Best of Friends Worst of Enemies

 

 

Water, wind and fire:

Excellent helpers indeed,

Ah! But they can turn in a flash

And on life and lively-hood feed.

 

Sources of energy, all three:

Driving turbines and mills,

But at times seem bent on destruction

As though on a mission to kill.

 

Essentially life supporting

But also, robbers of life

As they rant and rave in their fury

Creating all manner of strife.

 

 

Water, a source of life

Which, without we can’t survive

Yet, when on its path of destruction,

There is scarcely a place to hide.

 

Floods on land and perils at sea

Testing the human endurance

And oft leaving man on the losing end

Showing its abject intolerance.

 

As though in possession of life

And having a mind of its own

It sets out to trample a sworn enemy

And take him off his throne.

 

 

Wind, no less devastating

And able to move most in its path,

When in its most destructive mood

Marks wherever it has passed.

 

Unmistakable evidence

That suggests, “I have been here

And I can return whenever I want

So, man, you had better beware!”

 

 

This wind blowing on my bare shoulders

As I compose this poem

Can become a raving lunatic

And cause me a colossal problem.

 

 

Fire that cooks our meals

And provides heat in the wintry cold

Cuts a swathe through acres of forest

And causes losses untold.

 

Loss of vegetation and of life

Leaving the area an unlivable zone,

Trees undressed and the earth parched

And nowhere for animals to roam.

 

 

Hard earned earthly possessions

All are gone in a flash

When for some unknown reason

Through the forest fire makes a dash.

 

Water, wind and fire:

Best of friends and worst of enemies,

At one time, tranquil and calm

Next, destroying this serenity.

 

Best of friends and worst of enemies

Depending on the event,

Very reliable and dependable

Until they are ready to vent.

 

 

Life is dependent on all three:

Water, wind and fire

But whenever they get insanely mad

Life becomes particularly dire.

 

Harness them wherever you can

And make them work for you

But be aware, that the time will come,

When the other side will come true.

 

Stewart Russell © September 28, 2022

 

Impossible

 

 

You cannot do another’s work

However hard you try,

But if perchance you manage to

You are living a lie.

 

For then, you see, I must believe

Your work is oft unfinished,

For if you have time to do another’s

Yours must be quite diminished.

 

Little or nothing to do

Or, perhaps not exercising enough,

If this be the case my mixed-up friend,

That is rather tough.

 

All the work you’ve managed to do

Simply was your own,

If it wasn’t at the beginning

Then your workload had grown.

 

To whom much is given

To the same much is expected,

So the thought it is someone else’s

Must surely be rejected.

 

You will be held accountable

For the work you have to do

And the excuse it was not your work

Will never see you through.

 

If you do another’s work

That person is automatically absolved,

His work is now become your work;

You are the one involved.

 

It switches from him to you

Hence, you are now responsible,

And if anything should go wrong

You’d be the one in trouble.

 

If it is good, you get the praise,

If it is bad; the blame,

And that to my mind is fair enough

However much you complain.

 

 

You cannot do another’s work,

Whatever you do is yours

So, do it well with all your strength

For your reward is sure.

 

The reward is fitted to the work;

The two go hand in hand,

He that works, the reward is his,

That’s according to the plan.

 

You might do ten men’s work

Or five men or even two,

It’s your work you must remember

So keep this within view.

 

You cannot do another’s work

That is not at all possible,

Concentrate on the work you have

And do it while you’re able.

 

Every believer has a work:

A work he or she must do,

No one can do another one's work

And that also means you.

 

Stewart Russell © January 16, 2022

 

Leave Nothing for After

 

 

 

The older I get

The more I become intrigued,

By expressions like the title,

I’m intrigue indeed!

 

Leave nothing for after

While there is time,

Do what you have to do

Comes to my mind.

 

The norm is to procrastinate

With I can do it after,

There is no need to rush it

There is always later.

 

Do not leave back anything

Is another way to say it,

Eat it all at one time,

Leave not a bit.

 

It may have been work

Or it may have been food

Leave nothing for after means

Get on the move.

 

In the preceding explanation

Nothing is something

But now we come to a case

Where nothing is nothing.

 

Not as mad as you are,

You see I can hear you think,

I am nowhere near the edge

But you’re over the brink.

