Freewill Is Limited

  

 

Freewill is limited

But God’s sovereignty is not,

And this to me makes more sense

For man is but a dot.

 

A dot he relatively is

In the scheme of things

And in relation to all that exists,

Nothing he brings.

 

O yes, he builds roads

And he erects skyscrapers

But he uses materials he discovers;

He is no creator.

 

O yes, he can choose

But his choices are limited

When compared to the eternal God;

The one who created.

 

 

 

Freewill is limited

But a Sovereign God is not

And the God who created the heavens

Owns the whole lot.

 

Do not be misguided

By the indefinite article ‘a’

For there is only One Sovereign God

And He holds full sway.

 

Unlike man He created,

He is the omnipotent one

And he existed before the universe

Or even the first dawn.

 

There is the argument

That one hinders the other,

That God’s sovereignty and freewill

Violate one another.

 

There is no violation

Surely on the part of God

For He the Almighty and All Knowing

Gave freewill to all.

 

 

 

But understand this:

While there is no violation

The unmistakable fact of the matter is,

There is limitation.

 

Man is himself, limited,

For God created him thus

And this is quite unlike the Holy Spirit

And the Word, Jesus.

 

No limitation imposed

On the blessed Trinity

Who, though three persons are yet one,

Co-existing eternally. 

 

 

 

Freewill is limited

And essentially must be

For there is only one Supreme God

And man is not He.

 

It is God that created

By the facility of His voice

Demonstrating to all and sundry

His sovereign choice.

 

Though many may argue

The two cannot co-exist,

That God does violate human choice,

I stoutly resist.

 

 

 

Freewill is limited

But God’s sovereignty is not,

Concerning the options for eternity

Only two we have got.

 

We either accept the offer

Of eternal salvation

Or contrary to this, default to the choice

Of eternal damnation.

 

Stewart Russell © March 8, 2026

 

Not Knowing What to Say

 

 

“You talking foolishness.”

Has this ever been said to you?

You don’t know what you are saying.”

That’s another one too.

 

If you had no such experience

You are very unlike me,

I have had a number of instances

When I said something silly.

 

It could have been my dad

Or it may have been my mother,

It could have been my sister

Or maybe one of my brothers.

 

The probability of it being family

I could never deny,

The hardest hits come from them-

On family you can rely.

 

Sometimes we get excited

And may say a silly thing

And only after sober reflection

In our head it rings.

 

In the Bible there is a case

Where something like this occurred,

The speaker opened his mouth

And what came out was absurd.

 

In the words of Holy Scripture

“For he wist not what to say.”

He was overcome with excitement

Which was really due to fear.

 

 

He along with two colleagues

Was taken on a mount,

Go to St. Mark chapter 9 verse 1

And read of that account.

 

By now you know it was Peter

Always the first to speak,

And often said something amiss

Before he could press delete.

 

Moses and Elijah, Peter elevated

By the very words he said,

And the Lord Jesus he relegated;

He was obviously not Spirit-led.

 

Swift action had to be taken

So that Peter could understand

The one who was there transfigured

Was God’s Son and not mere man.

 

When our emotions well up

We are prone to speak ill-advisedly

And the delete button is to no avail

If we press it belatedly.

 

 

I end with the words of David

In the Psalm 141 verse 3

David too encountered this challenge

Just like you and me.

 

“Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth;

Keep the door of my lips.”

Unless the Lord watches over our mouths

There is likely to be many a slip.

 

Stewart Russell © May 2, 2021

 

Just Two Words

 

 

Let me start adrift

And then I’ll come home

To the crux of the matter

Or, the meat on the bone.

 

Remember the song

“Those Three Little Words”

Which to your spouse

Was like having the world?

 

How they settled disputes

Before they grew

Yes, Those Three Little Words

I Love You!

 

But given today’s recession

There is a cut back,

It’s two words now

With a greater impact.

 

 

Gentlemen, if you want your marriage to work

Here is what you do,

“Yes Dear” is now the magic words

Instead of “I Love You”.

 

When she calls out to you

It is, Yes Dear!

And if she doesn’t agree with your view

It is, Yes Dear!

 

If something is to be done right away

It is, Yes Dear!

And if she wants you to stay home on a work day

It is, Yes Dear!

 

And if she doesn’t like the friends you are keeping

It is, Yes Dear!

And if she wants you to sleep when she is sleeping

It is, Yes Dear!

