The Artist of the Masterpiece An artist's paintbrush glides smoothly across the canvas,
The paint shines like the colors of a sunset,
Color by color, carefully a masterpiece is created,
The contrasts of the painting sing a sweet duet.
The painter takes his time, for good work is priceless,
For both his heart and mind are necessities for this art,
Without his passion, his painting would be blank,
And his tight grasp on the brush would soon part.
But a creator loves his creation with all of his heart,
No mistakes, smudges, or incorrect colors are used,
For each masterpiece is created for a distinct purpose,
Each painting is different, with various futures to pursue.
We are all God's children, his wonderfully created masterpieces,
Each and every living soul is His own prized joy,
Regardless of race, color, nation or country,
Our Creator gave everyone a life to enjoy.
Next time you see one of God's own paintings,
Maybe fallen off the wall, cracked and abandoned,
Remember the precious Creator that presented you with the breath of life,
And lift the masterpiece, ever so high, for it belongs in God's hands.
The Dating GameAnother Sunday rolls around again,
You have your Bible by your side,
Placing the tithe in the offering again,
Praying as time goes by.
You join in the congregation with singing again,
The words of each song are by now memorized,
Bowing your head to take communion again,
Your ears hear the sermon that you try to live by.
Lord, I'm doing my devotions again,
I even have a multiple page prayer list,
My day was spent volunteering at the church again,
This is a normal routine, I will never quit.
But do you know that the Lord has been waiting for you?
He even reserved a prized table with your name,
At this moment, He sits patiently wanting to talk with you,
But you have been to busy with this ritual game.
This is a relationship, Jesus Christ and you,
He hears your prayers, but do you wait for the answer?
What then do all these good deeds do you,
If you leave out your Creator the time He deserves?
So the next time you hit your knees in prayer again,
Remember this relationship starts with you,
Though your busy life may try to control you again,
Never forget that your date has a table, waiting especially just for you.
“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!” - Jeremiah 18:6
ClayClay is a unique, pliable and moldable substance,
Though it is meant for the potter's hands,
Others may try to mold their own dreams into reality,
But only in the potter's hands will true clay dance.
Clay holds no feelings, desires or well imagined dreams,
Nor does it state what it can and cannot accomplish,
It lays in solitary confinement, with no defined shape,
Until a potter designs his one deeply desired wish.
The Lord said to Israel, “Can I not do with you as this potter?”
Did Israel realize that they were like clay in the Lord's hands?
As Christians, we tend to seek God's purpose and desires,
But we must act like clay; formless and submitted to the Father's demands.
Visions Of Hope Or Endless Revelations?A vision is a dream, a hope, a calling to success,
But a revelation is trusting and living by God's unique plan,
Standing in the midst of clueless destinations,
God can guide you with His own mighty hands.
Senior high and college students know this road well,
Faced with questions relating to the future,
The “road less traveled” requires pure trust in the Lord,
But will end as a beautiful connected puzzle by the Master Creator.
Your dreams are based on human and earthly comprehension,
But my friend, God's revelation is bigger than human understanding,
A vision accomplished, may be seen in awe by men,
But God's revelation will continue for eternity, never-ending.
Continue this race called life, but fix your eyes on the fire,
Just like the wisemen followed the bright North star,
God will never leave you in questionable darkness,
Your future is known by Him, but His revelation will set you uniquely apart.
If you gain the whole world, but loose your soul,
My friend, your vision is totally worthless,
God will reveal His desire for your life,
The question remains; are you humble enough to drop your vision, for God's revealing purpose?
Follow The PeterAfter Jesus miraculously fed five thousand hungry followers,
He escaped to be alone to talk with his Father and pray,
His disciples waited in a boat, a considerable distance from shore,
However, Jesus sent them into a storm, he was never too far away.
That night as the wind crashed against the small, fragile fishing boat,
A ghost appeared to the men fed by Jesus' own hands,
In the midst of the storm, Peter trusted the voice of the “ghostly” floating Jesus,
Peter's trust gave him the reward of walking on the water with Jesus, side by side, man to man.
Peter always seems to be known as the failure of this event,
For the wind caught his attention, and the face of Jesus was lost from his sight,
But remember, as he quickly called out to the Lord,
Jesus' mighty hands rescued his sinking follower from the waves that night.
But wait, where do we find the other trusted disciples?
Warm and dry, remaining in safety on the boat,
All twelve men were in the storm together,
However, only one recognized Jesus, and his faith taught his feet how to float.
Do you realize when storms crash through your life,
Jesus sends us into the waves, trusting us to focus and fight,
But few recognize Jesus, no person alone can float,
My question to you, when will you step out of the boat?
Friends may laugh, sneer, and feel safe in their warm comfort zone,
But my friend, there will still be waves crashing into their boat,
Jesus calls us to trust him and step over the edge,
Put faith in the Lord, Christ is your lifesaver, your faithful friend that floats.
What a prized experience Peter must have engaged,
On the edge of the boat, seeing his reflection in the water,
But trusting Jesus, even in the midst of the circumstances,
Even though he sunk, Peter's risk took his faith farther.
If you stay in the boat, life will get you seasick quickly,
But adventuring to the edge increases your adrenaline,
Just imagine walking through your roughest storm, side by side with Christ,
Those friends on the boat, may see your faith and join in.
Remember, life is too short to waste,
An adventure awaits you, his voice is calling over the waves,
Take courage like Peter, the rescuing hand of Christ will never let you go,
Jesus sends everyone into the storms, but Christ's adventure lies for only those faithful to follow.
(This poem was written for Southern Acres Christian Church/Keneniah with inspiration taken from Henry T. & Richard Blackaby's “Experiencing God Day-By-Day.” Suck The Rug: Your New Agenda
When you pray, do you suck the rug?
