Royal Sons and Daughters

 

 

No, it’s not an error

That this title bears

But in fact, the Gospel Truth,

And what the Bible says.

 

An immediate designation

To all of the born-again

That march forth unashamedly

Bearing Jesus’ name.

 

Royal sons and daughters

Having received the Christ

Unlike his own that he came to

That reveled in their vice.

 

In the Gospel of Matthew

Chapters 23 and 24,

Jesus detailed their judgment

In trials to come and woes.

 

“This generation” he said,

And also “some standing here,”

They would see these things

And not our modern day.

 

 

 

Royal sons and daughters

Are not exclusively the Jews

But all born-again believers

Who the Saviour, choose.

 

Not to be confused of course,

With loyal sons and daughters,

This also is very important

But a different matter.

 

How wonderful it would be

As Independence draws near

That we be both royal and loyal

And in both aspects share!

 

A child of the King of kings

And of the New Jerusalem,

As well as “sons and daughters all”

Being good Barbados citizens.

 

Reliant on God our Father

Yes, a child of royalty

Fulfilling our purpose to country

In pride and industry.

 

Under the Sovereign God

And to our sovereign state

Of course, first royalty then loyalty,

Getting priorities straight.

 

And when it comes to sides,

Let us be on God’s side

And as our leaders emulate Moses

We are bound to thrive.

 

 

Who is on the LORD'S side?

This must be the question!

Loyal may be the path we take

But royal is His kingdom.

 

As loyal sons and daughters

To Barbados our country fair

Yes, under God, the King of kings

Who our burdens share.

 

Without Him we are nothing

Neither royal nor loyal,

And to Him we owe everything

For He is ever faithful.

 

Stewart Russell © November 26, 2023

 

A Spiritual Delusion

 

 

Some of us believe

We can tell God what to do,

We tell Him How we see it

And He must agree with our view.

 

We even quote the Word

And take it out of context

And when there’s no desired outcome

We might even get vex.

 

We go to God with information

That perhaps He doesn’t know

And then we bargain with Him

As to how the matter must go.

 

We remind Him of His Word

And advise that He must keep it

And we call in as our witnesses

His Son and Holy Spirit.

 

Of course we wait on the Lord

To do what we demand of Him

“Your will be done,” we may even say

But the chances of that are slim.

 

It’s our will that really matters

We have already told God so,

By the way that we petition Him

That’s all He needs to know.

 

How the roles have changed

Between the Creator and the creature!

The creature becomes the creator

This is a regular feature.

 

I think we are spiritually deluded

When we approach God like this,

I would advise any believer

From such behavior desist.

 

That’s not praying by faith

Neither praying with assurance,

That is disrespecting God

And he demands our repentance.

 

Take another look if you may

At the model prayer Christ taught,

It starts out by reverencing God

That’s the first essential thought.

 

Thereafter we bring our requests

Bearing in mind He knows what’s best

Then patiently waiting on God

Presents our greatest test.

 

How we delight to nag

And beg and beseech and implore!

Yet we’ve put it in the Lord’s hand

And confess we can do no more.

 

“I have faith,” we often boast,

“That God will come through for me.”

But if the outcome is undesired

We go on an excuse spree.

 

We should have prayed and fasted,

We didn’t pray enough,

Maybe someone had sinned

And remarks of similar stuff.

 

Yet we recognize God as Sovereign

He knows and does what’s best

But when it doesn’t fit our agenda

We cannot let it rest.

 

At the end of our faith is trust

Regardless of the outcome,

Trust in God and in His Spirit

And trust in His beloved Son.

 

A child makes a request of a parent

But that parent has to decide

Considering the overall picture

Whether to grant that request or deny.

 

Similarly it is with our Heavenly Father

We must leave our requests with him

And regardless of the outcome

Remember that unbelief is a sin.

 

Stewart Russell © June 2018

 

Sovereign

 

 

 

We know of this term

But there seems so much to learn

That our hearts within burn

When its principles are spurned.

