FAITH & WORKS: YOU CAN'T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER

FAITH WITHOUT WORKS/WORKS WITHOUT FAITH

James 1

Faith is expressed in works,

No matter what men have said.

You can claim all the faith there is,

But faith without works is dead.

Faith alone is not enough;

Even demons believe and quiver.

If your faith isn't put into action,

You too should feel a shiver.

If you think your ticket to heaven,

Can be purchased by doing good deeds,

But have no faith, it is useless,

Even if you fill the world’s needs.

Faith and works go hand in hand,

They show the extent of our love.

One reflects the other.

And both please our Father above.

Becky Wall

FROM THE MOUTHS OF BABES IN CHRIST

FROM THE MOUTHS OF BABES IN CHRIST

(Based in part on Ps. 17:10, 73:7, 119:70; Mt. 18:3, I Pet. 2:2)

Great lectures I have listened to,

From orators very well known,

Who delivered sermons eloquently,

In a smooth and confident tone.

But the message that meant the most to me,

Was told with a voice that quivered,

By one who choked on his tears as he told,

How he from sin was delivered.

Those lives with new beginnings,

Who have been born again,

 Speak as from the mouths of babes,

Simple truths that revive callous men.

Becky Overturf Wall

SEASONS IN THE SON

SEASONS IN THE SON

Each person enters into life,

Like flowers in the spring,

Maturing and growing in stature,

Through all the storms life brings.

The fruits of life are then produced,

And on The Vine we flourish,

When we spend summer in the Son;

He will our souls nourish.

Life begins to ebb,

In the season we call “fall.”

For death is drawing near,

“Come home” we hear Christ call.

Winter is the time of death,

When life can take a rest.

Some think this season is the worst;

For others, it’s the best.

Though life is placed into the ground,

New life will then begin.

For every life lived in the Son,

Spring will come again.

Becky Wall

MY OWN PSALM OF PRAISE

MY OWN PSALM OF PRAISE

(Based on Isa. 44:23, 49:13, & 55:12; Ps. 139 & 150:6;

Lk. 19:40; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; I Thess. 5:11; Rev. 20:2, 10)

Praise the Father, praise the Son,

Praise the Holy Ghost.

We praise You all in word and song,

In chorus with the heavenly host.

Angels, creatures, trees, and rocks,

And all who have breath praise You, Lord.

Because we are fearfully and wonderfully made,

We praise You with one accord.

For Your infinite wisdom, mercy, and grace,

We exalt You as our King.

Your holy name is most worthy,

Of Your glory and greatness we sing.

We praise Your awesome power;

We lift our voices high.

And when Satan and his evil spirits are bound,

Countless praises will fill the sky.

Til then, we will not hold back,

For Your love has been without measure.

Though we be mocked, reviled or threatened,

We count it all pure pleasure.

Becky Wall

KING DAVID'S LAST WORDS TO HIS SON & SUCCESSOR

A FATHER-TO-SON CHARGE

(I Kings 2)

 King David had several sons;

Only one could be the new king.

Solomon earned his father’s respect,

So he would wear the king’s ring.

 Solomon met with his father;

They had a father-son talk.

The advice David gave the new king,

Were the ways in which he should walk.

 I will soon go the way of the earth, he said.

Be a man, have courage, be strong.

Observe what the Lord God requires,

Keep His laws and never do wrong.

 If you keep the Law of Moses,

Your rewards will grow and grow.

You will prosper in all you do,

And also wherever you go.

 Be wise in dealing with enemies,

Be kind to those who do good.

Let them eat at your table,

If they did for you all they could.

 David then breathed his last,

And with his fathers went to rest,

But not before he gave this charge,

To Solomon, his son, whom he blessed.

Becky L. Wall

A ONE-IN-A-MILLION MAN

A ONE-IN-A-MILLION MAN

(Ps 1:2; Prov 22:1; Lk 10:27; Acts 13:22; I Cor 13:4,5,13; Eph 5:28; II Tim 2:15)

He may not have muscles; he may not be rich,

He may not have much to say,

But he has something very rare;

He loves God in a mighty way.

Rather than riches of silver and gold,

He chooses to wear a good name.

Whether his own or the name of Christ,

He wears both names without shame.

He is slow to anger; he is not proud;

He is patient and does not boast.

His hope and faith are in the Lord,

But his love one can see the most.

He loves the Lord with his heart and soul--

Prays and meditates day and night;

He serves with all his strength and his mind;

God’s word is his delight.

He raises his kids in the way of the Lord,

Loves his wife as he loves himself.

The man who’s a man after God’s own heart,

Won’t leave God’s Word on the shelf.

