Umbilical and Unbiblical

 

 

Umbilical and Unbiblical:

Do not mix up these two,

They may have something in common

But they are different I assure you.

 

Take the first, for example,

That speaks to a connection,

The link between a mother and child

At the point of its ejection.

 

Ejection from the womb

And into this world of woe,

The eventual severing of this naval string

And much more we know.

 

Two terms come to mind:

Umbilical cord and naval string-

Reminds me of Mighty Gabby’s “Emmerton”,

A folk song we love to sing.

 

 

What close relationship

Like that of mother and child!

That umbilical cord, though severed,

Nourishment is not denied.

 

Not as close, I dare say,

As our Shepherd and his sheep,

That’s the relationship Jesus bolsters

As His little lambs he keeps.

 

By a spiritual umbilical cord

Referred to as the Holy Spirit

Who, through his infallible Holy Word,

Makes his adherents fit.

 

 

His sheep adhere to his Word

In spite of their adversary,

Whose cunning and unbiblical trends

Attempt to prise them free.

 

Beware of unbiblical trends

That lure the unsuspecting sheep,

That so often appear like nourishment

But is contaminated meat.

 

Both speak to disconnection:

Umbilical and unbiblical,

The former is absolutely necessary

The latter is detrimental.

 

 

Reggie McNeal

 

As a new born babe develops

So too must the born-again,

The umbilical cord must be severed

But from the unbiblical refrain!

 

Stewart Russell © January 11, 2024

 

You Silly Sheep!

 

 

You call me a sheep?

Why, that isn’t funny,

Are you trying to tell me

I am a dummy?

 

I may be a sheep

But certainly not silly,

I’m neither a pretentious ewe

Nor a stupid billy.

 

Verses one and two

Would be my usual reply

But I want to share something

I dare not deny.

 

Call me a sheep

If that is what you wish

For currently I am a sheep

And it’s what I relish.

 

Listen to me now

And follow very carefully,

I am in fact a sheep

But I am not silly.

 

You might be one too

And choose not to admit

But I have been so made

And I will not quit.

 

My sheep knows me

Says the Lord Jesus Christ

And they follow him too,

Isn’t that nice?

 

 

 

I am one of his sheep

And I am grateful to be

And if you are not one of his,

Then you are silly.

 

The best sheep to be

Is to be a sheep of the Lord

And one that follows him

According to the Word.

 

I intreat you today

If you don’t know the Shepherd,

You are one of the silly sheep

For whom he suffered.

 

Be a wise sheep, at least,

And come unto him

For he will abundantly pardon

And cleanse you from sin.

 

Then you won’t be angry

When refer to as a sheep

For all that trust in the Shepherd

He safely keeps.

 

 

 

Oh, to be a sheep

In the chief Shepherd’s fold

Is to enjoy treasures forevermore

And blessings untold!

 

Ah, yes, a sheep for sure

But certainly not silly,

Having decided to follow Jesus

I am saved eternally.

 

Stewart Russell © February 25, 2024

 

The Lengths We Go To

 

 

Imagine the excitement

Having won the lotto!

$1 per year for a million years

Or as long as life goes.

 

A million-dollar jackpot

Though not a millionaire

But a guaranteed monetary income

Of one dollar per year.

 

Or, which would you prefer

Long life or money?

To live for one more day

Winning a million $ lottery?

 

Oh, the lengths we will go to

Just to be rich,

One-million-dollar hoorah

And a next-day exit.

 

Like the intoxicated man

Who fell into a rum vat,

Refusing all rescue attempts

To die just like that.

 

With a smile upon his face

Clearly not perplexed,

Drowning in what he loved best

With seemingly no regret.

 

 

Eat, drink and be merry

For tomorrow we die,

Oh, the lengths we will go to

While turning a blind eye.

 

For what does it profit

To die with a million?

Is it still not a penniless death

Even with a billion?

 

Even if you were buried

With the wealth you acquire

You couldn’t buy a glass of water

To cool hell’s fire.

