What Do You Believe?

 

 

Some wander through life

Oblivious to the above,

They have an acute case of apathy

Void of hate or love.

 

They move from pillar to post

Almost without drive,

Theirs is a process of automation

Just like bees in a hive.

 

No concern for the questions

That are vital to this life:

Of origin, of purpose, of destiny

Or the reason for their strife.

 

But they believe something

Even if only subconscious

For something stirs their mind

Of or not about Jesus.

 

Beliefs originate in the mind

And hopefully reach the heart

And from there they are expected

In one’s life to play a part.

 

They may be outwardly expressed

Or they may be recessive,

But in all, whether good or bad,

They impact how we live.

 

Some believe in God:

Mostly what others say about him,

Many show a profession of faith

But unaware of their sin.

 

At some time in their life

They repeated the sinner’s prayer

But regarding the heart’s contriteness

It never resonated there.

 

 

So, what do you believe?

This question demands an answer

And contrary to some intellectuals,

It is more than silly banter.

 

Do you believe in God?

Not what others say about Him

For if their light is not of His Word

Then yours too will be dim.

 

Do you believe in God?

I must ask the question again,

Have you truly repented of your sin

And been saved in Jesus’ name?

 

To believe in Almighty God

Is to believe what He says about us,

All have sinned thus missed the mark

And need to come to Jesus.

 

That means acknowledging Christ

And to God confessing our sin,

It is believing Jesus refuses none

That penitently come to him.

 

Whether you believe it or not

What you believe means everything,

Particularly if like me you believe

That Jesus is the King of kings.

 

Like Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus:

He is Lord of lords and King of kings,

If you believe in Jesus Christ

That means everything.

 

 

 

What do you believe?

 

Stewart Russell © April 20, 2022

 

Science Is Limited

 

 

Science is limited

What a major difference

Between the God of creation

And science!

 

What is gravity’s purpose?

Does anybody know?

We know that it exists because

Experience tells us so.

 

Science answers questions

Of the physical type

But of purpose and meaning?

Not quite.

 

Science does not answer

The big questions of life,

Neither can it even resolve

The issues of strife.

 

Discoveries in science

Have made life better for us

But none of these innovations

Treats to our greed and lust.

 

Concerning our origin

Science falls flat on its face

And with regards to our purpose

This it can’t even trace.

 

 

Regarding our destiny

Science is profoundly silent,

It needs an additional tool

To even make a dent.

 

This tool is the Bible

The Holy Word of God

That foolish men revile and mock

At home and abroad.

 

Treating it as unscientific

And full of fairy tales and myths

While rejecting God’s love

And His unspeakable gift.

 

Science teaches us nothing

But what we make of it,

I know this sounds contradictory

But just wait a minute.

 

 

Through studied observation

And experimentation

Scientists seek the answers

To myriad questions.

 

The purpose for water

Was not answered by science,

But this was clearly facilitated

By a supreme intelligence.

 

Humans need water,

Yet science didn’t point out this

But there is an innate connection

That none can miss.

 

The need is built-in

In both animals and plants

And humans are no different;

There’s not a chance.

 

Science explains the brain

But cannot fathom the mind,

It can search the human anatomy

But the mind it’ll never find.

 

So too the heart of man-

Not what pumps the blood,

To find the seat of one’s emotions

Science never could.

 

Science is limited

But the Almighty God is not,

It is He that has created us

And given us all we’ve got.

 

The knowledge to do science

Came from Elohim

The God who is the I AM THAT IAM

And thus, always has been.

 

God is the Law Maker

And the Law Giver too

And He controls nature and science

And both me and you.

 

Gravity functions

Because God made it so,

Planted seeds die and germinate

And God makes them grow.

 

 

Science does none of these

It doesn’t have a mind,

And though it helps us make a clock

It cannot tell the time.

 

I could go on and on

To speak of energy of all kinds

But I have had you long enough

And I am out of time.

 

So, if you believe

That science explains away God

Then you have as much sense

As a table tennis ball.

 

Stewart Russell © September 20, 2023

 

Do the Right Thing

 

 

Do the right thing

Come what may,

Don’t let anyone influence you

Any other way.

 

Sell your products

And sell your skills

But never sell yourself

For the devil’s pill.

 

His cure for all

Is a deadening pill,

That makes his patient numb

And insensitive.

 

It affects the eye

The brain and heart

And your power to reason

Just falls apart.

