Dare to Believe

 

 

Whatsoever is born of God

Overcomes the world,

In whatever way that works out

I dare to believe God’s word.

 

This should be the stance

Of every born-again believer,

Not as a braggadocio or boaster

But as a God-blessed receiver.

 

For we have this treasure

In fragile earthen vessels

But the contents to be found within

Are what make us special.

 

And this is the victory

That overcomes the world

Even our faith

In God’s precious and Holy Word.

 

For faith comes by hearing

And hearing the word of God

And in Him is our victory,

Even though sometimes we fall.

 

Daily we are stressed

As we try to make heaven’s shore

And we are inclined to believe

It depends on how we endure.

 

 

But while endurance is good

Our security is not based on this

So, all work-for-salvation people

Here is what you have missed.

 

Ours is an enduring faith

That’s being given to us by God,

Furnished by the Holy Spirit

And in every believer installed.

 

Our faith is internal not external

And is sown in the inner-man

And once we have said yes to God

We are part of His eternal plan.

 

We are on the victory road

That’s sometimes strewn with failure

But the number of times we fall

Is not the entire picture.

 

We fall when we wrestle the wheel

From the Master’s hand,

When the road is clear ahead

And we resume our initial plan.

 

But He is there when we run off

And again, he takes the wheel

Once we acknowledge our wrong

And to Him make our appeal.

 

The overall picture is the victory

That overcomes the world

Even the believer’s faith

That is buttressed by God’s Word.

 

Whatsoever is born of God

Overcomes the world,

In whatever way that works out

I dare to believe God’s Word.

 

1 John 5:4

 

Stewart Russell © July 2020

 

Treasure in Earthen Vessels

 

 

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

But we have this treasure

In earthen vessels,

That the excellency of the power may be of God,

And not of us.

We are troubled on every side,

Yet not distressed; 

We are perplexed,

But not in despair;

Persecuted,

But not forsaken;

Cast down,

But not destroyed…

I don’t know the origin

Of the COVID virus

But that is neither here nor there

Since I know Jesus.

What if its cause is 5G?

Or what if it is man-made?

What if it’s an experiment

Now on an escapade?

None of these things

Ultimately matters,

At the end of the day

When compared to one's soul,

All is noisy chatter.

The believer has an assurance

That’s expressed in this scripture,

Read it and feed on it

And you will get the picture.

 

Frail is the housing

Of both the saved and unsaved,

Brought on by sin

Though at first, perfectly made.

  

Our fore-parents disobeyed

The directive God gave

When they fell for the temptation

Offered by Satan, the Knave.

Ever since then

The world has been cursed,

And in these times that we live

It is getting worse.

And being saved

Does not protect us from its ills

But knowing that God dwells in us

Should give the believer a thrill.

 

Yes! We have this treasure

In an earthen vessel,

Even though like everyone else,

We endure life’s hassle.

That treasure is of God

And not of us,

It’s the compliments of the Father,

The Spirit and His Son, Jesus.

Especially at this time

God’s excellency should show,

In every single believer

So that the world may know…

That we have a hope

In spite of COVID,

It’s an eternal salvation

That only Jesus can give.

Meanwhile,

We are troubled on every side,

Yes, we are oppressed!

But believers in Christ

Should not be distressed.

   

We are perplexed

Though not in despair,

At this time the believer

Should not be pulling out his hair.

Persecuted, but not forsaken;

Cast down, but not destroyed;

It is the life of Jesus in us

That we now enjoy.

Hence, we should bear God’s image

As His princely children

And at the same time not make light

Of this COVID problem.

 

My wife shared with me

This passage of scripture,

And I trust like we did,

You have got the picture.

Stewart Russell © March 2020