 

Back to the issue, though,

Let us forget this aside,

Next time your thoughts interrupt

I will let it ride.

 

 

Leave nothing for after

Simply means leave nothing,

Nothing is what you leave

Just leave nothing.

 

Leave nothing for me

Means positively nothing,

It is like, “What do you want?”

And my reply is, “Nothing.”

 

So, nothing can be nothing

Or nothing can be something,

And it can get so ridiculous

It could be anything.

 

Leave nothing for after

Or, do not leave anything,

You see, nothing can be nothing

Or it can be something.

 

If you must leave something

Let it be nothing,

I mean positively nothing

Not negatively anything.

 

I hear your thoughts again!

“He has nothing to do.”

But this nothing is something

And you are reading it too.

 

It’s nothing you are reading

That makes it something,

However, if you are not reading it

Then I’ve achieved nothing.

 

Leave nothing for after

And you’ll leave nothing to chance,

Leave nothing for after

And you’d likely advance.

 

Stewart Russell © October 15, 2021

 

Second Work of Grace

 

 

Show me from God’s Word

This second work of grace

For I have searched and searched

But have found not a trace.

 

The first work I have found

And this, without a doubt,

For it was very straightforward;

Nothing to work out.

 

But I have a difficulty

With this second work

Though I must tell you up front

I’m no Bible expert.

 

The Spirit witnessed to me

I am a child of God

And having been born again,

I thought this was all.

 

But it seems I am wrong

According to some

And I don’t yet have the Spirit

Or even God’s dear Son.

 

 

I have seen many struggle

Trying to explain this

And however hard they tried

Something they missed.

 

Some call it a filling;

This second work of grace

Giving me a kind of impression

It’s more than a taste.

 

But how would I know

This grace when received?

Is it the same witness of the Spirit

As when I first believed?

 

It’s entire sanctification

Some are heard to say

But while entire, it’s not entire,

Is another way.

 

“You will know for sure

You cannot go wrong,”

The evidence, some people say,

Is speaking in tongues.

 

I cannot remember

Ever speaking in tongues

So, I have never been sanctified

If they are not wrong.

 

However, this I know,

And I know this for sure,

I am a born-again child of God-

No less and no more.

 

 

I have the Spirit’s witness

That I am a child of God

And I have His blessed assurance

Even when I fall.

 

If I have not the Spirit

I do not belong to him

And so, it is crystal clear to me

I am still in my sin.

 

But I thank God today

This is not my case

For I have been wonderfully saved

By His miraculous grace.

 

This same grace that saves

Is also able to keep

As in Jesus, the Shepherd’s vigil

Over each of his sheep.

 

I know of one grace

As in that wonderful song,

It’s the wonderful grace of Jesus

And to Jesus I belong.

 

I dare not split God’s grace

Into a one, two, three

But He who has started this work

Will continue it in me.

 

 

Nothing more definitive

Than a sinner saved by grace,

This I am and this I will always be

Until I see his face.

 

Stewart Russell © June 9, 2024

 

Unemployment

 

 

Heard one just recently

That I thought was very funny,

It had to do with unemployment:

A remark rather silly.

 

I have a strong feeling

That you will not believe me,

Part of the problem with unemployment

Had to do with retirees.

 

I read in a local tabloid

That retirees were unemployed

Thus, pushing unemployment up-

What a deceptive ploy!

 

It is rather silly to me

Since I am also a retiree

But understand, my appreciated reader,

I am not that silly.

 

 

Some retire to retyre;

Definitely not so in my case,

When retired well-to-do are reemployed

I see it as a disgrace.

 

A disgrace and an insult

To the bright upcoming youth

That are employable but unemployed-

Therein lies the truth.

 

Many are languishing at home

That are highly qualified

But their applications for employment

Are constantly denied.

 

I heard an explanation

That built up in me defiance,

While these youth were well qualified

They had no work experience.

 

One must have work experience

In order to be employed,

This to many a University Graduate

Must be a real kill-joy.

 

 

Picture such happening to me

In the year 1971,

All like now I would be unemployed

With all my hopes gone.

 

The unemployed really

Are people looking for employment,

Not the indolent or the parasitic

Who any idea of work resent.

 

Can you actually believe

Part of the unemployed are retirees?