 

To what lengths, I ask,

Are you prepare to recklessly go

To still die a penniless man

While losing your soul?

 

 

What will you give in exchange

For your precious soul?

Now is the time to consider

For in death you won’t know.

 

On resurrection morning

You will know for sure

But the now proffered salvation

Will be on offer no more.

 

Nothing is more precious

Than a single human soul,

Hence, the reason Jesus died

To make us whole.

 

Imagine the joy in heaven

Over one repentant soul

The Shepherd found wandering

And brought home to his fold!

 

Stewart Russell © July 19, 2023

 

Help!

 

 

Help! Help!

The shepherd heard the call

It was his sheep calling out for help,

At once he turned in its direction

As his heart within him melt.

 

He had heard that call before

From that very same sheep,

It had wandered off from the fold

Looking for grass to eat.

 

There was plenty in the fold

But it had spied a luscious patch

And it was now in serious trouble

As a viper on to it latched.

 

 

It had been oblivious to the danger

When off in the night it sped,

Away from the fold of the shepherd

Even though it had been fed.

 

But the shepherd was ever vigilant

He knew that this would happen,

Thus ensuring the safety of the others

He was quickly into action.

 

He snatched that lamb from the viper

And began to heal its hurt,

Unlike the uncaring hireling

He didn’t leave it in the lurch.

 

A reprimand was not first on his list

Its rescue was top priority,

This should be a valuable lesson

To us all and individually.

 

We get so annoyed at a brother

Who has wandered from the way

That we reprimand him all day long

And forget that we too have strayed.

   

First must be the rescue mission

Then we welcome him back

Then if necessary, the reprimand

But, please, no unnecessary flack.

 

 

Bear in mind, that sheep was me

When I was in the devil’s hand,

I shouted for help and Jesus heard my cry

I was released at his command.

 

He didn’t ask what I was doing there

Or who who messed up my view,

He simply did what he does best

That is to effect a rescue.

 

Satan had no choice but to release me

Once to the Shepherd I had cried,

His was a wonderful deliverance

And he is now working on my pride.

 

Help! Help! Can you hear that sheep?

That sheep that you criticized,

Help! Help! It could be me,

Just put your feelings aside.

 

Welcome him back to your arms today

Respond to his despairing cry,

Deprive the devil of his thieving catch

And a heart of compassion apply.

 

Stewart Russell © October 2019

 

Defenselessness

 

 

Defenselessness is a defense

A mechanism for trusting God,

Of critical importance to the believer

Absolutely vital to the “called”.

 

This may seem quite nonsensical

To the powerful and the strong

But if like me you are a weakling

On it you would not frown.

 

Cows have horns and goats too,

This is their defense,

Some animals are fleet of foot

And some can jump the fence.

 

Some are huge and frightening

Like the elephant and the bear,

And when you see the lion’s teeth

It is a warning to stand clear.

 

Some deliver powerful kicks

Like the donkey and the mule,

Some make use of camouflage

I find that rather cool.

 

But there are particular animals

To which believers are likened,

They have no defense mechanism

And are quite easily frightened.

 

Defenselessness is their defense

Sheep are the animals I mean,

They are scattered every which way

If the shepherd is off the scene.

 

But their defenselessness is good

They are cognizant of their weakness,

Hence they trust their human leader

And with him they safely rest.

 

So it is with the believer

Our dependence is on Jesus,

We have no defense in ourselves

But in God we quietly trust.

 

 

His strength is perfect in weakness

The weakness of His little lambs

Defenselessness becomes the key

In depending on the Master’s hand.

 

Defenselessness is our defense

We have neither bark nor bite,

Hence, we simply resist the devil

And our Shepherd puts him to flight.

 

Defenselessness is a weapon

Given to the trusting child of God,

Any defenses of his own

Are of the devil, not the Lord.

 

So let us be like the sheep

Which in a shepherd must put its trust,

We are of “the whosoever” will

That put their trust in Jesus.

