Tuesday, April 01, 2025

God Himself Our Pardon

 

Acts 20:28 There's Enough Food Are You Eating? - YouTube 

 

God Himself

Became our pardon

And through His Son’s shed blood

We are forgiven.

 

‘Tis a mystery

We must all agree

And infinitely too wonderful

For any to see.

 

Three in one

As in the Divine Trinity:

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit

For you and me.

 

Our Redemption Cost Us Nothing - The Scriptorium Daily

 

An infinite cost

To bring us salvation,

God, the sovereign facilitator,

Of our redemption.

 

In Jesus Christ

Drawing us to Himself

And in the Holy Spirit giving us

Spiritual health.

 

None good enough

To redeem human kind,

It took the Almighty Creator

To enter time.

 

Take heed

Therefore, unto yourselves,

And to all the flock

To feed the church of God

Which He hath purchased

With His own blood.

 

The Church was Purchased with God's Own Blood

 

Whose blood?

God’s own blood

For none could pay sin’s price;

Only God could.

 

God our pardon

In his begotten Son

Gave Himself for His flock:

Every single one.

 

The church of God

Meaning to all the flock,

Purchased with God’s blood

Every single drop.

 

‘Tis a mystery

We must all agree

And infinitely too wonderful

For any to see.

 

But by faith

We believe the testimony

Found in the written Word:

Saved for eternity.

 

Acts 20:28

 

Take heed therefore

Unto yourselves,

And to all the flock,

Over which

The Holy Ghost hath made you overseers,

To feed the church of God,

Which he hath purchased

With his own blood.

 

Habakkuk 2:4 - Bible verse (KJV) - DailyVerses.net

 

‘Tis a mystery

We must all agree

But it’s not by the physical eye

Such things we see.

 

God our pardon

In his begotten Son

Gave Himself for His flock:

Every single one.

 

Stewart Russell © January 20, 2025

 

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Spiritually Significant Mounts

 

Hebrews 12:22 You Have Come To The City Of The Living God (windows)12:06

 

Spiritually Significant Mounts

Is what I’ve named this poem,

Starting with the testing of Abraham

To the New Jerusalem.

 

Each mount is of significance:

Of a significance that is spiritual

And mostly speaks to some triumph

Re the children of Israel.

 

From mount Moriah to Sion

From Abraham to Christ,

The penultimate mount of Calvary

Where Jesus was crucified.

 

Called from a land of pagans,

I speak of Abraham,

His was to follow the lead of God

To the promised land.

 

Devotional Stories: Taking Inspiration From the Story of Abraham  Sacrificing Isaac | The Church of Almighty God

 

But a crucial test lay ahead

To show him who held full sway,

On the way that led to the promised land

Mount Moriah was in the way.

 

The offering up of Isaac

The son that Abraham loved

And Abraham was definitely convinced

The command was from above.

 

There upon mount Moriah

God held back his hand

And provided a substitute sacrifice,

A foreshadowing of His lamb.

 

The lamb already slain

Before the foundation of the world;

The lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ

The written and living Word.

 

From mount Moriah to Horeb

From Abraham to Moses,

One of the greatest leaders ever to live

But Israel’s heads were like sieves.

 

A rebellious and stiff-necked people

Prone to quickly lose hope

Who, after witnessing God’s miracles,

Still found it difficult to cope.

 

Premium Photo | Moses on Mount Sinai Receiving the Ten Commandments

 

Introducing mount Sinai

Where Moses received God’s law,

The mount that burnt with great fire

Forcing Israel to withdraw.

 

Now with the tablets of stone

Given to Moses on the Sinai’s mount,

The children of Israel had God’s law

That held them to account.

 

Mount Horeb, Mountain of Truth

 

Required to depart mount Horeb

To enter the promised land,

The fear-struck children of Israel

Would ignore God’s command.

 

Just an eleven days journey

Would be turned into forty years

As they wandered in the wilderness

And died along the way.

 

Just two: Joshua and Caleb

Would enter of the original set,

The rest wandered in the wilderness

Until their deaths they met.

 

To mount Sinai, they came again

With Moses at the head,

Remember, of those he left Egypt with,

All but two were dead.

 

On the threshold of Canaan land

Now for the second time

However, Moses would not be able to enter,

He would be left behind.

 

Mount Nebo - Wikipedia

 

God allowed him to view it

From mount Nebo's lofty height,

Up to the summit of the mount he climbed

And took in the lovely sight.

 

UNESCO adds Mount Carmel caves to list of World Heritage sites | The Times  of Israel

Fast forward to mount Carmel

Where a great victory was wrought,

Baal’s prophets versus the prophet Elijah;

The former were left distraught.

 

Baal was a definite no show

And his prophets miserably failed,

They shouted and even cut themselves

But all this to no avail.

