Entropy the Enemy

"I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding, and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man" (Proverbs 24:30-34).

There is a law called Entropy,
That principle renown,
Which says that useful energy
Left to itself breaks down.

And herein we may thus observe
A timely application:
When slothfully we do not serve
It tends toward degradation.

A little sleep, a little slumber,
And a folding of the hands
Reduces walls to broken lumber
And overthrows our lands.

Thus time becomes our enemy
Unless we use it well.
The principle of entropy
Portrays this parallel.

So let us fortify our soul
And battle as we must,
Lest entropy should take its toll
Like moths, and thieves, and rust.

Blessed Burden

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation" (Psalm 68:19). "My son, give Me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe My ways" (Proverbs 23:26).

Daily loading us with grace,
God lifts from us our care.
Thus His benefits replace
The griefs that we would bear.

What a blessing He imparts
The more that we surrender!
The more we give to Him our hearts,
We find Him our Defender.

Blessed be our loving Lord,
The God of our salvation,
Who died to give us His reward,
Instead of condemnation!

Thus our eyes observe Your ways,
Rejoicing in the load
Of benefits in all our days
That You, Lord, have bestowed.

Saving Sayings

"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us (Selah), that Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations" (Psalm 67:1,2). "Bow down thine ear.... Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth, that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?" (Proverbs 22:17-21). "[The shepherds] made known abroad the saying told them concerning this Child.... praising God for all the things that they had seen and heard" (Luke 2:17-20).

Bless us, Oh God, in every season
That we may make known the saying abroad
That Christ Jesus lives, and He is the reason
That we may be saved and forgiven by God.

Excellent sayings in counsels and knowledge
You've given us, Lord, that we may make known
The truth that is hidden from elitists' college,
Yet those who bow down their ear may be shown.

Bless us, Oh Lord, like the shepherds that night
Who carried the message of Christ Jesus' birth,
To shine in the darkness, to show what is right,
To share saving health to the ends of the earth.

Mate Matcher

"Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for My mouth it hath commanded" (Isaiah 34:16). "As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began... to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant.... to give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:70-79).

Seek with diligence and look:
God's promises shall never fail.
Read and find them in His Book,
His prophesies in great detail.

Not one promise lacks her mate.
Every word of God shall stand.
Thus God's Word shall demonstrate
The faithfulness of God's command.

As His prophets have foretold
Ever since the world began,
He would free us from sin's hold
By His great salvation plan.

He promised He would send us light.
He promised He would guide our feet.
Seek and you will find Him right.
Every word He will complete.

Stability and Strength

"Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is His treasure" (Isaiah 33:6). "My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.... For He that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon them that fear Him from generation to generation" (Luke 1:47-50).

Where shall we find our stability now?
Where shall we find our strength of salvation?
Wisdom and knowledge declare to us how
God's mercy is given to each generation.

God's wisdom and knowledge abound in full measure
Extending the mercy of God in our time.
The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure
Rejoicing our hearts with His mercy sublime.

My spirit rejoices in God my great Savior!
How mighty and merciful He's been to me!
By finding His fear I've discovered His favor,
His strength of salvation, and stability!

Challenging the Changeless

"There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.... An ungodly witness scorneth judgment... Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools" (Proverbs 19:21,28,29).

The scorners' strange mentality
(Increasingly the trend),
Supposes words of vanity
Will change things in the end.

As if by constant mocking
(Forgetting judgments past),
Uninterrupted talking
Shall prove them right at last.

But the counsel of the Lord
(Despite their foolishness),
Shall stand and shall award
Their judgment nonetheless.

Turn from scorners' blasphemy,
And trust the Lord instead.
For you may rest with certainty
He'll do as He has said.

Where Rivers of Water Run

"O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is" (Psalm 63:1). "Behold a King shall reign in righteousness.... and a Man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land" (Isaiah 32:1,2).

Rivers running deep and full
Within this dry and thirsty land
Are found to satisfy the soul,
From our Savior's heart and hand.

Though this land is dry and dreary,
The rivers of this water run,
And there's shade to rest the weary,
As a rock that shades the sun.

Behold your King is God the Son,
The risen Man no longer dead:
He is where the waters run;
In Him we find the Fountainhead.

Quest for Quietness

"Thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength, and ye would not" (Isaiah 30:15). "Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife" (Proverbs 17:1).

In our quest for quietness
Eluding us in strife,
In returning and in rest
There's confidence in life.

Better is this quietness
That God by grace imparts,
Than all the loud, so-called success
That vexes troubled hearts.

How many times must we relearn
That we should not delay,
When God has told us to return
As we go our own way.

No wonder, then, that confidence
And quietness have fled,
Since God has promised His defense
On paths where He has led.

So lead us, Lord, by waters still
To find Your quietness,
Then in the center of Your will
Where You will surely bless.

