Tuesday, May 31, 2016

The Mocking of Forgiveness


Make of the hymn for today what you will, Bible Study put a whole different perspective on it for mea perspective that does naught but bring me pain, thinking upon how grievously wronged I have been—and repeatedly so—by those who refused to see their own sin and would turn and falsely accuse me—and the leadership of that congregation would unswervingly believe my slanderers instead of truly seeking out the facts of each case.
This curse has never truly completely gone away and left me, leaving me in peace, but always waits its opportunity to accost my soul yet again.
How does one forgive those who refuse to be forgiven, who reject confrontation, turning, instead, to mock and accuse.
How do you do it?
I don’t know.
I only know my soul hurts and my heart hurts and my spirit grieves within me, that those I loved so deeply should pour wickedness on me. And that brings me once again to John 1:11, where, when the Lord, who showed it to me, asked me, “How do you think I felt?”
No, Ellie, I am not talking about you. You are a dear, sweet friend, whose forgiveness I crave, yet who has pushed me out of your life instead. I have not denied what I did, but confessed it, and begged your forgiveness. Oh! How I long for that day!
No. I am not writing about you, my dear, dear friend.
I write about a congregation that holds itself up haughtily and puffily, as though sin in it is some kind of impossibility.


When even my accusers be,
themselves, brought before
your judgment seat
you make no bow toward me.

Though the Psalms translated be
within your hallowed halls
and written in the ESV,
by bowing not toward me,
you claim no sin could be.

If Jack investigated back,
what truth, then, would he see?
And, more importantly, you see,
would you then bow toward me?

The accusations you let fly,
attempting to cure me,
would better have crept back to night
and listened, thou, to me!


Oh! How my soul grieves within me! Oh! How the pain yet again accosts my soul within me! They present themselves to be pure and Godly, but they are putrefying, wretched, and lost in the depths of their depravity and sin.
What is it God says to those who refuse to repent? Is it not that they are refusing to be forgiven?
Oh, you haughtily puffed up, foul and stinking wretch, forgiveness calls to thee.
But when you refuse to bow, judgment calls on thee!
Amen!
Father,
You have seen their hands
and how soiled with sin they be!
You have seen me cry to them
that forgiveness they should seek!
But, though they hear my heart-sick cries,
they turn away from me!

I ask You, Lord, to deepen night,
that Satan be set free
to creep within those hallowed halls
until they turn and see
the wretchedness of their estate
and seek for Thy mercy!
My arms, to them, are open wide
should they come bow to me.
Amen!

New Hymn, "The Glory of the King"

The hymn for today is about the coming of the King, Christ Jesus, our Lord.

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Monday, May 30, 2016

New Hymn, "The King!"

The hymn for today is not about Christmas, but about awakening.

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Sunday, May 29, 2016

New Hymn, "Of the King!"

The hymn for today is about the name of salvation; it is about the King.

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Saturday, May 28, 2016

Friday, May 27, 2016

Without the Light


St. Louis Amigan, June 2016 Issue 
What is askew, above, and what is upright? As a Christian I know that Christ is always upright. Yes, even on the cross, Jesus Christ was completely and perfectly upright and righteous. Even when it appears otherwise, Jesus Christ is always upright, so when something must be askew, be it Christ or the world, Christ is upright. Therefore, it is the world that is askew, and not Christor those who walk with Himbecause Christ is always upright.
Therefore, if we were to level our sight with that of Christthat is, with that of Godwe would see things as they really and truly are.

