Poetry for Thought

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see!

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved!

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares

I have already come;

'Twas grace that has brought me thus far

And grace will lead me home!

When we've been there ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun;

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Than when we'd first begun!

(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02313/green_2313991b.jpg)

From the Word

Listen to Me,

   My people; and give ear unto Me, My nation: for a law shall proceed from Me,

and I will establish My judgement for a light of the peoples. 

My righteousness is near, My salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the peoples: 

the isles shall wait for Me, and in Mine arm shall they trust. 

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath: 

for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall grow old like a garment,

 and they that dwell therin shall die in like manner; but My salvation shall be forever, 

and My righteousness shall not be abolished.

Isaiah 51:4-6

Pictures of the Week

How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God!

And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;

And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.

For with You is the fountain of life;

In Your Light we see light.

~Psalms 36: 7-9

Pictures of the Week

Pay heed, you senseless among the people;

And when will you understand, stupid ones?

He who planted the ear, does He not hear?

He who formed the eye, does he not see?

He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke?

Even He who teaches man knowledge?

The Lord knows the thoughts of a man,

That they are a mere breath. 

~Psalm 94:8-11

Pictures of the Week

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 

and I will give you rest. 

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,

 for I am gentle and humble in heart, 

and 'You Will Find Rest For Your Souls'.

~Matthew 11:28-29 

Pictures of the Week

He heals the brokenhearted

And binds up their wounds.

He counts the number of the stars;

He gives names to all of them.

Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;

His understanding is infinite.

The Lord supports the afflicted;

He brings the wicked to the ground. 

~Psalm 147:3-6

Pictures of the Week

Though a host encamp against me,

My heart will not fear;

Though war arise against me,

In spite of this I shall be confident. 

~Psalm 27:3

Pictures of the Week

Who understands the power of Your anger

And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?

So teach us to number our days,

That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

~Psalm 90: 11-12

Pictures of the Week

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress,

My God in Whom I trust!"

For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper,

And from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with His pinions,

And under His wings you may seek refuge;

His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

~Psalm 91: 1-4 

Pictures of the Week

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

~Psalm 121:1- 4

Poetry for Thought

An interesting find from an old English book of mine, though I don't agree with everything he writes:

When Earth’s last picture is painted, and the tubes are twisted and dried,

When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died,

We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it---lie down for an eon or two,

Till the Master of All Good Workmen shall set us to work anew!

And those who were good shall be happy: they shall sit in a golden chair;

They shall splash at a ten-league canvas with brushes of comet’s hair;

They shall find real saints to draw from---Magdalene, Peter, and Paul;

They shall work for an age at sitting and never be tired at all!

And only the Master shall praise us, and only the Master shall blame;

And no one shall work for money, and no one shall work for fame;

But each for the joy of working, and each, in his separate star,

Shall draw the Thing as he sees It for the God of Things as They Are! 

~Rudyard Kipling 

Pictures of the Week

For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;

Nor has He hidden His face from him;

But when he cried out to Him for help, He heard. 

~Psalm 22:24

Pictures of the Week

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

And by the breath of His mouth all their host.

He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;

He lays up the deeps in storehouses.

~Psalm 33:6-7

You have taken into account my wanderings; 

Put my tears in Your bottle.

Are they not in Your book?

Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call;

This I know, that God is for me.

~Psalm 55:8-9 

Pictures of the Week

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

~ Romans 5:1

 

He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

~Psalm 23:3 

Picture of the Week

Psalm 39:11b: You consume as a moth what is precious to him; surely every man is a mere breath. 

Psalm 139: 7-10: Where can I go from Your spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to Heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Hell, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.

Picture(s) of the Week

 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork." ~Psalm 19:1

"Mine hand has also laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together." ~Isaiah 48:13 

Poetry for Thought

The Touch of Master's Hand

 

'Twas battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"

But, No,
From the room far back a gray bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.

"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."

And many a man with life out of tune
All battered with bourbon and gin
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.

~~~Myra Brooks Welch