 

Compared to the fuss they made

And with nothing to show,

Elijah simply called on the Lord

And the sacrifice was aglow.

 

It even licked up the water

That was in the trench around,

That unusual day on mount Carmel

The fire of the Lord came down.

 

Mount of Olives - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

And now to the mount of Olives

Where Jesus often sat

And from where he would minister

To the multitudes of their lack.

 

It was there He prophesied

About the temple’s pending destruction

And of many other tribulations

To come on that generation.

 

In Matthew, Mark and Luke

The details can be found

And all these events would be witnessed

By some standing around. 

 

Calvary Mountain by jaymoon85 on DeviantArt

 

Mount Calvary is next up

Where Jesus was crucified,

There his mission was accomplished

When for sinners he died.

 

From Abraham to Christ

From Mount Moriah to Calvary,

The plan of redemption culminating

In glorious victory.

 

“It is finished!” Jesus said,

The cry of the vanquisher,

The head of the serpent was crushed

By the Lamb of God our Saviour.

 

Next the glorious resurrection

Followed by Pentecost,

None indwelt by the Holy Spirit

Need not fear being lost.

 

Hebrews 12:22-24 | Hebrews 12, Bible knowledge, Revelation

 

This innumerable band

Known as the elect or born again

Is come to mount Sion, the city of God

Where the King of kings reigns.

 

Spiritually Significant Mounts

Dotting the road to redemption,

Starting with the testing of Abraham

To the heavenly Jerusalem.

 

Stewart Russell © May 31, 2024

 

Saturday, March 29, 2025

With Heavy Heart

 

My head is full and my heart is heavy - So Bad Ass

 

My heart is heavy

On this overcast day,

A life has been snuffed out

In a horrific way.

 

The life of a youngster

So full of promise

But snatched away from us

As in a death wish.

 

But whose wish?

Certainly not his dad,

Or his mom or his siblings;

They are too sad.

 

Or his schoolmates

Or his friends,

Not one of these was happy

When he met his end.

 

Heartless, I would say,

Regarding his assassin,

On account of whom his light

Is now dimmed.

 

I did not know him

But now I do

And I guess the same can be said

For you too.

 

How to Tell the Difference Between Being Down and Being Depressed - MHS

 

‘Tis a heavy heart

On this overcast day

Reflecting on a life of promise

Brutally snatched away.

 

Our hearts ache

As though he were ours

And he is in our thoughts

Every waking hour.

 

Stewart Russell © March 28, 2025

Friday, March 28, 2025

The Silence Is Deafening

 

Your Silence is Deafening

 

That the silence is deafening

Is perhaps why we cannot hear,

A numbness now so accustomed to,

It’s just a momentary fear.

 

A nine-day wonderment

And this too will be forgotten

Amidst words of impressive rhetoric

From the PM and Opposition.

 

John King’s “How many more”

Chokes me one more time

As I attempt to turn this matter over

In my overworked mind.

 

All of this after we were told

By a top legal and top constabulary

We may go about our business as usual,

There's no need to worry.

 

The deflection and side stepping

Are at work again

And the real culprits are enabled

And continue to reign.

 

The whole weight comes down

On the shooter of the gun

And the police must chase the assassin

That is now on the run.

 

The Silence Is Deafening — Five Revealed

 

But no note of the importer

That brought in the gun,

Not one is being brought to justice:

No, not one!

 

Do you mean to tell me

Gun importers are so elusive

To evade the police intelligentsia?

Why that’s impressive!

 

Flying below police radar

Or better still, high up above,

These operators can’t be apprehended

For money or for love.

 

Another one bites the dust!

This time, a thirteen-year-old

And mere sentiment is poured out

O’er his body cold.

 

Why wasn’t he at home

Preparing for school?

Did they not know this is an area

Where illegal guns rule?

 

Why of everybody out there

He was the only one shot?

It’s as though this aspiring schoolboy

Was central to some plot.

 

Come on right thinking bajans

Do not cloud up the issue,

Those that are ultimately responsible

Are not the shooting youth.

 

Deafening Silence - YouTube

 

But people in high places

Like in politics or commerce

Where the dollar sign is the bottom line

And after which some thirst.

 

One top cop iterated

It is through legitimate ports

Yet none of these illusive importers

Come before our courts.

 

Target the gun importers

And make it difficult for them,

Deal with the symptoms for sure

But also, the problem.

 

 Your Silence is Deafening

 

And when they are discovered

Do not cover up the info,

Regardless of profile or prominence

John public needs to know.

 

So that this youth’s demise

And the several gone before

Would be remembered as the catalyst

That shut the gun import door.

 

For the silence is deafening

And our youth are dying

And the importers of the damnable guns

Are the only ones thriving.

