By the Root; The Proof!

Michael E. Wood
May 12, 2011

While having what at first I thought to be a head cold, and finding it difficult to sleep, I arose around 3:00a.m. and began to read and meditate upon some excerpts from Proverbs chapter 12.

Vs. 12 …the root of the righteous bears fruit.

Vs. 14 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

Vs. 17 …whoever speaks (Heb. - breathes out) the truth gives honest evidence.

Vs. 19 Truthful lips endure forever…

The following came as a result of this time with the Lord.

How oft we need reminding
That true patience comes from Thee,
As righteousness makes sweet the fruit
That was, and is, shall be,
The honest evidence provided
By The Root; the proof,
That by Your hand shall all returns
Commend Your faithful truth.


And as Your Holy Spirit speaks
And satisfies with good,
You cause us to take great delight
In wisdom understood,
That by Your Word we shall endure
And from Your lips forever,
We shall rejoice in all Your truth
That none can ever sever.


So help us meditate on all
From heaven You have said,
Recorded in Your written Word
And by Your Spirit led,
That while on earth we shall be found
By You to now be faithful,
Rejoicing in the truth by which
You’ve made our hearts so grateful!

The Old Man is Dead!

Michael E. Wood
May 11, 2011

Psalm 37:35, 36
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.

The old man is dead!
The new man now reigns!
The effect of God’s Spirit
Now runs through my veins,
By faith everlasting
That came as a gift,
And mercy surpassing
My sin and to lift
Up holy hands
Without wrath or a doubt.
Oh praise with me Jesus
Who brought my soul out,
That I might see
And delight in the face
Of Christ evermore
To the praise of His grace!


You have heard it said, “The New is in the Old concealed, and the Old is in the New revealed.”  Though I have no warrant to say with all authority that the preceding passage from Psalms was speaking directly in accordance with Romans 6:6-11, the poem recorded did come as a result of reading through Psalm 37 and coming to verses 35 and 36.

Romans 6:6-8
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.

In the Shadow of Your Wings

Michael E. Wood
May8-11, 2011

Psalm 36:7 says, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

By the finished work of Christ at Calvary, we who have been made to be children of God are likewise made to be partakers of His abundant everlasting goodness which springs forth into praise unto Him. While reading through Psalm 36 one day I had underlined the phrase, “in the shadow of your wings”, and had simply written the word “song” overhead. While reading through this Psalm once again the following words with a melody came to mind over a four day period of time.

Verses two and three were written on May 8th, while the first along with the chorus came four days later after receiving much encouragement by a message by Gregory N. Barkman, preached January 31, 1999 from Romans 5:9-11, entitled, “Rejoicing in the Certainty of Eternal Life”. The result in being brought into an understanding of our justification before God through the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and made effective by the power of His Spirit is an out flow of praise to Him both in the church, in our homes, and even in the market place before the heathen. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Your steadfast love, Oh LORD
Extends up to the heavens.
Your righteousness is firm,
Like mountains, Oh our God.
Your judgments like the deep,
Beyond all of our searching,
Both man and beast preserve
To glorify Your Name!




(Chorus)
And our boast is in the cross
By which with Christ, we’re crucified
Unto this world of sin,
As our Lord Jesus has denied
All powers of death and hell
That all Your praise
May grow and swell,
To worship and adore
Your Precious Holy Name!


In the shadow of Your wings,
As children we take refuge.
The abundance of Your house
Is where we feast upon
Your righteousness as light,
And justice as the noonday.
Through the blood of the cross
Our souls You made whole.


(Chorus)


From Your river of delights
You cause us to drink freely.
The fountain of all life
Is certain and with You.
In Christ Jesus we see light
And know as our possession
You are our God alone,
And precious is Your love.


(Chorus)


(Repeat)
To worship and adore
Your Precious Holy Name!

Of Your Almighty Character

Michael E. Wood
May 5, 2011

1st Corinthians 8:1- 3

“...’all of us possess knowledge’. This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.”

On some occasions I take a short nap in the afternoon in order to be more alert for the rest of the evening. On this particular day I did not feel that I had accomplished all that I would have liked to beforehand. As I awoke I felt a kind of darkness within my emotions that seemed to sweep over me. Though our salvation is not dependant upon our feelings there are times some of us have need to work and wrestle through our subjective feelings relying and trusting in the objective truths of scripture whereby God through His infinite mercy restores us to the haven of rest we have in the finished work of Christ.

The following was written upon the understanding of my own lack of knowledge and my need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; to lay hold of and to be held by the realities of the truth of His work on the cross of Cavalry.