 

And if she puts a curfew on you

It is, Yes Dear!

And if for each event her dress must be new

It is, Yes Dear!

 

And if she pesters you all through the day

It is, Yes Dear!

And if she wants you around but not in her way

It is, Yes Dear!

 

 

And if you know she is wrong but she thinks she is right

It is, Yes Dear!

And you’d rather be in the dark but she wants the light

It is, Yes Dear!

 

And she wants you do something you’d rather not do

It is, Yes Dear!

And you want to buy a lot but she says a few

It is, Yes Dear!

 

You want to give her half of the money but she wants all

It is, Yes Dear!

And you want to make a call and she says don’t call

It is, Yes Dear!

 

And she wants you to change from your Yes Dear reply

It is, Yes Dear!

But she doesn’t want you to ask her the reason why

It is, Yes Dear!

 

And the moment you stop she changes her mind

It is, Yes Dear!

And she wants you to say curtains instead of blinds

It is, Yes Dear!

 

And she feels you are unfaithful but you know you are not

It is, Yes Dear!

And she makes you promise you will immediately stop

It is, Yes Dear! 

 

 

And she wants to check to make sure you comply

It is, Yes Dear!

And whatever she wants you must agree to buy

It is, Yes Dear!

 

And you want to be a man but she wants a yard boy

It is, Yes Dear!

And she wants you to be quiet and don’t even look annoyed

It is, Yes Dear!

 

And when all you have done she is still not satisfied

It is, Yes Dear!

And she wants you out of her sight so go and hide

It is, Yes Dear!

 

And after that she accuses you for not being around

It is, Yes Dear!

And wants you to agree you are the world’s biggest clown

It is, Yes Dear!

 

 

And she somehow realizes she is wrong and you are right

It is, Yes Dear!

But you must accept being wrong so she can be right

It is, Yes Dear!

 

So the two of you can live happily ever after

It is, Yes Dear!

And have a great marriage with lots of children and laughter

It is, Yes Dear!

 

And occasionally say I love you, like three times a day

It is, Yes Dear!

And sing along with her “We did it your way”

It is, Yes Dear!

 

Stewart Russell © October 2019

 

The Meat of the Matter

 

 

I’d be amazed at a God

That would attempt to mislead

By giving a message to a prophet

To dispatch with great speed

 

Especially when that message

Was for a long time to come,

Playing with a person’s psyche

Is not God’s idea of fun.

 

Expressions like soon, at the door

And the time is near,

Cannot speak of far off events

As in thousands of years.

 

If so, why such great haste

To those seven churches?

Can anyone answer this question

Based on their Bible searches?

 

For years we have preached

Jesus is coming soon

And in our songs have indicated

It may be morning, night or noon.

 

There is absolutely no doubt

That Jesus will return

But a preoccupation with the time

Should not be our concern.

 

None of us knows for a fact

That he is coming soon,

But we speculate about world events

And as a result we assume.

 

Our assumptions become wrong

When they do not materialize

And the world scorns at our predictions

And call them all lies.

 

 

The Bible is God’s truth

And the words mean what they say,

And if it says today

Then it really means today.

 

Soon should not be calibrated

As in two thousand years

Certainly not to a people living then

Given their present fears.

 

The message was a source of comfort

To the present day Christians

In the midst of their persecutions

And their myriad problems.

 

When they saw certain things

Understand it was at the door!

No, that language could not have meant

Two thousand years or more

 

 

Do not seal up the prophecy

John the Revelator was told,

This was quite unlike the instruction

That was given to Daniel of old

 

 

It is clear that in Revelation

The events mentioned would soon occur

While regarding Daniel’s prophecy

Those events to a distant time referred.

 

Let us not look for events

Which have already happened

But do that which Jesus instructed

Regarding the great commission.

 

That is, to go into all the world

And tell of God’s great salvation

Known also as the glorious Gospel

Or our wonderful redemption.

 

Of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour

And heaven’s returning King,

The one to whom we offer worship

And of whom we joyfully sing.

 

Expressions like near and soon

Fitted in with that time

But spreading the Gospel of Christ

Should be foremost in our mind.

 

Stewart Russell © December 2019

 

Of Trees and Banks

  

 

In times of long ago

Pirates buried treasure

And later generations unearthed some

Much to their pleasure.

 

But what do trees and banks

Have to do with treasure?

Ah my dear Watson it is the branches

By which they are measured.