That is as silly as cement plants

Growing into trees.

 

Tell this present Government

When they are distributing jobs

 That if they should identify any for me

I would find that rather odd.

 

Stewart Russell © May 9, 2024 

 

The Forks of Life

 

 

From the cradle to the grave

Decisions must be made,

The road of life is full of forks

At every turn they pervade.

 

Picture a straight road if you will

That’s smooth and also flat

Then picture life and you will find

It’s nothing remotely like that.

 

Life is puzzling from the start

Even at the point of birth,

Bitter and sweet for mother and child

As the child comes into the earth.

 

Even then the forks emerge

Regarding that child’s upkeep,

In a way he decides when he will eat

And when he will fall asleep.

 

This conflicts oft with mother’s plan

Especially during the night

And when she would rather be asleep

Baby is noisy and bright.

 

From post-natal stage to toddler

And then off he goes to school,

The forks become more prevalent

In light of the many school rules.

 

Rules at home and rules at school

Sometimes bring about conflict,

Such is the nature of these forks

That sometimes he even slips.

 

Out of primary and into secondary

Then on to tertiary he might go

But of the forks there is no ease

They come at a greater flow.

 

Decisions are a must

As forks increase in number and in type

And the young adult must manage well

The peer pressure and the hype.

 

Manoeuvers become more difficult

Circumstances manipulate the mind,

The forks are now multifaceted

And the way becomes hard to find.

 

A balance between recreation and work

And the other tensions of life,

Building a family comes into view

And the choosing of a wife.

 

Major forks are in the road ahead

Now more than himself to consider,

Decisions to be made on his behalf

And choices regarding another.

 

Not quite as simple as what to eat

Or wondering what to wear,

Not the mundane things of growing up

But now managing stress and fear.

 

Fear that comes with the competition

Fear of making a wrong turn,

The need to always be ahead

And critical decision-making learn

 

Less time deciding which fork to take

Less time to negotiate,

A decision is a must in the given time

A greater chance for a mistake.

 

Impossible to confront that fork again

And take the alternate path

But a lesson learnt before moving on

May be applied to the following task.

 

 

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

These are the many forks of life

Negotiate them with deliberate care

And hence minimize your strife.

 

Consider now I admonish you

The most critical fork of all,

Take the wrong turn regarding this

And you are in for an eternal fall.

 

There is a road that we must take

As long as Jesus tarries

And the fork we take is critical

To the deciding of our destiny.

 

Accept God’s provision in his Son

And on eternal life lay hold,

Maintain your hold on the devil’s cloak

And you are sure to lose your soul.

 

Stewart Russell © May 2018

 

Really Like Seriously?

Really like seriously?

Do you really believe that?

“I really don’t know what to believe

Whether it’s fiction or fact.”

Really like seriously?

Where’ve you been all this time?

“Right where you are

But such is not on my mind.”

Really like seriously?

So what actually is on your mind?

“The day-to-day stuff

The things I need to find.”

Really like seriously?

What is this day-to-day stuff?

“I’m sure you know what I mean

Everything is so tough.”

Really like seriously?

Can’t you explain what you mean?

“I mean like work, family, stress,

You know how rough it has been.”

Really like seriously?

Do you think this is all there is to life?

“Yes, there’s nothing after all this,

Death is the end to all this strife.”

Really like seriously?

Do you really believe that?

“Well what else is there to believe?

Nobody has ever come back.”

Really like seriously?

Have you never heard about Jesus?

He died and he rose again

And all that he did he did for us.

Really like seriously?

Don’t you know he was crucified?

It was for your sins and mine

That on Calvary’s hill he died.

  

Really like seriously?

Don’t you know he is coming back?

He is coming back for his own

Would you want to miss out on that?

Really like seriously?

Do you want to be left behind?

Why not accept the Saviour now?

Now, the Bible says, is the accepted time.

Acknowledge and confess your sins,

Repent of them and turn away,

Invite Jesus into your heart

And he will come in today to stay.

“Really like seriously?

Why are you telling me all this?”

Well because Jesus is coming back

An event you’ll regret if you miss.

“Really like seriously?

Do you really believe that?”

O yes I do and you’d better do too,

As a friend I am saying this is a fact.

Stewart Russell © July 2018