 

 

Defenselessness is a mechanism

For all that trust in God,

Stand still and see your salvation

All you who are named the “called”.

 

Stewart Russell © September 2019

 

Animal Like Behaviour

 

 

They say that we are animals

A higher class of course

But often times we behave

Much lower than the worse.

 

And we may earn their names

By some of the things we do

Though this is highly offensive

To both me and to you.

 

Like “you stupid old goat”

When we do something foolish

Or, what a “sloppy pig”!

When what we do is a mess.

 

What an “ignorant donkey”!

Just don’t use the other name,

Male it is, not female,

But both genders are to blame.

 

 

Dare to stand your ground

And you are a “stubborn mule”

Or do something most despicable

And “dog’ is the naming tool.

 

Go back on your word

And you are a “backbiting snake”,

Or “chameleon” might be better

Just to show you are a fake.

 

Some authority on looks

May refer to another as a “monkey”

And if perchance one’s ears shoot out

“Bat-ears” it then would be.

 

 

A lowdown act: you’re a “dog”

Lower than that you’re a “snake”

And for females in pregnancy

She waddles like a “duck”, not “drake”

 

I had to put that in

Because of the confusion gender wise,

These days you mightn’t be sure

Some don’t wear disguise.

  

Check out the “lower animals”

They are surer than we are,

Especially when mating time comes around

They make more sense by far.

 

How can I leave out the “sheep”?

This is a regular name,

It is the one I mostly like

For I am one, in Jesus’ name.

 

The good shepherd calls us such

Especially, when we follow him,

He gave his life for his dear “sheep”

To free those “sheep” from sin

 

“Wolf” is the name for those

Pretending that they are “sheep”

However, they don’t eat grass

Their diet is strictly meat.

 

 

“Vipers” is one we hear from Jesus,

In the same verse “serpents” is used,

Matthew 23:33 is the text…

Such people are without excuse.

 

I choose to end with the following:

These are “turtledove” and “lamb”,

The former is a romantic term

The latter is held in the Shepherd’s hand.

 

For when as “lambs” we frisk around

We sometimes go astray,

It’s then the Shepherd breaks our leg

And carries us along the way.

 

Just one set of footprints

The prints of the Shepherd’s feet

Not yours or mine, I hope you see

He is carrying his little “sheep”.

 

Stewart Russell © August 2019

 

Apostle or Apostate?

 

 

They start out the same way

But they don’t end alike,

The latter leads you off the track

While the former leads aright.

 

Apostle is more than a title

That someone acquires,

Check out the Bible and note

Apostles were Spirit inspired.

 

They were close to Jesus

In some form or another,

However, concerning Apostates

This is a different matter.

 

 

 

Take the Pharisees, for example,

In Jesus’ time,

They appeared very religious

But they were way out of line.

 

They disregarded Jesus

Leading others to do the same

And accused the Saviour

Of blaspheming God’s name.

 

An apostate is a sinner

But pretend not to be

And often he makes others believe

The only saint is he.

 

 

That is the danger

Of which we all must be aware,

They will talk a good religion

But Jesus Christ they will jeer.

 

They honour with their lips

In the words of the Saviour

But there is a contrasting difference

Between lip and behaviour.

  

The apostate goes to church

Hence, he is no out and out sinner

And I must point out to you

He is no beginner.

 

 

He wields great influence

Especially in the church

And in the false doctrine he preaches

He comes over like an expert.

 

Don’t look among sinners

For your friendly apostate,

You will find him in the church

Displaying Christian traits.

 

He is your wolf in disguise

That bleats just like a sheep

But he doesn’t eat grass,

He relishes meat.

 

 

He may look like an apostle

And even sound like one

But expose those lambs to him

And soon they’ll be gone.

 

Apostle or apostate

Can you tell the difference?

Heed the Shepherd’s voice

And all others dispense.

 

Remember…

 

They start out the same way

But they don’t end alike,

The latter leads you off the track

While the former leads aright.

 

Stewart Russell © October 12, 2020