PROFOUND FORGIVENESS

PROFOUND FORGIVENESS

King Hezekiah was Manasseh’s father,

The son would wear his ring.

When Manasseh was only 12 years old,

He became Judah’s new king.

His father had been a good king,

So 15 years was added to his life.

But Manasseh went the way of Ahab,

Causing God much anger and strife.

He rebuilt the idols his father destroyed,

And altars to Baal were built.

He built a pole named after a goddess,

Toward the Lord he harbored no guilt.

He worshiped the starry hosts,

Along with his evil cohorts.

Defying the Lord, he built altars to the stars,

In the sacred temple’s two courts.

He sacrificed his own son in the fire,

Such evil one cannot comprehend,

He led Judah into sin like never before,

And filled Jerusalem with blood end to end.

Against Hebrew laws, he sought omens,

Consulted mediums and practiced divination.

He gathered advice from everyone but God,

He was a kingly abomination.

The Lord was profoundly angry at Manasseh,

So, he sent his way troubles and woes.

The King of Assyria took Manasseh prisoner,

Bound him up and put a hook in his nose,

He was taken prisoner to Babylon,

In his distress he sought favor from the Lord,

He humbled himself and prayed.

Guilt feelings from his mouth must have poured

The Lord was moved by his prayer,

And had Manasseh returned to Judah.

He then knew the God of his ancestors,

Was his one and only God too.

Manasseh rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem.

He even made it much higher.

He tried to make amends for his sins,

But his reputation remained in the mire.

His sins remained in Judah’s kings’ journals,

Recorded no matter how ruthless.

But the evil king’s sincere repentance,

Won him profound forgiveness.

We may think forgiveness is one thing,

But why give him clemency?

His evil cannot be undone,

But neither can God’s grace and mercy.

Becky Wall

 

 

JOHN THE BAPTIST

 

JOHN THE BAPTIST

John the Baptist preached in the Desert,

"Repent, for heaven is near."

He baptized the people who repented;

They came from all over to hear.

People sought out John from Judea,

From Jordan and Jerusalem.

There at the Jordan River,

Crowds repented and were baptized by him.

John was a cousin to Jesus.

God chose him to prepare the way,

For Jesus to enter His ministry;

John was bold in what he would say.

John's clothes were made of camel's hair;

He didn’t work a job to earn money.

A leather belt was around his waist.

And his food was locusts and honey.

The prophet Isaiah called John:

"The voice of one calling in the desert,”

John called men to repent, be baptized,

His ministry was intentionally overt.

John saw Pharisees and Sadducees coming,

Where people got their spiritual bath,

He yelled, "You brood of vipers!

Who warned you of the coming wrath?”

“Do not think you can say to yourselves,

'We have Abraham as our father.'

I tell you that out of these stones,

God can raise up children,” so don’t bother."

“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance,

For if a tree doesn’t bear good fruit,

It will be cut down and thrown in the fire;

The axe is already at the root.”

"I baptize with water for repentance.”

“But One whose power is much higher,

Whose sandals I am not fit to carry,

Will baptize with the Spirit and fire.”

“His winnowing fork is in His hand,

And He’ll clear His threshing floor.

He will gather His wheat into the barn,

And the chaff will burn evermore."

Becky Wall

THE EYES OF YOUR HEART

THE EYES OF YOUR HEART

(Ephesians 1:18, Psalm 139:12, Hebrews 11:1)

What do you see with the eyes of your heart?

Is your vision made strong by belief?

Do you see what cannot be seen?

Have your conscience and soul found relief?

Faith is assurance in what we hope for,

The evidence of things not seen.

The earth was created from nothing,

Christ’s coming even then was foreseen.

But some have a spirit of stupor,

With eyes that cannot see.

They have ears that cannot hear,

And still think of themselves as free.

The worldly sights which they enjoy,

Won't reveal the evil not seen.

Few know the danger until it's too late.

It festers quickly, much like gangrene.

But if they let a little Light shine,

And enlighten the eyes of their heart,

The darkness will be as light,

And they won’t want the Light to part.

The world will be revealed as dark and evil.

When The Lord seemed to leave you behind.

You may have had eyesight back then.

But the eyes of your heart were blind.

The Pioneer and Perfecter of faith,

In the eyes of your heart will abide.

If you fix your eyes upon Jesus,

Then you will be cross-eyed.

Becky Wall

Ephesians 1:18

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people...

