Contemplations

(II Samuel 11) David was serving as king, Of the whole Israelite nation. Though he had served with integrity, One day he succumbed to temptation. He slept with Bathsheba, another man’s wife, Then learned she would bear his child. David tried to cover his sin, So they would not be reviled. The husband’s name was Uriah, A brave and honorable guy. But David took no pity on him, When he sent him out to die. A war was going on; Future gossip could be stilled, If Uriah was sent to the front of the war, Where he would surely be killed. The Lord sent Nathan to David, With a story meant to chastise. The whole point of the allegory, Was to open David’s eyes. There were two men in a certain town — One rich, the other poor. The poor man had one little lamb; The rich one had sheep galore. The poor man had purchased the lamb. He nurtured it while it grew. The lamb shared his food and his cup. He could truly say “I love ewe.” A

(Luke 7:36-50) Jesus was asked by a Pharisee, To come to his house to eat. Christ reclined at Simon’s table, Then a woman appeared at His feet. She had lived a sinful life, Maybe looking for someone to care. She brought a jar of perfume, When she learned that Jesus was there. She wet His feet with her tears, And wiped them with her hair. She kissed them then applied perfume, And the perfume was very rare. The Pharisee who invited Jesus, Said to himself with doubt, "If this man were really a prophet, He’d know what this woman is about." Jesus then said to Simon, "I will tell you about her tears." "Tell me, teacher," Simon said. Though he wasn’t exactly all ears. "Two men owed money to a certain lender: A large and a little debt. Neither of them could pay the man back, So the lender said the loans he’d forget. Now which

The mountains envied Mt. Zion, Where Christ would fulfill God’s will. Tho’ the mountains thought themselves mighty, They fell short of that little hill.   They watched as Jesus carried His cross, And their stones cried out in vain. They witnessed the crucifixion. And they heard Him cry out in pain.   They stood arrayed in beauty, That came from heaven above, By the man on the cross, the Son of God, And He formed them with great love.   They wept when He breathed His last, Forming streams, waterfalls and fountains. They thought their Creator was gone forever, When He died on the little mountain.   They could see from where they towered, That Christ was placed in a tomb. They watched as His mother wailed, At the loss of the fruit of her womb.   All at once they began to tremble, As the earth began to quake. The sun refused to shine, And the dead began to awake.   Gloom filled up their valleys

DAD ALWAYS LIKED YOU BEST (Genesis 37) Joseph had many brothers. Ten had a different mother, But Rachel, the dad’s favorite wife, Bore Joseph and Benjamin, his brother. The ten other brothers were jealous, Of the sons of the favorite wife. They especially disliked Joseph; They pondered how to take his life. Joseph’s father had given to him, A very special coat. The brothers angrily noticed how, On Joseph their father would dote. Joseph began to dream vivid dreams, In which he ruled his brothers. They were mad that he thought he was special, Just because they had different mothers. So while the brothers were working the field, They began to devise a plan. With Joseph’s demise in mind, they plotted, How to lessen Jacob’s clan. But Judah, the oldest brother, Became somewhat sad. He convinced the other brothers, Not to harm the lad. After taking Joseph’s coat, They threw him in a dry well. When travelers offered t

A FRAGRANT AROMA OR THE SMELL OF DEATH? John 12, I Cor. 12:17, II Cor. 2:14-16, Ps. 115:6     Jesus reclined at the table; He and Lazarus were ready to eat. Then Mary took an expensive perfume, And poured it on Jesus' feet. The house was filled with the fragrance. Mary wiped His feet with her hair. But Martha was in a huff, For they had a meal to prepare. The aroma was pleasant to Jesus, And not just because of the scent. The love that was poured from the bottle, Was the fragrance that to heaven went. Martha was right to be hospitable, But to Jesus, Mary did well. Christ would not always be with them, For a stench arose from hell. Some people have ears that cannot hear, And eyes that won’t see or that wink. They have noses but do not smell, And hearts in decay that stink. The knowledge of Christ is a fragrance, That comes from the Spirit’s breath. To saved ones we're the fragrance of life; To the others we're the sm

SPEAKING IN TONGUES: Q:   When is speaking in tongues specifically mentioned in the Bible? A:   It was mentioned on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3-8) and when the first Gentiles were converted (Acts 10:38 -48 & Acts 15:7-8). It is also mentioned in Acts 19:4-6. Mark 16:17 says they spoke “in new tongues.” In I Corinthians chapters 12-14, Paul speaks to the Corinthians about the use and abuse of the gift of speaking in tongues.   Q:   Were people who had the gift of speaking in tongues able to pass it on to others? A:   No. Only the apostles and Paul, who had a special calling, were able to pass on the gift. This is evident in Acts 8:12-17 when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had accepted Christ, they sent for Peter and John to lay hands on them so they could receive the Holy Spirit. Philip had been preaching to them, but he couldn’t do it, though he had the gifts, because he was only a deacon and not one of the chosen Apostles. When the a

I decided to do a Bible search on the word “labor.” When I got to Ecclesiastes and read what Solomon had to say about work and labor, I knew I had the Bible reading I needed. As Solomon meditates on the subject of labor, he is in turmoil and struggles to understand its role in life. He starts out disheartened by the emptiness it brings. In the end he sees that labor does have some value, but that value is not in the material things that money can buy. I will list in succession all the verses from Ecclesiastes that has to do with work and toil. Pay attention to the end of my reading to see what Solomon decides IS the most important thing. (Eccl 2:10-11)   I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.   Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.