Bitter Belly

"And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth as sweet as honey.... And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings" (Revelation 10:8-11).

The vision of John may seem to us odd,
As he is commanded to eat up the book.
Yet this was the sign that was given by God
That we would do well to not overlook.

This book would be sweet as honey to taste,
But how bitter indeed to digest!
Yet this is the prospect we surely have faced
When the welfare of souls is our quest.

We taste of the sweetness of God's holy Word
Yet we ponder it's bitterness too,
Alarmed by the carelessness of those who heard,
Who have cast it aside as untrue.

Yes, we rejoice in the sweet bye and bye,
And assurance of our own salvation,
But what about those who are destined to die,
And afterwards face condemnation?

We taste of the sweet and the bitter as well,
Just as John did in his vision.
We glory in heaven and shudder at hell,
And pray for the sinner's decision.