If you’re a man who is willing,

Who knows, “With God’s strength, I can,”

God can turn you, an ordinary guy,

Into a one-in-a-million man.

Becky Wall

ELIJAH FED BY RAVENS

ELIJAH FED BY RAVENS

(I Kings 17)

God’s people were led astray,

By King Ahab, an evil man.

So God sent Elijah to Ahab,

To relay His impending plan.

For three and one half years,

They would see no dew or rain.

Ahab was mad at the messenger,

As if Elijah would cause their pain.

So, the Lord told Elijah to hide himself,

From Ahab, and so he did.

God commanded ravens to feed him,

While near a brook he hid.

In time the brook dried up;

No rain fell where he was hidin’.

So God had him leave his hiding place,

And go visit a widow near Sidon.

When he came to the gate of the city,

He saw her gathering sticks.

He asked for bread and some water to drink,

But the widow had little to fix.

For this was her final meal;

There was no more food to buy.

After she and her son ate their meager meal,

They could only lie down and die.

The wood was to cook the food.

In preparing for the worst,

She was told to take the meal and oil,

And fix him a little cake first.

He assured her that if she complied,

Her meal and oil would last.

Because she obeyed, they never ran out,

Until the famine passed.

Becky Wall

HOT WHEELS, FIERY HORSES, AND A WHIRLWIND

HOT WHEELS, FIERY HORSES, AND A WHIRLWIND

(II Kings 2:1-12)

Elijah knew his time was up,

And that God would take him away.

And when that moment did come,

It came with great display.

Elisha would be his successor,

The one he trained and anointed.

They were on their way from Gilgal,

To the time and place God appointed.

Elijah wanted to go alone,

But Elisha was loyal and true.

He said, "As surely as the LORD and you live,

I will never leave you."

So they went down to Bethel,

And from there to Jericho

They traveled on to the Jordan River,

Where Elijah put on quite a show.

With an audience of 50 prophets,

Elijah rolled up his cloak.

With it he struck the water,

And parted it with one stroke.

 The water divided to the right and the left,

A dry path appeared for the two.

When they had crossed over, Elijah asked,

"Tell me what I can do."

"I want double your spirit," Elisha said.

Which put Elijah in a difficult spot.

"If you see me when I’m taken,” he said,

“You can have it--otherwise not."

They saw a fiery chariot ascend,

Marking the end of his story,

Elijah was caught in a whirlwind,

And rode to heaven in a blaze of glory.

Elisha saw this and cried, "My father!”

And then his clothes he tore.

Elijah went up and through the clouds,

Then the two saw each other no more.

Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak,

And went back to the bank of the Jordan.

He drew back the cloak before striking the water,

To repeat what Elijah had done.

 "Now where is the God of Elijah?" he asked.

When he struck the water, it divided.

And once again he crossed over;

The answer had just been provided.

The prophets from Jericho who were watching,

Said, "Elisha has Elijah’s spirit."

They went to meet him and bowed to the ground.

Though they didn’t quite understand it.

“We have 50 able men,” they said,

“Let them go and look for your master.

Perhaps the Lord’s Spirit picked him up,

And set him down without disaster."

 "Don’t send them," Elisha said,

But they persisted ‘til he couldn’t refuse them.

 So he finally agreed and they sent 50 men,

Who searched three days for him.

Of course their search was to no avail,
Since they couldn't search the heavens.
And Elisha used his double portion,
To continue Elijah's missions.

Becky Wall

KING HEZEKIAH GIVEN LIFE + 15 YEARS

LIFE + 15 YEARS

(2 Kings 20, Isa. 38)

Hezekiah was the best of kings,

So the LORD gave him success.

He worshiped the Lord and kept His commands;

And he ruled with great finesse.

Then one day he became ill;

He was at the point of death.

When Isaiah, the prophet, spoke to him,

He was ready to draw his last breath.

He was told “Put your house in order,

Because you are going to die.”

When told he would not recover,

Hezekiah questioned why.

He turned his face to the wall,

While grieving his coming demise.

Then he asked the Lord to remember,

The good he had done in God’s eyes.

The Lord spoke to Isaiah,

While Hezekiah bitterly wept.

God told Isaiah to tell him,

That He would intercept.

He heard his prayer and saw his tears,

So would agree to remove his strife.

In three days he should go to the temple,

Where fifteen years would be added to his life.

From the hand of Assyria’s king,

He’d deliver him and the city.

For His own and His servant, David’s, sake,

God would show mercy and pity.

Hezekiah was to make a poultice of figs,

For the figs would produce medication.

When it was applied to the boil,

Hezekiah would enjoy restoration.

It is very important to pray;

For God may change His mind,

If the person is truly repentant,

Close to God, and good to mankind.

Becky Wall