 

A youngster asked his mom

For a sum of money

And the response his mother gave him

He didn’t find funny.

 

Her instant reply was,

Money doesn’t grow on trees

Whereupon the child went his way

And clearly was not please.

 

Later he called his mother

After doing some thinking,

And when he shared his thoughts with her

He left her blinking.

 

 

 

Mummy, you said to me

Money doesn’t grow on trees

But banks have branches everywhere;

Aren’t they money trees?

 

Out of the mouths of babes

Do not sell them short,

If urged to speak without thinking,

Please quickly abort.

 

Money doesn’t grow on trees

But surely it does on branches,

Not to mention many sow “a money seed”

Hoping to boost their chances.

 

 

 

Convinced by preachers

They often take heed

And hoping for some needed cash

They usually sow a seed. 

 

Of trees and banks

Now you see what’s common,

There are branches of trees and of banks

But only one has mammon.

 

Stewart Russell © October 4, 2026

 

Jesus and His Honda

  

 

I found out only today

Jesus drove a Honda,

Now, I guess that is quite a chunk

For most of us to ponder.

 

Turn now I charge you

To the book of John,

There is a Honda in the 12^th chapter;

I’m not putting you on.

 

Check the 49^th verse

If you please

And note, with me if you will,

It was a car of ease.

 

Someone sang

“Jesus Take the Wheel”

But apparently, he didn’t have a license

O what a deal!

 

 

 

But he could drive

For he owned a Honda,

He said, “I do not speak of my own accord.”

Why do you yet wonder?

 

On the Day of Pentecost

The disciples were also in one,

We are told they were in one accord

The day the Church was born.

 

Acts 2:1

 

And when the day of Pentecost

Was fully come

They all were in one Accord

In one place.

 

Stewart Russell © October 4, 2026

 

Denise the Icon

 

Don’t box her in

You won’t succeed

She is as liberated as they come

Liberated indeed

 

A goal setter and achiever

You all know this

Hence two reasons we are here

That you shouldn’t miss

 

She is one of those persons

That has an annual birthday

January born she is

What more can I say?

 

That’s one of the reasons

We are here tonight

And to direct these proceedings

Is certainly my delight

 

Reason number two

Has to do with verse two

A goal setter and achiever

But you knew this.  Didn’t you?

 

A PhD was one of them

And that too she has achieved

No doubt after all the hassle

She is considerably relieved

 

 

Congrats to Denise

Say Congrats everyone!

We’re happy to celebrate you

You’re definitely an icon

 

An icon for family

An icon for Christianity

An icon for transparency

And an icon for unity

 

An icon in scholarship

An icon in leadership

An icon in mentorship

A devoted captain of her ship

 

Tonight, we celebrate you

Right here at Tapas

You are balanced and focused

You are absolutely fabulous!

 

 

We give God thanks for you

You are as natural as they come

Tonight we are elated

To declare you an icon

 

This night of celebration

Is now officially opened

A huge round of applause, ladies and gentlemen

For Denise, the icon

 

Stewart Russell © January 2019

 

 

Now Is the Best Time

 

 

Whatever it is you need to do

Now is the best time,

There is no time better than now

To do what is on your mind.

 

Of course, that is, I may add,

If it is something positive

For no time is ever the best time

To do anything negative.

 

Now is the best time

To meet that outstanding need,

No more I need to do this or that

Get to it with speed!

 

Those New Year resolutions

Though often with sincerity made

Most often fall by the wayside

And once again, we fail.

 

 

 

So, now is the best time

And, I tell this to myself too

For like you, I am way behind

In what I need to do.

 

Resolutions mean nothing

If they are not carried out

And when this happens every year

There is increasing doubt.

 

Doubt as to whether

That task will ever be done

Especially given the hectic speed

At which time seems to run.

 

Now is the best time

For tomorrow is not ours,

We had better start this minute

Rather than the next hour.

 

 

Of course, one may argue,

Now is whenever it is done

But if you are the disadvantaged one

That now will not be fun.

 

So, if you have a task to do

Now is definitely the best time

Especially if that important matter

Is pressing on your mind.

 

Make your now

The soonest now

Now that you have the time

For the now you anticipate

May be the now

You can’t define.

 

In such an event

It would matter no more

For your now to do that thing

Would definitely be o’er.

 

So, now is the best time

To do what you have to do,

Procrastination often spells FAIL

And with that I am through.

 

Stewart Russell © May 24, 2024