Lovingly not Grudgingly

 

 

Grudgingly is not lovingly

And an apology is not forced,

Both emerge from willing hearts

As a matter of course.

 

Whenever issues arise

As from time to time they will,

Keep a level head and calm spirit;

Let your heart be still.

 

Correct a brother in love

And let the love shine through,

Hostility and animosity, of course,

Will only block his view.

 

In disciplining a sister

Let love be clearly up front

So that the sister will never feel

You are on a witch hunt.

 

For none of us is perfect:

Neither the leader nor the led,

One often has to swallow one’s words

So be careful what is said.

 

 

Lovingly not grudgingly

Especially in the church,

Love is the optimal soothing balm

When a member hurts.

 

Live by the golden rule

As the Bible instructs to do

For a dispute is a golden opportunity

To let love shine through.

 

Love will mend a tear

But a grudge rents it wide,

And there could be serious fallout

When hostilities collide.

 

A grudge is like a sore

That will never ever heal

Unless of course, love intervenes

And with empathy we feel.

 

 

Grudgingly is not lovingly

And an apology is not forced,

Both emerge from willing hearts

As a matter of course.

 

Love and apologizing

Often go hand in hand,

In love we should accept apologies

For we are but man.

 

Prone to err like anyone else

And to do so repeatedly,

We must see ourselves in another

And respond accordingly.

 

Grudgingly is not lovingly

And an apology is not forced,

Both emerge from willing hearts

As a matter of course.

 

Stewart Russell © April 1, 2025

 

If There Were No God

 

 

If there were no God

I could do what I like,

Except within the law of course,

Which I could change to make wrong right.

 

If there were no God

I could do to you before you do to me,

No golden rule to foster relationship

Or to ruin my selfish spree.

 

If there were no God

So much would be possible,

The sky would be the limit

For the powerful and the horrible.

 

If there were no God

There would be no accountability,

Except for the law of course

Which would be too blind to see.

 

If there were no God

I could be whatever I want to be:

Transgender, no gender,

Just simple, old deluded me.

 

If there were no God

It would be just first to the line,

And whatever was on offer

All could be mine.

 

You see, if there were no God

I could be God

And you could be too, if you wanted,

None would be a fraud.

 

All would be authentic

Within their own right

As long as they could win

The inevitable fight.

 

If there were no God

What a wonderful place this would be!

Like the fairy tales we read

I would forever live happily.

 

If there were no God

There would be nothing unimaginable:

No restraints no constraints,

Nothing would be unreachable.

 

 

If there were no God

Can’t you see what I mean?

Everyone would be a king or queen, may be both,

If that was their dream.

 

If there were no God

There would be no God delusion,

We would be clear about our godhood

Instead of this confusion.

 

Or for that matter, I would be God

And you would be too

And there would be a whole world of Gods

Made up of me and you.

 

Wouldn’t that be great?

Wouldn’t that be fabulous?

No Confucius or no Mohamed

Not even Jesus!

 

All of life would be real,

Not some fairy tale

About some Almighty God creating

The first male and female.

 

 

These legends and myths would be understood

For what they really are

And this world, at least for me,

Would be better by far.

 

But all of this is:

If there were no God,

So please understand the premise

Before you begin to applaud

 

This “If” will not happen

Since God already exists,

It is time you open your eyes

And clear away the mist.

 

For if there were no God

There would be no you, no me,

No sky or earth

Or the deep blue sea.

 

No redemption, no salvation,

No Saviour, no Christ,

Hence, no kinsman redeemer

For our sin-sacrifice.

 

No life right now,

No life to come,

No Loving Father

To send His only begotten Son.

 

 

No Bible, no guide

To guide us into truth,

No questions, no issues,

No evidential proof.

 

No heaven, no hell

No deliverance from evil,

No Lucifer, no Satan,

No adversary, the Devil.

 

No life, no death,

No burial, no grave,

Not one of us alive right now, right here!

Hence, nothing would be real!

 

If there were no God

There would be no accountability

And this for the godless is the issue!

Hopefully, not for you or me!

 

It therefore follows

Naturally and spiritually,

There must be a God

Given all that we see!

 

We will be held accountable

Beyond this earthly law,

It will be God’s divine judgment

In which there is no flaw.

 

Stewart Russell © February, 2022

Sunday School

 

Sunday school was a must

When I was growing up,

Fifty years hence

It’s not many people’s cup.

For me it was Sunday morning

And in the evening too:

In the morning at my church

But in the evening a relative few.

I remember Sister Estwick

A very sweet old lady

That rang her bell on Sundays

To gather everybody.

Some walked behind her

To the open-air school

Where we learned memory verses

And recited the golden rule.

We sometimes received sweets

And other confectionary

As well as Bible tracts

That told interesting stories.

The benches were kept

At a nearby residence

And though they took up much space

We weren’t charged a cent.

They were often were put out

By the first children to get there

And they were eagerly wiped off

With the most diligent care.

There are many Bible lessons

That I can still recall

Which I learnt at Sunday school

With memory passages and all.

We were always encouraged

To take Jesus into our hearts,

It was definitely at Sunday school

Where I got my Christian start.

  

We were regularly told

That if we wanted to go to heaven

We must confess our sins to Jesus

So that they could be forgiven.

At the end of each session

We sang an invitation song

But at the beginning of the service

We sang “Come Along, Come Along”.

“Into my heart, into my heart,

Come into my heart Lord Jesus,”

And O, how we would respond

Whenever we sang this chorus.

Sunday school was good to us

And kept us out of the law courts

For when it came to Sunday school

Our parents didn’t make sport.

I thank God for Sister Estwick,

Aunt Pearl and my other teachers,

Today I teach Sunday school

And I am also a preacher.

My life, though not flawless,

Has been on a godly trend,

I owe much of it to Sunday school

And the fact that I still attend.

I doubt there are many in prison

That ever attended Sunday school

But if there are any at all

Then they must have been fools.

“Bend the tree when it is young,”

That’s what Sunday school did

But certainly not for those children

That from Sunday school hid.

I did not have a choice

And I am glad that I had to go,

You see because of Sunday school

I’ve got quite a lot to show.

Stewart Russell © March 2019