Rise to the Rock

"From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.... So will I sing praise unto Thy name forever, that I may daily perform my vows" (Psalm 61:2,3,8).

From the end of the earth, O Lord, hear my cry:
Lift me and lead me upon higher ground.
Lord, up to the Rock that is higher than I:
This is the place that I want to be found.

To the Rock that is higher than I will I rise.
To the Shelter in Christ will I flee.
To the Tower of strength will I lift up my eyes;
Lord, You have been all these for me.

So daily, O Lord, I will lift up my prayer,
For daily I know I'll be needing Your aid.
Each day I will rise to the Rock of Your care,
That I may perform, Lord, the vows that I made.

Warning about Warming

"This people... have removed their heart far from Me" (Isaiah 29:13). "And Peter followed Him afar off... and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.... There cometh one of the maids of the high priest. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou wast also with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest.... And he denied it again.... But he began to curse and swear saying, I know not this Man of whom ye speak.... And when he thought thereon, he wept" (Mark 14:54-72).

Peter saw the fire burn
And warmed himself when it was cold.
Subtly there his heart would turn,
Conforming to the world's mold.

Hear the laughter round the fire,
As our Savior was abused.
Far removed from God's desire,
Jaded hearts were thus amused.

Oh how cold the night was then,
When they struck our Savior's face!
Hateful, heartless, harmful men,
Thus repaid our Savior's grace.

Warning! In this frigid night
We must refuse the invitation
To warm ourselves where sinners slight
Our precious Lord and His salvation!

Inadequacy of Infancy

"Whom shall I teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk.... To whom He said, this is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the Word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little, that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken" (Isaiah 28:9-13).

Precept on precept and line upon line,
Not too much, please; just a little is fine.
Doctrine that challenges? Thanks, I'll decline.
I'd rather have precept and line upon line.

But whom shall the Lord instruct in His way?
And whom shall He send forth and teach what to say?
Who will be weaned from their milk and obey?
Who will attend to His flocks gone astray?

Beware lest you fall by procrastination;
Infancy cultivates fruitless frustration.
This is the day to choose consecration,
Growing in grace and in truth's graduation.

Optimum Offer

"Who would set the briers and thorns against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me" (Isaiah 27:4,5).

Who are the foolish who stand against God
To battle in vain with their briers and thorns?
Who would provoke Him and challenge the rod
Of His indignation toward one who scorns?

Who are the wise who take hold of His strength
By seizing His offer to make with Him peace?
His peace is the optimum offer at length!
One day this offer of mercy shall cease.

Perfect Peace

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.... Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us, for Thou also hast wrought all our works in us" (Isaiah 26:3,4,12).

Perfect peace is guaranteed
To every mind that's stayed on God.
This is all we really need,
For every other peace is flawed.

In times of joy, in times of sadness,
In times of health, or times of pain,
Our Lord is still our Source of gladness;
His perfect peace He will ordain.

Trust in the Jesus Christ forever,
The Author of our perfect peace.
He's our Strength in each endeavor
And Finisher of faith's increase.

Swallowing the Swallower

"Mine enemies would daily swallow me up" (Psalm 56:2). "The grave... saith not, It is enough" (Proverbs 30:16). "He will swallow up death in victory, and the Lord God shall wipe away tears from off all faces.... This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation" (Isaiah 25:8,9).

Among the enemies we face
Are hungry graves and haunting fears.
But Jesus Christ has won by grace
The victory that dries all tears.

Death has earned its reputation,
And fear has been its follower.
But God has won for us salvation,
By swallowing the swallower.

Oh Grave, where is your appetite?
Oh Death, where is your terror now?
Christ has put these foes to flight,
And their return He won't allow.

Burden Bearer

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee" (Psalm 55:22).

Why do I struggle now under this load
While Jesus has told me to cast it on Him?
Why am I walking alone on this road,
When Jesus would hold me on pathways so dim?

Lord, I am coming to cast upon You
All of my burden of worry and sorrow.
I have remembered Your promise so true,
You're with me today and every tomorrow.

The burden is lifted! The load is replaced
With strength from my Lord and a freedom from terror.
I walk on the path that is wondrously graced
With knowing that Jesus is my Burden Bearer.

Immortal Image

"Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them... Bring Me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And He saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto Him, Caesar's. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at Him" (Mark 12:14-17).

How unexpectedly profound,
This lesson in a penny,
In which eternal truths abound,
So marvelous and many!

We know that image which was coined
Reflected Caesar's face.
We know God's image too is joined
To all the human race.

What was it Jesus Christ was saying
Regarding what we owe?
What is the debt we should be paying,
In view of what we know?

Let Caesar have his penny now,
Yet God can rightly claim,
That every knee to Him should bow;
Each tongue should praise His name.