Psalm 139:12

... even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 

THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS

THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS

When Jesus comes with His angels,

And takes a seat on His glorious throne,

Where all nations are gathered around,

We certainly won’t be alone.

For we all face the final Judgment --

And we all hope to wear a white robe,

Garments that were made as white as snow.

For those selected from all over the globe.

Sheep on the right, goats on the left.

Each will get what they earned,

The sheep took good care of Jesus,

By the goats our Savior was spurned.

Are you on the left or the right?

Are you a sheep or a goat?

Will you one day wear a black cape,

Or a bright-white, bridal coat?

Becky Wall

Revelation 19:14: When Christ returns as King, His heavenly armies follow Him: "And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses."

Revelation 19:7–8: At the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the Bride is permitted to wear fine linen: "And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."

Revelation 7:9: "...a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands..."

Revelation 7:13–14: When asked who they are, an elder explains: "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

LEFT IN THE DARK

 

LEFT IN THE DARK

Acts 12

King Herod arrested some Christians,

That no longer worshiped as a Jew.

James, John’s brother, was killed with a sword,

Then Peter was arrested too.

It was during a Jewish festival,

The Festival of Unleavened Bread.

Tho’ The bread itself contained no yeast,

Vile yeast spread ‘til many were dead:

John the Baptist was beheaded,

And John’s brother with a sword.

Peter was scheduled next to be killed,

After Passover, set by the Lord.

The Passover protected God’s people,

By lamb’s blood put on the doorframe.

Then Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb,

They should now all worship His name.

Yet Peter found himself in jail,

Four guards in four groups kept him there.

Two were chained on each side of him;

They guarded him sleeping bare.

It was Passover repetition --

No sandals and no cloak at his waist.

The same items that had long been required,

Were again to be grabbed in haste.

An angel with a mission and a message

Appeared to Peter that night.

The heavy chains fell from his wrists,

Before his miraculous flight.

He made it past all the guards,

Then a locked iron gate did appear.

The gate opened up on its own,

And freedom was finally near.

Peter thought he was living a vision.

The experience was so surreal.

It wasn’t until he passed through the gate,

That his mind began to heal.

Once they got past the iron gate,

And traveled about a block,

The angel left Peter’s side,

And reality brought a shock.

He went to the home of a woman named Mary,

The mother of a man named John Mark.

He banged on the door and also called out,

But he was left in the dark.

When Rhoda, a servant girl, heard his voice,

She was shocked at his voice so stark,

She absent-mindedly ran to tell others,

And left him outside in the dark.

They had been in the house all day to pray,

And argued how this could be.

They knew that God answers prayers,

Yet didn't open the door to see.

Peter just kept on knocking,

And surely was looking around.

For he was an escaped prisoner,

Who a few minutes ago was bound.

When the door was finally opened,

And he rushed in the house, he was pale.

He motioned for them to be quiet,

While he told them what happened in jail.

The guards at the jail were questioned,

And further interrogated,

But since they had no answers,

To a sudden death they were fated.

— Becky Wall

JESUS TAKES A WALK ON THE WATER

                                       

             

JESUS TAKES A WALK ON THE WATER

Mark 6:45-52

Jesus had fed the thousands,

His miracles could not be denied,

He used just a few loaves and fish,

And the fish were not even fried.

His disciples were sent to Bethsaida,

And when the crowd had gone away,

Christ needed to talk to His Father alone,

So, He went to a mountainside to pray.

Later that night He noticed,

The disciples still rowing on the lake.

They were fighting the wind and the oars,

While thinking the trip was a mistake.

Christ waited ‘til just before dawn,

To walk the lake to the other side.

When He was about to pass them by,

The disciples were terrified.

They thought they were seeing a ghost,

In fear, they began to cry out.

Jesus said, “It is I, have courage.”

He wasn’t a ghost, no doubt.

They were shocked when He climbed in the boat,

And the wind and waves died down.

That proved He was truly the Son of God,

So they continued their trip to town.

They continued to struggle with parables,

And neither miracle could be seen as a trick.

They had witnessed so much already,

But their belief in the Son didn’t stick.

The disciples had so much to learn.

God’s presence they could not conceive.

The Holy Spirit was not present in them,

Their hearts were too hard to believe.

Becky Wall

 

FROM CRUMBS TO A SEAT AT THE TABLE

 

FROM CRUMBS TO A SEAT AT THE TABLE

Jesus is God but still human,

I’ll go to a quiet village, he thought.

