Cruelty or Christ

"The statutes of the Lord are right.... by them is Thy servant warned, and in keeping of them is great reward.... Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord" (Psalm 19:8-14). "Hear Me now therefore... lest thou give thine honor unto others, and thy years unto the cruel.... For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his goings" (Proverbs 5:7-21).

The statutes of the Lord are right
And promise great reward,
When we are living in His sight,
And thereby fear the Lord.

But joy can be exchanged for tears,
The wise becomes a fool,
When Satan steals precious years,
Surrendered to the cruel.

Satan only comes to steal,
To kill, and to destroy.
Our Savior came that He might heal
And give us life with joy.

Why then would we volunteer
One moment of our day
(And how much less another year!)
To cruelty this way?

So may our words and meditation
Be governed by this rule:
To please the Christ of our salvation,
And thus deny the cruel.