Dianna came home from work while I was in the midst this conflict within and I told her I felt like I had just undergone a satanic attack. Thanks be to God for His love by which He has known us and from which we can never be severed.

Father,


Oh when I feel like darkness
Will o’er take me like a storm,
I yet rejoice in knowing
All from you is sent to form
A greater understanding
By the pleasure of Your hand
Of Your Almighty character
Through Christ then to withstand
The turbulence that heretofore
Had shook me to my knees
And caused me to cry out alone
To You who hears my pleas
For mercy while in darkness
I await Your sweet embrace
That draws me ever closer
And rejoice to see Your face.


And as Your smile then scatters
All subjective fears and loss,
I see that all was nailed
Together on that rugged cross
Of which was borne to show
Beyond all words Your royal love
And confirmed by words supplied
By Your Almighty Dove,
Spoken through the text of Your
Unchanging Holy Script
Of which You’ve given here below
That we might be equipped
To uphold Your honor
By the wisdom that You give
And by the power of Your Spirit
For Your glory live.

In Christ Jesus, Glory's Sum!

Michael E. Wood
April 27, 2011

While reading 1st Peter chapter 1, grace was given to write the poem enclosed. Excerpts from that chapter beginning with verse 13 were the spring from which these thoughts flowed.

“… preparing your minds for action, and being sober minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ….conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile knowing that you were ransomed… with the precious blood of Christ, like a lamb without blemish or spot….you through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God. Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth …through the living and abiding word of God; 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.”

What grace is this that God did give
To make us holy, pure--
Enflamed by love through Christ alone
Where strength comes to endure--
The great assaults of all our sin
Arising from our hearts!
Oh, give to Him now all the praise
Whose blood doth cleanse all parts
Of that which yet remanineth
Till the day our bodies die.
As finished then our war shall be
And to Him we shall fly!


Oh, Help us Mighty Father
By Your Spirit to behold
The beauty of the face of Christ
You’ve known afore of old.
As all His work is finished
Whereby we in sweet communion
Are made partakers of His grace
And fullness by our union--
As benefactors of the cross
We shall not be denied;
Encouraged through the pain we bear
As He is glorified!


And as the consummation
Of all things are in Your hand--
Your great perfections will be seen
In all You cause to stand.
For as all flesh shall wither
And its glory surely fall,
The good news is Your Word of grace
Remains, Lord, overall.


So help us walk with courage
While engaging worldly plights,
And devils darts which come at us
To darken heavens lights--
Of which You have provided
Till Thy kingdom fully come,
With holiness perfected
In Christ Jesus, Glory’s Sum!

On Our One Year Anniversary!

On Our One Year Anniversary
Reflections by Michael E. Wood
May 18, 2011

One year ago today we made
Our vows to God above,
And in His sight and by His grace
We’re bound by covenant love.

And in His gift we trust;
His promise clearly will be seen
To reflect the glory of the One
On whom we lean.

For as Christ is our joy and source
Of blessing as the vine;
Which provides for all our need
As one He shall refine

To produce the fruit of which
His Spirit shall increase
The glory due unto His name
While led by Him in peace.

And as our time is fleeting,
Father, now before our eyes;
We thank you for your faithfulness
To ever hear our cries

For mercy as we bold approach
For grace before Thy throne
That all may know that you are God;
Yeah, You are God Alone!

Pretty Little Caterpillar

Michael E. Wood
May 13, 2011

This little poem (jingle) came about as a result of getting sick for several days from (what we believe was caused by) exposure to a Western Tussock Moth Caterpillar.   For more information see Dianna’s post in “The Wood’s Secret Garden”, dated May 13, 2011.

Pretty Little caterpillar;
We never knew--
Just what kind of damage
Your little hairs would do,

For when you inhale,
The membranes do swell,
Your head begins to ache,
And you just want to yell.

Your head is full of snot,
You cough a lot,
You feel like your little world
Is gone to pot.

Three a.m.
Your lungs are full of phlegm,
You’d trade some sleep
For your most expensive gem.

But that we have not,
And thankful for our lot,
As closeness with our Lord
Is a part of the plot,

Of which He designed,
To show He is kind.
In all of life’s things
We can know of His mind,

Of which we observe,
By faith and the nerve,
To look to His Word,
From which we will not swerve.

For there, He is Sweet;
Every need He will meet,
As He is our consolation
And will strengthen our feet,

To rise up again,
As His glory is our end,
Both to praise and magnify our God
On Whom we can depend!