Not of this World

 

 

Not of this world?

From whence came such?

Go with me to John chapter 18 verse 36

And you will see as much.

 

Jesus answered,

My kingdom is not of this world:

If my kingdom were of this world,

Then would my servants fight,

That I should not be delivered to the Jews:

But now is my kingdom not from hence.

 

“They are not of the world,”

He said, referring his disciples

And like his disciples, the born again

Are his chosen people.

 

 

 

Not of this world,

But pilgrims on a journey

To a city not made with hands

In the heavenlies.

 

To the new Jerusalem

That John saw coming down,

There’s nowhere on this earth

Where it can be found.

 

“For here,” said the Apostle,

“We have no continuing city,

But we seek one to come.”

Paul continued definitively.

 

For he looked for a city

Meaning Abraham,

Whose builder and maker is God

That originated this plan. 

 

A city with foundations,

Not of rock and stone,

But built on the rock, Christ Jesus,

That is, our heavenly home.

 

The Church is the kingdom

Of Jews and Gentiles,

Both purchased with Jesus’ blood

Which none can defile.

 

Not replacement theology

But the unfolding of a plan

Conceived in eternity by the Trinity

And not by man.

 

For verily was our salvation

Before the foundation of the earth:

To the Jew first and then the Gentile

Delivering both from the curse.

 

 

Not of this earth for either,

Jesus made this clear,

But of the new Jerusalem John saw

On Patmos Isle appear.

 

A kingdom that is spiritual

A kingdom within the born-again,

A kingdom that is eternal

A kingdom where Christ reigns.

 

And so, I reiterate

The reassuring words of Jesus

On which we can boldly stand

And in them place our trust.

 

Jesus answered,

My kingdom is not of this world:

If my kingdom were of this world,

Then would my servants fight,

That I should not be delivered to the Jews:

But now is my kingdom not from hence.

 

 

In the world

But surely not of the world

Yet, being the salt and the light

As we reflect God’s Word.

 

Stewart Russell © January 2, 2025

 

God’s Prized Possession

 

 

Genesis chapter 1 verse 16

Tells the position of the earth,

Not geographically speaking

But to God, how much it is worth.

 

The Psalmist confirms this

In a very pronounced statement:

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof”

Is a declaration of God’s intent.

 

The earth is the center of the universe

Has been the argument of some,

Others have denied this vehemently

And on and on the argument runs.

 

That is neither here nor there

Particularly in the light of this verse,

Certainly, it is God’s central interest

When compared to the whole universe.

 

What gives me the right to say this?

How can we really tell?

Study the words of the scriptural reference

And watch how the evidence gels.

 

 

“Let there be light” has already passed

Now we come to the two great lights,

The sun was created to rule the day

And the moon to rule the night.

 

And then as though it were an afterthought

God made the stars also,

But God is not a God of afterthought

There is nothing He doesn’t know.

 

The sun and moon watch over the earth

None of the other stars does this,

God has a special purpose for planet earth

A purpose that many have missed.

  

Let there be lights in the firmament

God said, to divide the day from the night,

And let them be for signs and for seasons

And for getting the days and years aright.

 

 

Nowhere else in God’s Word

Is another planet given such care,

This is clear, given what eventually happened,

In that God sent His begotten Son here.

 

Unlike any other planet or star,

The earth definitely holds a central place,

And God demonstrated this by sending His Son

As an expression of His wonderful grace.

 

A habitat for His premier creation

The earth is God’s prized possession,

Therein lives His chosen generation

To be found throughout the nations.

 

We can search the entire universe

And we will not find another race,

Except in heaven where there are the angels

That occupy a special place.

 

I may be sticking my neck out,

And you may argue I really don’t know,

But the value of this earth to Almighty God

Is in the demonstration His Son showed.

 

For what does it matter

If a man gains the whole world and loses his soul?

Jesus came down from heaven to earth

To make earthlings like you and me whole.

 

The earth that ultimately matters

Is the people of the earth,

Particularly them that are born again

Them that have experienced the new birth.

 

Stewart Russell © April 2020

 

At Least Believe God

 

 

You mightn’t believe me

But will you also doubt God

That declares He created all

And reveals it in His Word?

 

Jeremiah 27:5

 

“I have made the earth,

The man and the beast.”

If you never believe anything that I say,

Believe God at the very least.

 

These three entities God created:

The earth, man and beast,

And after just six days of creation

From his creating God ceased.