 

“Of political bodies

Not controlled by outside forces”

Just one of the meanings

Taken from one of my sources.

 

“Greatest in status

Authority or power”

Is another definition I found

Taking it even higher.

 

“A nation’s ruler or head of state

Usually by hereditary right:

A crowned head or monarch”

With considerable might.

 

Reserved also for countries

Independent and or Republic

But in some cases

Such sovereignty does not fit.

 

Lastly and most importantly

The Sovereign, Omnipotent God:

The I AM That I AM

The One that is All in All.

 

Identified are different levels

Of sovereignty

But of infinite greatness

Is the Lord God Almighty!

 

 

All power is His

To raise up and pull down

And there is none greater than He

That can be found.

 

He is the Sovereign God

An there is none other besides

And in the heaven of heavens

Is where He resides.

 

Sovereign Leaders rule

But the Almighty God overrules,

He is Sovereign above all

And this He daily proves.

 

None can overrule His will

Even though they may try,

The haughty and high He humbles

And the humble He makes high.

 

Nothing happens

That He does not see

And whithersoever anyone goes

There He will be.

 

All other sovereignties

Are hopelessly suspect

And however powerful they appear

Their fall we can expect.

 

Sovereignties are only as strong

As their military might

And if one mightier comes along

They lose that right.

 

 

 A current case in point

Is Russia and the Ukraine:

Both of these are sovereign nations

But Ukraine is being claimed.

 

 

Its sovereignty means little

To the Russian might

And at present it seems incapable

Of asserting its sovereign right.

 

Russia’s sovereign head

Is demonstrating to all

That he has the military might

To make this call.

 

It is under the guise

That Ukraine must be De-Nazified

Which I cannot understand

However hard I’ve tried.

  

Therefore, my conclusion is:

God is the only Sovereign,

All else carrying the appellation

Is with a tenuous claim.

 

A very thin line

Based on one’s military might

But it is working for the big ones

Where might is right!

 

Stewart Russell © February 25, 2022

 

How Should We Pray?

 

How do we pray at this time?

What do we ask of God?

Bearing in mind this COVID-19

Is affecting home and abroad?

We live in mortal fear

While ignorant of the outcome

And every day we ask the question,

When will it all be done?

But what do we ask God for?

What do we expect Him to do?

How do we pray at this time?

Can you tell me?  Can you?

 

Is this pandemic a punishment

For things we’ve left undone?

And when we have sorted that out

Will it then end its run?

Is it some things we have done?

Some atrocious things, perhaps?

And is that the reason why

We are encountering this mishap?

In the light of all the questions

How should we really pray?

As a matter of fact, I’d like to ask

Can prayer get us through the day?

If the answer you give is “No”,

Then what’s the use of praying?

However, if the answer you give is “Yes”,

What are we really saying?

Should we ask God to protect us?

And what if He does not?

Would that mean we are abandoned?

Could that be a believer’s lot?

How should we pray, I ask again,

In the light of all that’s happening?

Are we better than all the rest

For whom COVID is quite challenging?

My heart aches for Italy,

And what about those in Spain?

How can we watch the daily news

Without feeling their pain?

What is it we need at this time?

Is it powered packed prayers?

Is it prayer warriors and intercessors

To prayer saturate the atmosphere?

We place the emphasis on prayer,

As a matter of fact, people’s prayer,

As though some have a special gift

To take to the Throne our cares.

For fear of being castigated

I will hasten to the point,

That is, outside the Sovereign God,

To nothing all prayers amount.

So that it comes right down to trust

Trust is the bottom line,

Whatever the bitter outcome,

We must trust God every time.

  

Praise and thank Him always

Adore and extol His name

For even in the midst of COVID-19

Our Lord God still reigns.

 

 

I am not knocking prayer,

I am simply saying, trust God,

For whether the day be dark or bright

He is still the “All in All”.

Stewart Russell © March 2020