 

Stewart Russell © March 27, 2025

 

Thursday, March 27, 2025

No You Can't

 

NO YOU CANT FUNNY BADGE BUTTON PIN (Size is 1inch/25mm diameter) | eBay

 

You cannot know

What you cannot know,

To the geniuses among us

That’s a terrible blow.

 

But what is there

That can’t be known?

You could ask Alexa or Siri

On your cellphone.

 

Try it with Alexa

And see what she’d say

Or ask the brilliant Siri;

Try it today.

 

It is non-sensical

And not worth the time

To have such an endeavour

Clutter up my mind.

 

Rather, I entreat you,

Treat to it as just that

And simply acknowledge this

As an unknown fact.

 

For if you can know

What you cannot know

Then what you cannot know

Is nothing to know.

 

NO YOU CANT FUNNY BADGE BUTTON PIN (Size is 1inch/25mm diameter) | eBay

 

You cannot know

What you cannot know

So, rather than waste time,

Admit it is so.

 

Can God know

What cannot be known?

Well, I asked the brilliant Alexa;

It was out of her zone.

 

I asked Siri too

But Siri seemed confused

And given Siri’s vast knowledge

I was amused.

 

What Does Deuteronomy 29:29 Mean?

 

Herein is a tenet

Which is absolutely true,

The secret things belong to God,

Not to me or to you.

 

Stewart Russell © January 14, 2025

 

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Can We Be Sure?

 

Doubts png images | PNGWing

 

Can we be absolutely sure

Concerning what we believe?

If only I could know that

I would be relieved.

 

You believe there is a God

I believe that too

But how can I be absolutely sure

That is really true?

 

If faith is the evidence

Of things not seen

How can I really be sure

God is more than my dream?

 

If I cannot see God

With my physical eyes,

How can I believe

Though the Bible says He is nigh?

 

The just shall walk by his faith:

That’s what I am trying to do

But how can I know for sure

That God is really true?

 

Perhaps you criticize me

And think I am slack

That after all of these years

My faith still has lack.

 

Investors Are Unsure About Assure (IONM) But I Am Not | Seeking Alpha

 

But I will tell you this

Whether you believe it or not,

Concerning God’s Word

I believe every tittle, every jot.

 

On this side of Glory

I may be sometimes unsure

But God gives faith for my journey

And He gives so much more.

 

I don’t have to prove anything

Why I believe in God,

But to manifest His love

And to spread Christ abroad.

 

I take great confidence

In what He has said to me

And that becomes my assurance

As I walk with Him daily.

 

He says, “I am with you,

I will help your unbelief,

Continue to walk in My Spirit

And I will bring you relief.

 

And when the moments come

That doubt clogs up your mind,

Continue believing my child,

I have been there all the time.

 

There’re times you will feel me

And there’re times you won’t

But don’t go by your feelings,

My child, please don’t!

 

All I ask is that you trust me

Even when there appears no trace

And you’ll be absolutely sure

When you see me face to face."

 

Stewart Russell © October 2018

 

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

It’s Tic not Tac

 

Quienes somos | Tic Online

 

Quite a number of words

You will find end in tic,

Let’s go where relics are found:

Let’s go up in the attic.

 

We should examine them thoroughly

Hence, let us be analytic!

Or, we can number them

As in Arithmetic.

 

We can arrange some of them

In an acrostic

Maybe to spell out a word

Like charismatic.

 

You get to choose your words

As in democratic

And let no one accuse you

Of being dogmatic.

 

Here is a good opportunity

To engage a critic,

Hopefully that one’s criticism

Will not be too drastic.

 

One exposed to harsh criticism

Can become a skeptic

And his appraisal of another

Could be rather septic.

 

On the other hand

One can become overly ecstatic

And, if not kept under control,

Can also become problematic.

 

Quienes somos | Tic Online

 

Persons opposed to criticism

Are often seen as egotistic

And the attempt to convince such persons

May be rather optimistic.

 

This attempt to be poetic

May have been somewhat pathetic

But I beg your indulgence:

Please do not be sarcastic.

 

For me right now

That would be too traumatic

But I would not object to any treatment

That is therapeutic.

 

Quienes somos | Tic Online

 

To write a poem on tic

Cannot be very romantic

And I dare say in my own defense

Nor particularly scholastic.

 

It is not about the specific,

Rather more like the sporadic

And since I am my worst critic,

It’s certainly not terrific.

 

This is symptomatic

Of the analytic

Whose approach is rather idiotic

Not to mention ballistic.

 

As one who loves the aesthetic

I can only be apologetic

For what must be the frantic mind

Of a mental paralytic.

 

An abundance of static brain cells

That are no longer dynamic,

However, help is on the way…

Don’t panic!

 

Stewart Russell © June 19, 2021