 

The earth and all within it

Was created for His pleasure

And it should automatically follow

That he owns its entire treasure.

 

 

Psalm 50:10

 

Every beast in the forest is His

And the cattle on a thousand hills,

It is all God’s and God’s forever

And he can do with it as he wills.

 

Who are we to question God

Regarding His sovereign expression?

Rather, believe his sacred Word

And rejoice in His creation.

 

 

He calls us to be custodians

Of all that He has entrusted to us

And in combination with this

To honour His Son, Jesus.

 

Ephesians 1:4

 

By the Word God created,

Without Jesus nothing was made,

And every believer was secured in him

Before earth’s foundation was laid.

 

At least believe God

Even if you will never believe me,

“I have made the earth,” God says,

Meaning all that we currently see.

 

Stewart Russell © November 15, 2020

 

The Swiftness of Time

One month has gone

Just like that!

Today, February 1^st

Affirms that fact

I wonder what

Is responsible for this

Time going so fast

There’s much we miss

We make big plans

Like we have time

At the end of the day

Our tasks form a line

The days are shorter

It appears to be

And time is winding down

It seems to me

Maybe it’s because

There’s so much to do

Far more to do

Than we’ve been use to

Or maybe if you please

Time sped up a bit

And the earth is spinning

At a faster clip

Or some may argue

It’s all in the mind

This whole idea

Of the speeding time

Whatever it is

It has occurred to me

That the way we feel

Becomes our reality

If as the Bible says

Time has an end

Then ever since the beginning

It must be shorter my friend

It cannot get longer

That is clear to me

God has drawn the line

And that’s what it’ll be

No wonder it’s appointed

Everything that occurs

Like dots on a line

They cannot be deferred

What’s done is done

And what’s not is not

Time doesn’t unwind

No matter what

If you have a feeling

You’re almost out of time

It most likely is

It’s further down the line

More critical too

Is an individual’s line

Each one of us

Has an allotted time

One may have doubts

About God’s timeline

But everyday he gets closer

To the end of his time

The swiftness of time

Is obvious to me

It should be to you too

I trust you can see

Time is not indefinite

As some may believe

But eternity is

Do not be deceive

Time is going somewhere

I want you to see

It will eventually end up

In eternity

Stewart Russell © January 2019

Water, the Fabric of Life

Water, a precious commodity

In the Earth that God planted,

Water, a critical life saviour

That we all often take for granted.

Our water through the rain that falls

Is as a result of the water cycle,

This water is necessary for all of life

Just like believers feed on the Holy Bible.

Let him that thirsts, the Bible says

Come to Jesus Christ and drink,

A well of water freely springing up

Refreshing all we do, say and think.

As water is in the spiritual sense

So too is water to our physical,

It is a definite daily necessity

And to do without it would be critical.

It is needed for all our plants

The staples, the greens and the fruit,

It is a must for ground provisions too,

For matured trees and tender shoots.

Sugar cane couldn’t survive without it

Nor the other grasses all around,

Rice, flour, wheat and maize

We wouldn’t even garner a pound.

Washing and cleaning would be out

Everything would be a mess,

There would be no water for drinking

So there would be no life at best.

I cannot think of an industry

In which water doesn’t play a part,

Farming, manufacturing and tourism

All need water from the start.

Even the ships and boats that sail

Be they fishing boats or tourist lines,

All need a bountiful supply of water

Whenever it is sailing time.

  

And never ever take for granted

The fact that they must sail,

For without water on which to travel

Sea transport would surely fail.

“Ah, but I could fly by aeroplane

On a comfortable cushion of air,

Surely water won’t be needed

During the time I spend up there.”

Please, Sir, disabuse your mind

Of such a crazy thought,

Engines need water to keep them cool

Without water would be danger bought.

We can think of hydroelectric plants

Which need volumes of water to function,

Without water how would they work?

Clearly there would be no conversion.

Soap is a necessity when cleaning

But without water it’s a waste

For water is needed before its application

And afterwards in every case.

It is necessary when we are using water

That we do so with ultimate care,

Appreciative of those who have little

When we have in abundance and to spare.

Turn off the shower while lathering

To keep wastage at a minimum

And when soaping the dishes in the sink

Do not allow the water to run.

Using the hose during the dry time

Is against standard common sense,

Remember water wasted at anytime

Can hardly ever be recompensed.

Waste not want not is a pertinent maxim

Regarding the water we use,

Today’s waste will be tomorrow’s need

Therefore let’s stop the water abuse.

Stewart Russell © 2017