It Is GOD

 

Because of His mercies

We are not consumed

And not the myriad other factors

By which we assume.

 

It is GOD

That we live and move,

Not because we happen as some say

To be in the right groove.

 

It is GOD

That we even exist,

This fact for some strange reason

The world has missed.

 

It is GOD

Not any political directorate

That our world, though anti-God,

Is not a total wreck.

 

 

It is GOD

And not sinful man

By Whom is wonderful redemption

And our salvation plan.

 

It is GOD

That came in Jesus Christ

To transform morally corrupt man

By His sacrifice.

 

It is GOD

Whose Spirit indwells

Every single born-again believer

Saving him from hell.

 

 

It is GOD

And not our prayers

That relieves the hurting in our pain

Showing that He cares.

 

It is GOD,

In spite of our blunders

That forgives and forgives repeatedly,

Oh, He is a wonder!

 

It is GOD

And not our expertise

That feed the world’s hungry

Bringing them relief.

 

Some pray up a storm

And rely on their prayer

But when all is said and done, it is GOD

That we are still here.

 

 

It is GOD

And I can’t say it enough

That is faithful in the good times

And when it is rough.

 

Our world is broken

And the church is clueless

And so, we must depend on God

To bring peace and rest.

 

We can pray all we like

And war all we can

But all our interceding is of no avail

Outside of God’s plan.

 

 

It was GOD in the beginning

It will Be GOD at the end,

It is GOD in every transitioning

And GOD at every bend.

 

In the final analysis

It is God and not another,

He is the only LORD and Saviour

And our Heavenly Father.

 

It is GOD!

Need I say it again?

It is GOD!

Let this be your refrain!

 

Stewart Russell © October 18, 2023

 

Will I?

 

 

Am I going to make it?

Sometimes I doubt,

There are those who make me feel

I could be left out.

 

They point me to scriptures

That appear to point this out

And I must confess after I read

I still sometimes doubt.

 

God is able, they tell me

And plus, we do have a choice,

We could be obedient to Him

Or ignore His voice.

 

The moment we don’t listen

Could spell disaster for us

And the ravenous wolf

Could snatch us from Jesus.

 

Or, maybe I myself

Could take me out of God’s hand,

At any point I could decide

I am finished with His plan.

 

 

Am I going to make it?

Sometimes I doubt,

There are those who make me feel

I could be left out.

 

But it seems strange to me

That after being rescued

One would abandon his rescuer

To go back to that stew.

 

Picture a drowning person

That is pulled to safety

And dives back into the deluge:

That is insanity.

 

From what are we rescued?

That is the question,

And until we can truly answer it

We will have this problem.

 

Sin is the spiritual terror

From which we are saved

And the transformation that occurs

Dictates how we behave.

 

It is the initial choice we make

When we say yes to Christ

And by faith our born-again miracle

Results from his sacrifice.

 

It can happen only once

Just like in our natural birth,

The second birth is from heaven

The first is of the earth.

 

 

Am I going to make it?

Sometimes I doubt,

There are those who make me feel

I could be left out.

 

But having been born,

That is, having been born of the flesh

I am in this world until I die-

That is, when I am laid to rest.

 

Similarly, having been born again

That is, born of the Spirit,

I am a child of God forever

And in heavenly places I sit.

 

Whenever I am in doubt

I remember who my Father is

And since none can snatch me away

I will always be His.

 

It is very hard to be lost

A very good friend once said

And the friend was referring to someone

That was spiritually dead.

 

The Bible shows it is impossible

To foil God’s redemptive plan

And I know most definitively

None can pluck me from His hand.

 

Stewart Russell © October 9, 2020

Will I?

 

 

Am I going to make it?

Sometimes I doubt,

There are those who make me feel

I could be left out.

 

They point me to scriptures

That appear to point this out

And I must confess after I read

I still sometimes doubt.

 

God is able, they tell me

And plus, we do have a choice,

We could be obedient to Him

Or ignore His voice.

 

The moment we don’t listen

Could spell disaster for us

And the ravenous wolf

Could snatch us from Jesus.

