Without Merit

 

 

A gift is never dependent

On the recipient of the gift,

It is actually given in spite of

If you catch my drift.

 

It is surely not a reward

Since a reward is achieved

But one cannot achieve a gift

Whatever one believes.

 

It cannot be an award

For such is given on merit

And an award as we all know

Is premised upon habit.

 

Not so a gift, my friend,

It’s definitely not an award

And since it is without merit

It cannot be a reward.

 

 

Without merit it must be,

Just like the grace of God,

It can’t be bought or worked for

Or delivered by a fraud.

 

No worth in the recipient

Other than the whosoever,

Whosoever believes in Christ

Will share in his treasure.

 

By the recipient’s faith

And through God’ grace,

Without merit I must emphasize

Or even the pride of place.

 

It is not the who we are

But rather, the “whose”,

Not even the prudish or the pious

Like a “goody two shoes”.

 

The prerequisite is love

As in “For God so loved”

That He gave the gift of His Son

Who came from above.

 

 

A commendation of love

When we were unlovable

And when we were vile and sinful,

To make us His people.

 

A people for Himself

With whom He now dwells,

No merit in any one of them

Thus, the Bible tells.

 

This we must not forget:

There is no merit in us

But all we tantamount to be

Is found in Christ Jesus.

 

Without merit I repeat,

And none can make a claim

Unless of course the claim we make

Is in Jesus’ name.

 

Without Merit

 

Stewart Russell © January 18, 2025 

 

Spare a Thought

I watched him steadily

Yet I was out of his view

I could see him but he saw me not

Perhaps he would do otherwise if he knew

I was watching curiously

To see what he would do next

As the people passed him by

 You could see they were vex

He approached everyone

I could not hear him speak

But from their reaction

He was forced to retreat

He appeared to be begging

I guess for something to eat

But nobody trusted him

Not even the slightest treat

Progressively I grew sad

At what I was seeing

As it dawned the more on me

That he was a human being

Just like you and I are

And all of these passers-by

Yes, he was a human being

Just like and I

There go you and I

But for the grace of God

This youth was in the clutches

Of the despicable fraud

Yes I refer to the devil

Lucifer, a.k.a. Satan

The one who was out to destroy

From the time the world began

Here was this youth

Entirely bamboozled by him

And so very unaware

That his problem was really sin

I watched yet another passer-by

As he deftly sidestepped

As though he was accustomed

And thus adequately prepped

Everyone refused him

But not once did he stop

He was more than determined

As from one to another he hopped

O yes he was limping

But this was no deterrent

The fact that he used it cleverly

To me was quite apparent

This was not the first time

I had actually sat and observed

For I had daily reason

To be right here on this curb

Actually I was there to watch

People and their behavior

And to come up with a strategy

To tell them about the Saviour

But they were so terribly busy

I wondered if I could achieve

Just a little bit of their attention

To show them how to believe

And while there observing

My eyes were glued to this youngster

Who in every respect

These passers-by treated as a monster

There-in lies the peril

That confronts our very society

Like that youth many are lost

And to be lost for eternity

Like him the Saviour pleads

For us to come to know him

But like these many passers-by

We make light of our awful sin

Like that beggarly youth

We are despicable and in need

But unaware of the Saviour’s love

Who cares about us indeed

Here was this youthful beggar

With matted hair and unkempt

Maybe asking for a little money

To buy the drugs on which he was bent

But more importantly

It then occurred to me

That here was a damned soul

For whom Christ went to Calvary

It was for the unwell he died

Yes the wretched and the sick

The drug addict and the murderer

The con man that is so slick

These are not the only ones

Commuting on their way to hell

But also some who go to church

Every time they hear a church bell

Sitting in the church pew

Feeling all smug and warm

Just like them we mentioned earlier

They too should be warned

That the bottom line really is

The Saviour’s blood applied

For without it there is no salvation

However hard they have tried

Acknowledging our sin is the start

And repenting of the same

Asking God’s pardon for our wrong

And believing in Jesus’ name

Thanking God for such salvation

And stepping out in righteousness

Eyes ever set on the eternal prize

And bearing fruit unto godliness

No difference between the tramp and me

If neither God’s salvation knows

Having not the seal of God

On the way to hell each goes

Stewart Russell © October 2017