It is the world that is askew, that is slanting and tilting toward sin. In the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien he tells the story of a once-righteous world that was tilting more and more toward sin, and when it had gone too farwhen it had leaned too farthat world fell into the abyss and was destroyed.
Numenor is not just fiction. It relates to the Biblical story of the flood, of a world that was tilting and pining toward sin. When it had gone too far God destroyed that world along withsave the truly faithfuleveryone in it.
Our world, too, is tiltingand tilting too far.
As ever, the wicked think they are the righteous and God the wicked; and if you seek to stand with Godmeaning the one true and living God rather than the god of their imaginations—then the evil will call you evil, thinking themselves to be righteous.
Even these words here they will call self-serving and false. But calling the Bibleand therefore, its adherentswicked and evil, is the declaration of a liar. It is the declaration of one who seeks to justify their own twisted and filthy life. The one who works to have that which the Word of God calls depravity, rebellion, and abomination good, and righteous and honorable is working against God. They are, in fact, the enemy of God, and not His friendand therefore, not yours.
Be on your guard with them. Live God-honoring and fruitful lives in their sight that they may see the true blessings of God and turn away from their depravity and to the Light of Life that is only found in Jesus Christ. As it is indelibly written,
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.” 11
The darkness cannot exist without the Light, for without Light what is darkness? It is an ephemeral thing that cannot be seen, for it is the Light that enables us to see. Without the Light to see what is there for us to be? We cannot exist without the Light.
By Him were all things made, and without Him nothing has been made that has been made.” 22 We are not eternal. Therefore we are made. We are, therefore, made by Him. We cannot exist without the Light.
It is a sure sign of just how twisted and depraved the world has become that they seek to wipe out the existence of the One by whom they are made—without whom they cannot exist. He has made us, and maintains us, untwists us, and saves us. In seeking to destroy Him, we destroy ourselves.
We cannot exist without the Light.
In their self-destructive fervor they believe every lie spouted by the Beast, for they have taken his mark upon themselves and within themselves. They have taken the mark of the Beast.
Witness their lives and see that I do not lie. Look at what they do, and at what the Light Himself has said. It deceives the inhabitants of the earth by the signs it makes before the beast, telling them to make an image of the beast… it causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave to be marked in their right hand and in their forehead so that not one be able to go to market or trade if not taking the mark of the beast.” 33
What of those bakers who have refused the wicked agenda, who have remained faithful to Christ in their declarations and in their lives? What is the purpose of fining a mom and pop bakery $135,000 for refusing to make a cake in celebration of a perversion, of a wicked and evil deception, of marriage, if not to bar them from the marketplace?
And it is not just one isolated incident, for throughout the land people are being dragged before magistrates for choosing the Light rather than the mark. States are being threatened with a deprivation of federal funds for demanding that their inhabitants behave themselves, and state after state is rising up in rebellion against the tin-plated dictator with delusions of godhood who would bring such threats against them as, once again, our nation rushes headlong into civil war in order to determine whether or not to remain under the thumb of this satanic little puppet of the beast that reigns in the hearts of wicked men.
You have a choice, therefore, presented and lain out before you. It is a choice between the Sonrise and the night. It is a choice between the darkness and the Light.
We cannot exist without the Light.
1John 1:5
2John 1:3
3Revelation 13:14-17

New Hymn, "Without the Light"

The hymn for today is about our hope in Christ.

Play it on MuseScore for a limited time.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Monday, May 23, 2016

New Hymn, "My King Forever!"

The hymn for today is about the Christian's fellowship with God.

Play it on MuseScore for a limited time.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Friday, May 20, 2016

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

New Hymn, "Great I AM!"

The hymn for today is an exhortation to be a witness for Christ, and not against Him, in this time of great tribulation.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Sometimes even The Stream does not Like the Truth

I have been engaged in a "discussion" with a "reverend" who doesn't think Revelation 13:16-17 is an important passage for Christians to live by. As part of that "discussion" I posted the following comment, which moderators at the conservative news site The Stream have refused to approve:

What's to interpret? The mark on your hand is your deeds and actions; the mark on your forehead is your thoughts and affinities. When these betray a love of that which God calls rebellion, you have marked yourself as belonging to the enemy of God. The whole of Scripture, New Testament and Old, refers to homosexual practices as sin. Sin is, therefore, a rebellion against God. Taking the Mark of the Beast is marking yourself as belonging to the Beast rather than to God. There is no third choice. Either you belong to Jesus, or you belong to Satan. When you force (or coerce) people to commit acts or thoughts that God calls rebellion you are acting on Satan's behalf, not God's. You are committing Spiritual rape. If you disagree with this assessment then the only place you are reverent to is hell. It is that serious. Your eternity is at stake. Satan has you imprisoned and the only escape is for you to repent and take the mark of God instead of the mark of the Beast.

I stand by what I have written.

Come to the Arms of the King!


Last night, and into the night, and into today, I was feeling the lack of the love once professed, from a heart that, now, seems as cold as the inside of the core of the heart of darkness. I know that this is the one that God intended for me. There are many reasons I know this to be true, but they are still free to choose. Detail after detail after detail, once I find it, points to God. Even the first letters of the name by which I know them are a transliteration of the Hebrew diminutive for God. I, therefore, know it to be true, but they have freedom to choose. It makes me wonder if they have ever asked God what to choose.