 

Or, maybe I myself

Could take me out of God’s hand,

At any point I could decide

I am finished with His plan.

 

 

Am I going to make it?

Sometimes I doubt,

There are those who make me feel

I could be left out.

 

But it seems strange to me

That after being rescued

One would abandon his rescuer

To go back to that stew.

 

Picture a drowning person

That is pulled to safety

And dives back into the deluge:

That is insanity.

  

From what are we rescued?

That is the question,

And until we can truly answer it

We will have this problem.

 

Sin is the spiritual terror

From which we are saved

And the transformation that occurs

Dictates how we behave.

 

 

It is the initial choice we make

When we say yes to Christ

And by faith our born-again miracle

Results from his sacrifice.

 

It can happen only once

Just like in our natural birth,

The second birth is from heaven

The first is of the earth.

 

Am I going to make it?

Sometimes I doubt,

There are those who make me feel

I could be left out.

 

But having been born,

That is, having been born of the flesh

I am in this world until I die-

That is, when I am laid to rest.

 

 

Similarly, having been born again

That is, born of the Spirit,

I am a child of God forever

And in heavenly places I sit.

 

Whenever I am in doubt

I remember who my Father is

And since none can snatch me away

I will always be His.

 

It is very hard to be lost

A very good friend once said

And the friend was referring to someone

That was spiritually dead.

 

The Bible shows it is impossible

To foil God’s redemptive plan

And I know most definitively

None can pluck me from His hand.

 

Stewart Russell © October 9, 2020

 

Loving Shepherd of Thy sheep,

Keep Thy Lamb, in safety keep;

Nothing can Thy power withstand;

None can pluck me from Thy hand.

 

From the hymn:

Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep

Jane Eliza Leeson  

 

 

The Gospel

The Gospel according to

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

Was conceptualized in heaven

Long before they were born.

The Gospel is the Good News

About our Saviour, Jesus Christ, 

It was he who died on the cross

To pay our sin’s price.

But from the dead he arose

Praises to God we shout and sing

That Jesus, our Lord and Saviour

Is our soon coming King.

Back in the Old Testament

Long before Jesus had come

Prophets character sketched him

With accurate information.

One of these was Isaiah

From whose writings we often quote,

The other prophet was Zechariah,

Of him too we should take note.

Isaiah was more extensive

In his fore telling of the Christ

But Zechariah’s nonetheless

Will also adequately suffice.

God gave to Zechariah

Precise insight into His plan

And in chapter 6 verse 12

We have “Behold the man!”

An on the “nail-head” caption

Regarding the humanity of Christ,

The title to the Gospel of Luke

So apt and so precise.

Or check Isaiah 42 verse 1

Where there is yet another instant

When God reveals his purpose

Embodied in “Behold my servant.”

Isaiah must have been unaware

And pretty much in the dark

That he was writing the caption

Of the Gospel according to Mark.

In Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9

To our attention the prophet brings

Jesus as he comes riding on a colt

Entitled, “Behold thy King!”

Zechariah surely did not know

Though he captioned this preview

Of the Gospel that was ascribed

To the tax collector, Matthew.

Last but not least we explore

The most debated of them all

As we turn to Isaiah 40 verse 9

And there see, “Behold your God!”

Could Isaiah have known, I doubt

That in his mind it had dawned

That several centuries before the time

He had cited the Gospel of John.

As one studies these four Gospels

Apparent differences will appear

Hence the need to have right focus

With the Spirit to guide you there

The one who came was fully God

And yet, he was fully man

To bridge the gap betwixt us and God

This was the Divine plan.

He was the King of all kings

But his splendor was laid aside

As he became the servant of all

Then was finally crucified.

He was the God-man who came to us

His servant-king’s name was Jesus

He came to minister, not to be minister to

The Gospel shows this as his purpose.

For the four Gospels is really one

Depicting the Lord as the risen Christ

Who died to save us from our sin

In offering himself as our sacrifice.

It is the Trinity at work

To ensure God’s salvation plan,

It’s the chronicles of His Son’s life

And his redemption of man.

Stewart Russell © January 2018