Are you constantly on your knees in prayer?
Does your day focus around God's agenda,
Or does it fall quickly without God, it's key player?
Prayer had Jesus up early, sometimes meeting the sunrise,
Prayer always had a place in his day,
Praying to his Father is often how his disciples found him,
For the prayer places of Jesus were dedicated to escaping away.
Judas betrayed Jesus at his place of prayer (Matt. 26:47-49),
When Jesus was tempted, he always “sucked the rug” (Matt. 4),
An entire night in prayer, Jesus set aside to choose his disciples (Lk. 6:12),
Have you recently prayed more than an hour to the Father you love?
Jesus never prayed in public, but in solitude by himself,
His ear was so keen to recognizing the Father's voice,
Even though his disciples, crowds of followers and even Satan himself wanted his time,
Jesus sucked the rug, he kept prayer as his number one choice.
It was prayer, not planning, that scheduled Jesus' ministry (Lk 6:12),
Prayer was sometimes conducted along with a miracle (Jn. 11:42-43),
Jesus used prayer for encouragement, even at the darkest moments,
Prayer led Jesus to the cross, and prayer held his body with suffering pain that was thought unbearable (Lk. 22:4-42, Lk. 23:46).
Your day needs not to be controlled by your agendas,
But instead by, “Not my will but Your will be done” (Lk. 22:42),
Sucking the rug is not an easy, quick, blink of an eye task,
But Jesus has set an example, don't walk when you follow his lead, suck the rug and run!
Witness With WordsWith few words, God brought the universe into existence,
Through His lips came the Ten Commandments in which to be followed,
God spoke to Elijah in the wind, through just a gentle whisper,
The tongue is powerful, but one word from God can leave human conversation as shallow.
With the words, “follow me,” Jesus found his first dedicated disciples,
Through Jesus' lips a blind man received sight, Lazarus rose with life,
Jesus' parables and teachings were all through prized speech,
It was with compassion that Jesus forgave his murders, with the words, “It is finished,” his death became a powerful sight.
The tongue can hurt, heal, cut and sew,
God gave us the gift of speech for a unique and praiseworthy purpose,
What do your daily words speak about your all-knowing Creator?
Following Christ's example all humanity must hear, each syllable rings through God's ear, it scratches much deeper than the earthly surface.
Familiar FaceYour eyes center on the face, of a sinful human being,
Their heart is as cold as a winter blizzard night,
They are fighting inside, for they desire to be like Christ,
But it's feelings of jealousy, hatred, lust and un-forgiveness that shields the Father's peaceful, healing light.
As your heart breaks for this crying, tortured soul,
You hear, “But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward” (Prov. 11:18B),
For it is then that you realize the source of their trouble,
This person's heart would not seek righteousness, it was their inside decision for human pride, that pushed this darkness forward.
It is written, “Seek first the kingdom of heaven,
And all righteousness will be added unto you” (Matt 6:33),
You know that those whose eyes who feast upon the Lord's throne,
Will receive a plentiful reward, no poor man containing seeds of generosity will receive mercies of few.
Your eyes meet again, with this person who's heart you now know,
Your feet slowly back away, as their body echoes the same recollection,
Their eyes, heart, feelings and darkness lay so familiar,
Your face appears back in the mirror; my friend, were you gazing at your own reflection?
Lord Of The KingsOne day they hailed him as Hosanna,
Another hour his body hung helplessly upon a cross,
We view Jesus now as our Savior,
But does humanity truly realize the prize his death cost?
It was from his lips that he asked the Father for another saving way,
The Lord of kings was human, why would he desire to suffer?
Yet he was set aside for agony by his own Father,
This perfectly crucified lamb died as others fellowshipped at their own Passover supper.
Oh Lord, forgive me, for if I were able to take Your son's place this day,
My eyes would tear wondering why this death pill landed perfectly upon me,
Your heart, my Father, is filled overflowing with genuine mercy,
You sacrificed your only child, to save even the coldest heart of humanity.
“The Lord Of The Rings,” served my eyes as just a glimpse of Your son,
For in his hand once laid the fate of all humanity,
His life served the purpose as a journeying ring barer,
But Father, that same ring held my sins, but Your son gained my eternity.
Thank you Lord, for remembering Your creations,
Thank you Lord, for guiding Your son to his death,
Thank you Lord, for giving me this breath of life,
Thank you Lord, for thinking of gaining humanity, while Your son lost his last living breath.
I Dare YouGod's eyes peer down to the souls on earth,
As His Son stands firmly by His side,
Many hearts lie open to receiving Christ,
Christian's prayers could be heard like an ocean tide.
A family could be seen on their knees in prayer,
A baptism was visited by the Lord's sight,
The world is still good after so much time,
But Jesus looked at His Father with a tear in his eye.
The fields are so ripe for harvest; the wheat is calling like the wind,
Yet when searching for a reaper, no Christian desires to be used,
On what a blessing, a thrill, an adventure to complete God's will,
But Jesus saw that the fields were empty under the sky so blue.
When will we realize our task at hand?
People it is time to get off your knees,
God has heard your prayer a million times,
But you my friend are saved, what about those in daring need?
There lies no need to pack a suitcase or board a plane,
For many, God's great adventure lies in your own backyard,
The harvest is with you at work, at school, in the streets and homes,
But first you must trust your life to the Lord, for this harvest lies numerous and far.
God is still searching for a heart that seeks His will,
Jesus is coming, but not until the harvest is prepared,
Oh God's children, your mission is here, this day, right now,
“Here am I Lord” - send me, the great adventure awaits for those followers who dare!