Buckle Down Buckle Up

 

 

When pressed hard to buckle

Buckle down to the task,

Gird your loins with the Truth

And make your buckle fast.

 

Buckling up in pain

May impress you to go under

But buckle up for the journey

And brace against hunger.

 

Buckle down and buckle up

Do not fold in or fold up,

Buckle your belt and hold fast

To the brighter outlook.

 

Buckle in and buckle tight

And expect a roller coaster ride,

Buckle your harness and keep the faith

Whatever may betide.

 

Faith in the God of the Bible

That strengthens us more and more

That comforts us in life’s challenges

And makes our buckle secure.

 

Do not buckle, I entreat you,

When buckling under seems best

But stand firm with your trust in God

And He will do the rest.

 

 

So, buckle up as in fastening

Not just buckle up in pain,

For where the physical loses ground

The spiritual will reclaim.

 

Keep on the buckle of Truth

With its insignia indelibly inscribed,

In no other one, I beg you,

But in Jehovah God confide.

 

Buckle down and buckle up

Buckle in and buckle tight,

The battle is not one’s imagination

But is, in fact, a real fight.

 

Not all buckles are desirable

Collapse and cave-in, despise!

Stand with resolve and unbroken spirit

And refrain from, I’d rather slide.

 

Stewart Russell © November 9, 2021

 

If Here and Now

 

 

 

If here and now is all there is

And there is nothing else beyond

Then we are free to be what we want

Up to the time we are gone.

 

But this is only if we believe

That life is only here and now,

If, however, we have some doubts,

To God we had better bow.

 

If here and now is all there is

Then suicide is a great escape,

For there is no chance of accountability

Hence, no eternal fate.

 

But that is only if we believe

That the grave is the end of it all,

For if there is a God that created us

There is a need to heed His call.

 

 

If here and now is all there is

It does not matter what we profess,

For sooner or later it will all be ended

And with it all that we possess.

 

But that is only if we believe

There is no one to answer to,

Somehow, I believe those of this type

Are merely pulling a bluff.

 

If here and now is all there is

Then God truly does not exist,

Hence, right and wrong is a human thing

It’s time for the paradigm shift.

 

But that is only if we believe

That there is no supreme being

And all that believe such nonsense

Must surely be dreaming.

 

  

 

If here and now is all there is

There can’t be a God that does not exist,

For this is a contradiction of sorts

That many unbelievers miss.

 

But that is only if we believe

In contradictions of sorts,

For then we belie our innermost thoughts

That urge us this nonsense abort.

 

If here and now is all there is

From whence did it come to be?

It seems we are flirting with nihilism

In which reality is not reality.

 

But that is only if we believe

That we exist only for this time,

Now you see why weird orientations

Now fill the human mind.

 

One day I am this, next day that,

Third day, the right to change back,

And the only reason I need to give

Is the urge to satisfy my lack.

 

I can do all things through me

That strengthens my resolve,

I need no God to guide or provide

It is around me that I revolve.

 

 

If here and now is all there is

Let’s be whatever we want to be,

The strong will surely outlast the weak

That’s the current reality.

 

Nothing will change though it has

And all things will remain the same,

All of reality will be authentic illusions

And the insane will never be insane.

 

But that is only if we believe

That the grave is our final destiny,

If such is the case, what an awful waste

Of such human ingenuity!

 

Stewart Russell © November 25, 2021

 

The New Day’s Resolution

The last day of January!

How the month has flown!

Like the children born yesterday,

How quickly they’ve grown!

Like yesterday we started out

With a “Happy New Year”!

Now far from being old

The month has disappeared.

The month of fresh resolve

Bids us all adieu,

The love month as we term it

Comes clearly into view.

So many things to do

And so little time it appears,

How many will we complete

By the end of the current year?

A resolution for sure

That we ought always to keep

Is to focus our eyes on Jesus

As his will we daily seek.

The likelihood of falling

Is kept constantly at bay

When we keep our eyes on Jesus

And walk in his way.

Such a resolve is renewed

Not at the beginning of the year

But each and every day

As each dawn appears.

Father, thank you for your daily care

I reciprocate your love to me,

Help me in your way to walk

Being what you want me to be.

Such a resolve has more thrust

Than that beginning the year

Since it’s renewed on a daily base

As we breathe the new day’s air.

For with the passage of each day

Our resolve will wane

 But at the dawn of a new day

It will be re-enacted again.

In this way it is more likely

To survive the whole year,

I am referring to that resolution

Which by February disappears.

Let this be our daily resolve

To keep our eyes on Jesus,

Steadfast in commitment to him

To ever walk in his purpose.

Stewart Russell © January