 

Do not be bought

But do the right thing,

Don’t sacrifice your integrity

For a fleeting fling.

 

Be a sore thumb

If it comes to that

But do not sell your soul

And be entrapped.

 

Do the right thing

Come what may,

Don’t let anyone influence you

Any other way.

 

Stewart Russell © February 28, 2025

 

For Me

 

 

 

The fool has said in his heart

There is no God… “For me!”

“For me” becomes the operative term

I trust you will agree.

 

Whether or not there is a God

Really does not matter,

To the fool this is his personal view

Hence, do not blame any other.

 

“For me” nails it right to the floor

No buts, no ifs, no anything,

“For me” identifies who is the fool

Whatever argument one brings.

 

“For me” says this is my quest

For me says I’m a fool like no other,

For while most fools are ignorant

Folly is my endeavor.

 

 

Folly enters via the mind

But its destination is the heart

And then it becomes nigh impossible

To tear the two apart.

 

Folly is like a cancer

That grows and grows and grows

And the mind that used to think

Now slows and slows and slows.

 

The fool soon begins to believe

What is naturally unreal,

Everyone, but he, becomes the fool

And he grades all with a ‘fail’.

 

There is no God “for me”

Becomes more and more acute

And his heart is heard above all else

As the mind increasingly mutes.

 

“In his heart”, the Bible says,

Hence, the mind has gone to sleep,

The two were designed to work together

Now it’s only the heart that speaks.

 

“For me” the unspoken expression

Louder than the spoken words,

Expressed from a heart of derision

Makes the speaker more absurd.

 

“For me” holds him accountable

The ‘him’ here being the fool

And not any learning institution,

Be it a church or a school.

 

 

 

“For me” is not in the original quote

So, it was obviously an add on,

No doubt by the fool it referred to

Have a good day, my friends,

I am gone!

 

Stewart Russell © February 9, 2022

 

 

Is God A Church Member?

 

 

A rather strange question

You might say,

But one that needs asking

Given our way.

 

And to which, if any,

Does He belong?

I ask as you answer my friend,

Don’t be wrong and strong.

 

Think carefully

About the question asked

And do not treat to it

As a trivial task.

 

Here are some questions

I think you could consider

As you go about attempting

To give your answer.

 

Are you a church member?

How did you become one?

Did you, like some have done,

Fill out a form?

 

Was there a period of time

Before you were accepted

And a convert’s class to attend

Or else rejected?

 

Is your current church

The one you started with

Or was there some concern

That caused your drift?

 

Is it far different now

Or could you move again

Since the problems from before

Are still causing strain?

 

 

Are you looking, I must ask,

For the right church;

One where God is a member

And it doesn’t hurt?

 

There is no such church,

Not between four walls

And I dare say you won’t find it

Anywhere at all.

 

Any pastor is a member

Of the church he leads

And unlike God, the Church’s head,

Must follow its creed.

 

Church rules differ

From church to church

And some are so extra biblical

They can cause you to hurt.

 

Do also note

There must be people there

For one can find a people-less church

Absolutely nowhere!

 

And where people are

There will be people problems

And those same people are called on

To solve them

 

God is not a member

But He is the head of the Church

And therefore, not apostles or bishops

Or any religious expert.

 

 

Herein is the answer

To the question at the start,

And this also makes Him the Head

Of every born-again heart.

 

Stewart Russell © February 20, 2024

 

As a Man Thinks

 

 

As a man thinks in his heart

So is he,

Eat and drink, he says,

But his heart is not with thee.

 

Whether of heart or mind

I will not here debate,

That they are both incorporeal

Is what matters at any rate.

 

My focus, however,

Will be on the human mind,

That innate, immaterial facility

We are using all the time.

  

It is always at work,

Some believe, even in our sleep,

The subconscious, some call it,

And that is pretty deep.

 

I am by no means an expert

In matters of the mind,

And so, I settle on Proverbs 23:7

And not what others opine.

 

As we think in our heart

That is who we are,

The mind is surely a better gauge

And in this, by far.

 

 

But who can know the mind?

There is only one I know

And I can step out boldly on this

Because Romans 8:27 says so.

 

And he that searches the heart

Knows the mind of the Spirit,

And so, he knows our mind also

And whatever we store in it.

 

You may have "five minds"

Re something you plan to do

But the truth is, you have only one,

And that one determines you.