He went to the Gentile city of Tyre,

Where He hoped He wouldn’t be sought.

His presence could not stay a secret;

A Greek woman fell at His feet.

Her little girl was demon possessed,

At Christ’s table the mom had no seat.

She had heard many truths about Jesus,

And believed every wonder she heard.

She knew He could heal her daughter;

Her faith was shown with each word.

Tho’ Jesus spoke in symbols;

She understood just what He said.

"Let my people eat all they want;

For, I AM their bread."

Christ continued, "It isn’t right,

To take God’s children’s bread,

And toss it to ones not family,"

Tho' a bounty for them lie ahead.

The mother said with certainty.

"Even the puppies under the table,

Can eat the children’s crumbs."

Tho' Gentiles at the time were unable.

Then Jesus turned and said to her,

You may go for such a reply.

The demon has left your daughter.

Such faith I cannot deny.

Jesus honored her when He said:

There’s no longer a demon to fear.

She found her daughter lying in bed;

And the acceptance of Gentiles was near.

They no longer had to live off the crumbs;

Christ had welcomed them into the fold.

They could now dine at the Hebrews’ table,

As prophecy long ago foretold.

Becky Wall

WHAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LIKE

 

WHAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LIKE

The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed,

The smallest seed on earth.

But it becomes the garden’s largest plant.

Once that tiny seed gives birth.

The disciples listened to the parables,

And were often confused or bored,

But Jesus told them the meanings,

So the stories would not be ignored.

The hidden meanings were hard to grasp.

Without the Holy Spirit.

Tho’ the Spirit worked through them at times,

Their insight had its limit.

But then came the Day of Pentecost,

Ten days after the ascension.

There was the sound of a rushing wind;

Tongues of flames got the people’s attention.

The Spirit flamed on everyone present;

No doubt Jesus was God’s Son.

Peter spelled out the facts to the people,

Who realized what horrors had been done.

What can we do to be saved, they asked;

The whole crowd was deeply riven.

Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus;

And your sins will be forgiven.

You will receive a heavenly gift,

In the third person of God.

He will abide inside of you,

As along life’s rough road you trod.

The Holy Spirit is that gift;

He will help you know bad from good.

And will help you understand God’s Word,

As you never thought you could.

The disciples got sudden understanding,

The parables began to renew.

After baptizing 3,000 people in Christ,

They understood how the mustard seed grew.

Becky Wall

RICH AND WITHOUT A CARE

RICH AND WITHOUT A CARE

A certain rich farmer produced a good crop,

But lack of storage made him frown.

I know what I’ll do, he exclaimed with glee.

I’ll tear all my full barns down.

To an average farmer this makes no sense,

But this rich man was full of greed.

I’ll build bigger barns, he said to himself;

I won’t then give up any seed.

New barns were built and the old torn down,

So, he could eat, drink and be merry.

He was ready to sit back and take life easy,

His troubles in life he would bury.

But God was angry with him for his greed,

And his lack of concern for the poor.

He said to the farmer, “You wicked fool!

You'll soon get what you prepared for."

That night he died and found no joy,

In worldly riches he left behind,

As will be for ones not rich toward God,

With no generous thoughts in mind.

Don’t become like the farmer and others,

Who hoard treasures and all they own.

In their minds, the Lord doesn’t matter,

They think of themselves alone.

Becky Wall

ZACCHAEUS: UP A TREE IN LIFE

 

ZACCHAEUS: UP A TREE IN LIFE

Zacchaeus had a heart for the Lord;

He felt lonely and spiritually lost.

He hungered to know more about Jesus,

Not caring about the cost.

The short, wealthy, hated tax collector,

Many witnessed as he climbed a tree

He tossed status and dignity to the wind;

It was Jesus he wanted to see.

Jesus saw him up in the tree

And insisted he come right down

For He was going to his house that day.

The news surely spread around town.

Zacchaeus longed to please Jesus.

By giving half his goods to the poor,

He would repay anyone he had cheated.

He would even pay four times more.

The people began to mutter;

He’s going to be the guest of a sinner.

They were disgusted and let it be known,

As the two traveled home to dinner.

Salvation has come to this house, Jesus said.

I came just to seek this man out.

Like you, he’s a son of Abraham,

With those words, He left no doubt.

Zacchaeus was ecstatic;

His tears he could hardly contain.

For he had dinner with the Son of God,

Why him, he couldn’t explain.

Becky Wall