Don’t be content with only half
Make sure your lamps contain
As much as they are meant to hold
From foolishness refrain
For when the Bridegroom’s voice is heard
You’ll need a bright, strong flame
You cannot follow in the dark
You’ll have yourself to blame
Don’t trade your oil for riches
Please handle it with care
Without it you can’t enter in
Won’t be enough to share
Chosen people, loved and holy
Clothe yourselves with gentleness
Add compassion, kindness, patience
And forgive all grievances
Wear humility and kindness
Over all of these wear love
This will bind them all together
Fitting like a hand in glove
Let the peace of God rule in you
For you have been called to peace
And be thankful to the Father
Who has given you increase
Let the Word of Christ dwell in you
Richly and not just in part
Teach and reprimand each other
With all wisdom from the heart
Glorify the Lord with singing
Praises from a grateful heart
Do all in the name of Jesus
Giving thanks unto our God
Before Earth was created
Or her boundaries were defined
God looked down through the ages
Across the span of time
He saw a world in chaos
Through the ravages of sin
He saw the evil in man’s heart
And sought man’s heart to win
So from Earth’s foundation
God sought to make a way
To free us from the sting of death
And sin that held us sway
God knew He’d have to give His Son
To be the offering
For Christ alone was worthy to
Redeem us from our sin
Because of sin we couldn’t stand
Before God’s holy throne
And animals were sacrificed
Man’s evil to atone
But their blood could only cover
Never wash away our sin
Though all the blood of beasts
Could fill whole rivers to the brim
First blood shed was in Eden
When the man and woman fell
God clothed them both in blood soaked skins
To save their lives from Hell
And since that time till Jesus
A scarlet ribbon ran
Until the perfect sacrifice
Was offered up for man
And now on Heavens mercy seat
In the Most Holy Place
The blood of Christ is sprinkled
For mankind by God’s grace
If you teach your child
From a tender age
To trust in
The Father above
You’ll be sowing seeds
Of eternal life
And the seeds
Of eternal love
If you bend the branch
While the tree is young
It will yield
To your loving hand
And when it has grown to
A tree big and strong
It will be in the shape
That you planned
A tree left unkempt
To grow as it will
Will not yield to your touch
Once it’s grown
And try as you may
It can no longer bend
Too long it was left
On its own
Jesus ANSWERED the fig tree.
Q 1] What did the tree say to Him?
2] What was He reacting to?
Everything speaks to us, EG: Our circumstances, our obstacles, & our challenges.
Science has proven that everything consists of sound waves and that different objects emit different sounds.
EVERYTHING speaks.
Ever seen the look of hopelessness in a child’s face or, for that matter, the look of pure joy? Fear speaks to us and if we do not know how to react to it, it will overtake us.
The fig tree was saying it had no fruit for Jesus. No tasty fruit, not even green, hard figs; nor overripe nor even rotten ones.
Luke 13:9 and if it bears fruit, well: and if not, then after that you shall cut it down.
Jesus cursed the tree because it bore no fruit. As long as we abide in the Vine we will bear much fruit without even trying.
The tree had borne nothing at all. Like a tree, we too must bear fruit.
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me.
If we do not abide in the Father’s love, we will not bear fruit
John 15:2 every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Our lip service has little worth if our words are not accompanied by our actions. I am not referring to good works in order to earn God’s love. Rather, I am referring to an overflow of the love of God in us which manifests as fruit. When the fruits first appear, they are tiny, but as they are continually fed by the Vine, they steadily grow into ripe succulent fruit, fit for the Master’s use. It is not our words that speak the loudest, but rather our fruit, or lack of fruit.
Luke 6:44 for every tree is known by his own fruit.
John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3:6 that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:15 whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:19 and this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 3:20 for every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
John 3:21 but he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me.
John 3:19 and this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 3:20 for every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
John 3:21 but he that does truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Salvation is not assured by answering an altar call because of fear of going to hell and then going on your merry old way without giving the commitment you’ve made at the altar a second thought. It must be accompanied by a decision to follow Jesus. More than that, there must be a change within.
All that God ever wanted from us is to love Him above all else; and to love one another as we love ourselves. Jesus knew when He gave us these commandments, that it would be a work in progress. He also knew that continually abiding in Him would result in us manifesting this love. We cannot love in this way of our own accord. It is God’s love flowing through us. Even as the fruit is dependant on the vine for life giving nourishment, we are dependant on the true Vine in the same way.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loves me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
John 14:24 He that does not love me, does not keep not my word: and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
Keep abiding in the Vine. Stay in His love and He will take you from glory to glory as you keep your eyes on the One who loves you with a perfect, everlasting love.
From the fullness of HIS grace we have ALL received one blessing after another.
Sometimes we’re just too busy complaining about the problems in our lives to even notice the constant blessings of GOD. Sometimes we even wonder where He is in our time of need, when we seem to have no answers. The truth is, He’s never left us for a moment. He is constantly thinking about us.
Psalms 139:17-18 says: How precious to me are Your thoughts, oh GOD! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake, I am still with you.
The truth is that if you’re looking for a life of roses, you should expect the thorns. GOD never once promised an easy ride, but He did promise that when we pass through the rivers, they would not pass over us; and when we pass through the fire, we would not be burned. Trials build our character and our faith. They teach us perseverance through anything that life throws at us. As long as we keep our focus on Him, He will bring us through and lift us to higher ground. All of His promises are true. What He said He will do. It may not come as quickly, or in the manner that we hoped for, but His promises are YES in Christ. 2Cor.1:20
From beneath the throne of God
A crystal river flows
Down the midst of Zion’s great street
The wondrous river goes
On either side the Tree of Life
Stands strong in holy ground
It bears twelve crops of fruit each month
It’s fruitful all year round
Its leaves are for the healing of the nations
There won’t be
Any curse or darkness
For the Lord Himself will be
The Light Who lights the darkness
No need for lamps nor sun
His name is on the foreheads of
His people, every one
In love His own will serve Him
For He’s Faithful and He’s true
We will give Him praise thank Him
For He’s made our lives anew
At His throne His own will worship
And adore the King of kings
In the splendour of His presence
For all the joy He brings