage others (often family members) in their accomplishments by sending cards and or a small money gift to celebrate. Dianna had a niece who graduated from high school this year and was able to find a couple of cards appropriate for the occasion. I on the other hand, for various reasons didn't find one for a niece who graduated on my side of the family, but The LORD was very gracious in using Dianna to help put together a hand made card and the following came to mind:

 Hi Lauren,

My, how the years have flown
               and you have grown
in stature, and wisdom, and knowledge.

May your aim be true
                in all that you do
As you apply what you know now
                                      in college.

May the LORD be pleased
        to give grace for your needs,
His faithfulness shown from above,
     
His presence to know
      As forward you go
We pray that you walk in His love.

Congratulations!   Michael & Dianna

A House of Righteousness (New Song)

Michael E. Wood

May 12-17, 2016

“The house of the righteous shall stand”   Proverbs 12:7b

There is a story behind every song and a context for its setting. This one is no different and would take much longer to divulge than I will take in this brief introduction.

Michael Burke, a friend of mine, moved with his wife from California to Missouri. He is a follower of Christ and also happens to be a singer/ songwriter, and musician who enjoys all kinds of music. Last week he posted a link to a video showing the “Animals” performing a song they became famous for originally recorded on May 18, 1964. The music to “House of the Rising Sun” is very catchy and can linger in the mind for a while. The next day while reading Proverbs chapter 12, the last portion of verse 7 caught my attention, ‘the house of the righteous shall stand.” The phrase stuck with me as I thought of the contrast between the secular song and the reality of the promise of God declared from that passage.

While driving to a discipleship appointment, thoughts on the promise mixed with the music brought enjoyment to the ride with the words coming so fast I didn’t think I would be able to remember them. My mind was so caught up in the moment that I arrived at my exit and wondered how I had gotten there. Upon arrival at my destination, the gentleman with whom I was to meet was running late, so I sat down to write what I could remember and three verses were written rather hurriedly. After our meeting I headed home still thinking of the song and new verses came while driving again and I found my self actually looking forward to having to wait through stop lights near home to write what came to mind. The third verse originally came out almost verbatim to the second verse of Amazing Grace by John Newton. While continuing to think on these things I ran some different lines by Dianna of which she liked and thus the final version was ready to post. Quite a few of our older hymns were written to secular music bringing the message of Christ to those familiar with the tune. How appropriate that we would be celebrating our 6^th anniversary with a new song Dianna helped me to finalize the day before, showing forth God’s faithfulness to use us as one for His infinite glory expressing the fact that He makes all things new in those whom He has redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

There is a house of righteousness,

It’s called the house of God.

And few there be that’s shown the way,

Thank God, I know I’m one.

My father was an absentee,

My mom did what she could.

But not until God’s Spirit came,

That I then understood.

His grace then taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved.

His Spirit turned my heart toward Christ

And caused me to believe.

For Jesus went to Calvary

And bore God’s wrath for sin

And through His blood I am made clean,

Reborn to enter in –

The new creation He decreed

Before He wrought in time,

Revealed to eyes He made to see,

Which once before were blind.

And in His presence we shall live

For all eternity

And praise Him in the house He built

That day on Calvary.

Use of our Time Aright

Michael E. Wood

April 3, 2016

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Oh, the sweetness that is ours in knowing like Moses that the Lord has been our dwelling place in all generations. He who is from everlasting to everlasting God has pronounced a number of judgments since the fall of mankind in the garden including the return of man to the dust of the ground. Ps. 90:3 While being brought into the understanding of the eternality of God we are likewise brought into the understanding of the brevity of our temporal lives on earth, so that we are inclined by the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ alone to ask for our Father’s guidance in using every day He gives to the praise of His most majestic, infinite glory.

Oh, how may we use of our time aright

To show of your goodness and show of Your might?

But with words that You give by Your Spirit of light,

Petitions You hear through Christ Jesus the sight

Of which You behold, ever pleased with Your Son.

Oh, make us like Him as Your people of One,

Chosen to know and be known with the view

To Him be the glory, who makes all anew.