Beware of These

 

 

Eat, drink and be merry

Is the chant of the fool

And often ignorant of the fact

That he is the devil’s tool.

 

The drunkard is sober

And everyone else is drunk,

It would take another just like him

His theory to debunk.

 

The arrogant man stands tall

As he beats his puffed-up chest,

There may be others like him

But he thinks he is the best.

 

The madman is a darling

No one is as bright as he,

No wonder he sees all kinds of things

That nobody else can see.

 

 

The self-righteous man is right

Particularly in his own eyes

But the reality if his existence

Is one predicated on lies.

 

The philosopher philosophizes

About each and everything,

He throws up theory after theory

And upon each one he clings.

 

The workaholic works

What else would you expect?

For him rest is an avoidable illness

That he constantly rejects.

 

The comedian entertains

And life is really a colossal joke,

Laughter is his proffered medicine

And the patron’s money his hope.

 

The stranger and strangely so

Is foreign to them all

But not knowing his way around

May on anyone of them call.

 

  

The world’s wise is opposed to folly

Unless of course it’s his own,

When no one else sees his wisdom

He is proud to be alone.

 

And how can we forget the fanatic

With whom there is excess,

To blindly follow wherever

Becomes his premiere test.

 

Then there are those that say

They are trying to find themselves,

To these I would simply counsel

Take your Bibles off the shelves.

 

And then there is yours truly

Surely identifying with a bit of most

So I know that at the very least

I do not qualify to boast

 

Beware of all of these

Including the last one on the list

Bearing in mind there are charmers

That we find difficult to resist.

 

I will end by giving you a hope

Jesus will help you to cope,

Just keep your eyes on Jesus

And you’ll never misuse a rope.

 

Stewart Russell © May 2019

 

Two Sad Travellers!

 

 

They travelled alone

They were deep in their thoughts,

The events of the weekend

Had left them distraught.

 

It was a seven-mile journey

All they could do was walk,

None of our modern conveniences

And as they walked they talked.

 

They talked about the past

That had quelled their fears,

They talked about the present

And how it all disappeared.

 

They talked about the future

And its foreboding forecast,

They were lifted then dropped!

They were so downcast.

 

Their hearts were smitten

They were sorely depressed,

They merely trudged forward

With their chin on their chest.

 

Two sad travellers

Overwhelmed and despondent,

Losing all they had cherished

Through an unfortunate event.

 

As they walked and they talked

A stranger drew near,

And enquired about their sadness

And their obvious despair.

 

They were puzzled by his question

A stranger, perhaps,

For only such a person

Would be unaware of the facts.

 

The fact that a man

Was unjustly put to death,

A man upon whom

Hung all their desires and their quests.

 

He would have to be a stranger

Not to have heard the news

About a man who was crucified

For simply airing his views.

 

“What news?” the stranger asked

And they filled him in…

Or, so they thought,

For they didn’t know it was him.

 

“He was a prophet,” they said,

Hence, now deemed deceased,

And like all of his disciples

They too were lacking belief.

 

“He was to be Israel’s redeemer.”

Or so they thought,

“And now it is three days since

And nothing has been wrought.

 

Some women of our company

Said that he had risen

And this, according to a message

Which angels had given.

 

And some that were with us

Also went to his tomb

But none of them saw him,”

Hence the reason for their gloom.

 

“O fools and slow of heart,”

He said unto them,

Since they had not believed

What the prophets had spoken.

 

Christ spoke of his suffering

And following that, his glory

But his disciples had ignored this

And languished in misery.

 

Their sadness resulted

From not believing the Word

And obsessed by their agenda

They heard yet not heard.

 

It did not register with them

So they forgot what he said,

Even the promise

About rising from the dead.

 

The promise was realized

He had risen as he said,

He was with them in the flesh

He was no longer dead.

 

What a change he had brought!

No longer distraught,

The salvation they all sought

With his blood he had bought.

 

From sadness to gladness

From despondency to hope,

Though he must leave them again

Through the Spirit they will cope.

 

On their way they walked

And the Saviour walked beside them,

And he walks with you and me

As he does with all his children.

 

Stewart Russell © October 2019