We bear His image from creation,
Though sin has left its scar.
Yet how much more by His salvation
We owe Him all we are!

Forecast of Faith

"Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22).

Have faith in God, our wonderful Savior.
Have faith in God, who has never been wrong.
Have faith in God, and rest in His favor.
Let Him be your strength, your salvation, and song.

Have faith in God in each situation.
Have faith in God; He is still on the throne.
Have faith in God, who wrought our salvation,
And He still continues to care for His own.

Have faith in God, with rejoicing and fear.
Have faith in God, and delight in His love.
Have faith in God, for the promise draws near
When we shall be changed and be with Him above.

Have faith in God; there is no better Friend!
Have faith in God, and trust in His name.
Have faith in God, He is true to the end,
Yesterday, today, and forever the same!

Blind Bartimaeus

"Blind Bartimaeus.... casting way his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.... And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way" (Mark 10:46-52).

How very much with Bartimaeus
We can each relate.
When Jesus gave our sight to us,
Was not that moment great?

And then we hear our Lord invite
This man to go his way.
Yet since he had obtained His sight,
Near Jesus He would stay.

"Go your way," our Savior said,
Your faith has made you whole."
But where then should we go instead,
To satisfy our soul?

What a lesson for the heart,
To follow Christ our Lord!
Who would bid us to depart
From Christ our soul's Reward?

Heeding His Healing

"Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice" (Psalm 51:8). "He shall smite and heal... and they shall return even to the Lord, and He shall be entreated of them, and shall heal them" (Isaiah 19:22).

God shall smite and He shall heal
The bones that He has broken.
He is touched with all we feel;
He hears the prayer unspoken.

God perceives our need for healing
Before we start to learn.
We would stray without His dealing
And never would return.

These bones of mine shall yet rejoice,
And I shall be the stronger
As I thus heed my Shepherd's voice
And stray from Him no longer.

Ordered Obedience

"Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High: and call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.... Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God" (Psalm 51:14,15,23).

There is an order God commands
To live each day in time,
And everyone who understands
Will heed this paradigm.

First offer up to Him thanksgiving
For all that He has done,
For blessings found each day you're living
By grace through God the Son.

Pay your vows to the Most High
By your obedience,
That God may illustrate thereby
His joyful consequence.

Then call on Him in trouble's day,
And God will manifest
That He delivers those who pray,
And He will give them rest.

Thus we offer up our praise
And God is glorified,
As by this order God displays
Salvation He supplied.

Disappearing Disputes

"He [Jesus] taught His disciples, and said unto them, The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him; and after that He is killed, He shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying.... And being in the house He asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves who should be the greatest" (Mark 9:31-34).

What indeed have I disputed
Along the pilgrim way?
Were there words that were unsuited
I wish I didn't say?

Some disputes would disappear
If I would call to mind
That God can see and He can hear;
He's neither deaf nor blind.

And He is weighing every word
With all my meditation.
How many things will seem absurd
That filled my conversation?

And what instruction have I missed
Because I was impacted
By strife that should have been dismissed
That rendered me distracted?

Let me therefore hold my peace
And leave disputes alone
That tend to make my Lord decrease,
Instead of make Him known.

Total Trust

"This God is our God forever and ever: He will be our Guide even unto death" (Psalm 48:14). "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.... For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken" (Proverbs 3:5,6, 26).

What a comfort in our life:
God will guide us everyday!
He will guard us through the strife,
As we trust Him and obey.

What a confidence in death:
Jesus Christ has robbed its sting!
After this life's final breath,
With new vigor we shall sing!

Trust in Him with all your heart,
Though you may not understand
Every reason for each part
Of the way that God has planned.

You can trust Him nonetheless;
He has never been mistaken.
The more you trust, the more He'll bless,
And keep your foot from being taken.

Sheltering Shields

"The shields of the earth belong unto God: He is greatly exalted" (Psalm 47:9). "He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly" (Proverbs 2:7).

The shields of the earth surround
Our world with protection.
The wonders of our God abound
Therein with God's perfection.

These shields that we see in space
Reflect their counterpart:
A life protected by God's grace,
That shields thus our heart.

So as we walk before the Lord
In our integrity,
Our hearts are guarded and restored
With truth that makes us free.

Lucifer's Loudness

"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth" (Isaiah 46:10). "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High: yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit" (Isaiah 14:12-14).

Above the roar as men applaud
The boasting of the proud,
Be still and know the Lord is God
While this is yet allowed.

For Lucifer was loud as well,
Exalting thus his name,
And yet his destiny is hell,
To be brought down with shame.

Be still, and see the judgment rod
That silenced Satan's cry,
Who thought that he could be like God,
Believing his own lie.

Let every boasting tongue be halted
To hear what God has said:
That surely He will be exalted
To be the nations' Head.