Is it wise for me to ask why He keeps them so completely far from me? Rather, let me take up my cross and follow Him, forgetting, perhaps, that they even have ever been born.

Oh! How I wish I could!

 Father, forgive a lonely, wounded, broken heart for crying out in pain, and let it know your Love, again! Amen!

What you should see in the passage above is not antipathy, but pain; not hatred, but love.

How many times! How many times have you caused another such pain that they could bring themselves to wish that they never even knew that you had ever existed? Don’t be afraid of it. Face it! If you never face your guilt you will never know forgiveness because you will not see your need. If you only ever make excuses you are making excuses for hell, when all the while, God wants you in Heaven.

He is willing to forgive. You, though, need to repent.

You see, those who refuse to repent are refusing to be forgiven. The most glorious prize in all existence is waiting for them, but it is waiting for them at the foot of a cross. If you will not look on the cross you will never see what waits there for you. If you will never approach and embrace that cross you will never receive what is there for the taking because it is under the cross, and you have to take up your cross to follow Him.

When you lay your cross down you pinion Him to it so that He cannot lead you. Because of this you must take up your cross every day and follow Him, following Him wherever He may go.

The prize is yours for the taking.

Take up your cross, and follow.

Amen!

Play this hymn on MuseScore for a limited time.

Monday, May 16, 2016

New Hymn, "Sing out All Praise for Christ on the Tree!"

The hymn for today is about celebrating the resurrection of, and salvation from, Christ.

Play it on MuseScore for a limited time.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Biddle House Reality

If you visit the St. Louis City government's page promoting the use of Biddle House as a shelter, the image you'll see from a very carefully chosen angle (and not a very recent one at that) will make you think wonderful things about that building.

Here is the reality:

New Hymn, "Seeking Jesus"

The hymn for today is about seeking after Christ and His righteousness for the blessings He will bring.

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Saturday, May 14, 2016

New Hymn, "A Cause for Prayer"

The hymn for today is about praying for those who have hurt you the most, about those who love less.

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Friday, May 13, 2016

New Hymn, "My Praises All to Christ"

The hymn for today is an illustration of the teary-eyed joy when the stone of your sin is cast away by Christ.

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Thursday, May 12, 2016

New Hymn, "The Forgiving King!"

The hymn for today is a crying out for rescue from the teeth of fools.

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Wednesday, May 11, 2016

New Hymn, "Celebrate the Name, El Shaddai!"

The hymn for today is a celebration of the name of God.

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New Hymn, "In the Patterns of Creation"

The hymn for today is a logical argument for the existence of God, and a command to praise Him.

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The Path

Though feeling a little guilty about it, I have prayed to God that, for the joy, not of the elites, not of the oppressors, not of those who put and keep their boots upon the throats of others, but for the oppressed, for the downtrodden, for those who struggle, for the poor and the needy, that they have reason for temporary joy, that He bring the cup here, meaning this year (the Stanley Cup). I said it might seem frivolous, but we really could use some joy, here in St. Louis. And it is for His Glory.

We found out, last week, there is a steam pipe going through our sub-basement that, if shut off, would shut off all the steam to all of downtown—and we have the right to do it. This has given us extraordinary negotiating power because cheaper for them than digging that pipe out and re-routing around our building, would be to install for us, free of charge, an entirely new heating and cooling system throughout our building.

I think you get the picture.

His children have need, and God, with divine surprise does supply.

There is a path. Let us walk it, in faith.

Thank You, Lord! Praise God! Amen!

Monday, May 9, 2016

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Friday, May 6, 2016

New Hymn, "All Thy Praises Sing!"

The hymn for today is a command to praise.

Play it on MuseScore for a limited time.

My Apologies!

I always feel guilty when I miss a day of posting my new hymn online.

I did write a hymn today, but circumstances dictated that it not get released until now, just before midnight.

Again, my apologies for the delay.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

New Hymn, "Messiah's Light!"

The hymn for today is about the light that from Heaven shines.

Play it on MuseScore for a limited time.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Monday, May 2, 2016

Sunday, May 1, 2016