 

As you think in your heart

So are you

And since it's the Bible says it,

You'd better considered it true.

 

What is more, it was Solomon,

The wisest that ever lived,

And the wisdom he demonstrated

Was not his wisdom to give.

 

 

God is wisdom’s source

And there is none besides,

James says it is heavenly wisdom

So, who are we to deny?

 

So, if you want to know me,

You must get into my mind

And I know that is impossible

Whatever you opine.

 

The devil cannot read it

As some people want to believe

And neither can a psychic,

Please do not be deceived!

 

The only one that can

Is the blessed Trinity:

God knows it, the Son showed it,

The Holy Spirit reveals.

 

What preoccupies one’s mind

Is who a person is

So, if you want to know yourself,

It is yourself you must quiz.

 

Do it with an open mind,

Be honest in answering yourself,

Self-talk is not insanity

And improves mental health.

 

And bear in mind, my friend,

You are what you think,

Your mind can determine today

Whether you rise or sink.

 

With so much at stake

I would therefore want to advise,

Let the mind of Jesus be in you

And let Jesus be your guide.

 

Stewart Russell © January 7, 2022

 

With the Heart

 

 

Salvation need not be a puzzle

As some make it out to be

Just read Romans 10:8 to 11

And you will clearly see.

 

Confession is with the mouth

While belief occurs in the heart

That God raised Jesus from the dead-

What a good place to start!

 

The heart is the principal issue

The mouth confesses to this,

A person believes unto salvation

And that we should not miss.

 

We confess what we possess:

That salvation is already a fact,

It is the Spirit that is now inside

That witnesses to this fact.

 

Believing on the Lord, Jesus Christ;

Initiate one’s salvation

And spontaneity to the same

Results in audible confession.

 

For with the heart

One believes unto righteousness

And with the mouth

Confession is made unto salvation.

 

Whosoever believes on Jesus

Shall not be ashamed,

With the mouth he is made known

But in one’s heart he reigns.

 

Believe on Jesus is key

It’s the key to being born again,

It’s nothing more or nothing less:

All this in Jesus’ name.

 

143 times in the Bible

You will find the word believe:

124 times in the New Testament

Shows salvation is not achieved.

 

That achievement was Jesus’

When he died and rose again,

Thus, by faith, when one believes,

His salvation is not in vain.

 

For “with the heart”

Man believes unto salvation,

Confession is with the mouth made

And in heaven there’s celebration.

 

Luke 15:10

 

Likewise, I say unto you,

there is joy in the presence of the angels of God

over one sinner that repenteth.

 

Stewart Russell © July 18, 2021

 

No Need to Wash My Feet

Try to understand me, Master,

I cannot let you wash my feet

Considering where I have walked

Out there on the dirty streets.

My feet are dusty and dirty

I can wash them by myself,

You don’t have to stoop to wash them

And risk your fragile health.

I am strong and robust

And accustomed to the dust,

I could wash yours if you like

But as for mine, there’s no fuss.

Deep down you must understand

I won’t be washing another’s,

Mine I will wash of course

But with theirs, I won’t be bothered.

How dare they expect of me

To ever stoop that low!

No way! I am telling you, Master,

But I have no doubt you know.

I will wash yours, Master,

And I will do so in a flash

But if I am forced to wash theirs,

There will surely be a clash.

What I don’t want for me

I certainly don’t want for them

And once we all understand this,

I do not expect a problem.

This must have been the issue

That ran through Peter’s mind

When Jesus attempted to wash his feet

On that very first time.

The issue was not the feet

It was really about the heart

But quite a lot was wrong therein

So, the feet provided a start.

The heart is loaded with pride

The feet represent humility,

The bending or stooping is critical

To correct a heart that is haughty.

And the lower the degree of person

To whose feet we must attend,

The better the character building

As the lower we must bend.

Peter would gladly attend to Jesus

But not to the lowly sheep,

It was much too far to be bending

To wash another’s feet.

It took him a while to understand

The lesson Jesus was teaching,

It was never really about feet;

It was definitely more far reaching.

He tried to apply it to his body

He had not gotten it yet,

He felt it had to do with being clean

But the humility he didn’t get.

It would take a while longer

When Jesus gave that command:

Yes! It was about feeding the sheep

And ministering to the lambs.

On the day of Pentecost

It finally settled down on Peter

The servant-leader he was called to be

That day he was the preacher.

Stewart Russell © June 2020