Long gone steps
Searing memories from the past
They crash into living
Making life die once more.
Swept up in their painful embrace
There is no running only hiding
Till it burns down but never out.
Gathering strength waiting to rise.
Can God turn yesterday back,
Free me from my past?
He anoints my head with oil.
I let Him have my pockmarks,
Trusting Him to mold history.
He makes my enemy a footstool for His feet,
And holds me in His lap.
When the earth is still dark look up and take heart.
Courage and strength that comes from God, does not come in large reassuring scoops. Usually, the Lord doles it out in little wisps, as we stick our foot out for the next step. I guess, that is because having it in large amounts would direct our attention to ourselves, instead of constantly having to rely on God.
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14
The light of day
In this current culture of obscuring the truth with words (e.g. locker room talk, boys will be boys), I need to reflect on the truth found in 1 Corinthians 13.
Lust wants to possess, to force.
Love hopes for love’s response.
Lust wants to rule, to conquer.
Love brings freedom to the lover.
Lust wants to be served, and uses others.
Love wants to serve.
Lust is self-seeking.
Love seeks for good in the one loved.
Lust lies to get what it wants.
Love rejoices with the truth.
Lust becomes angry when it doesn’t get its way.
Love is patient and kind.
Lust leads to self-gratification.
Love leads to self-sacrifice.
The one who lusts becomes like the purveyor of lust.
The one who loves becomes like the author of love.
I may not have stated it all quite right, but I want to point to the one who came to proclaim the truth of God’s love.
Last days, but so much beauty.
I want to do many things for God,
But I am getting too old to be of much use.
I want to be pleasing to Jesus,
But I don’t have the will power.
I want to write of His glory,
But my words fail to mount the heights.
I want to change my bad habits,
But continually fall back into old ways.
I have visions of doing great things for God,
But wonder if it is not vainglory?
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;” John 14:16
In the Helper I am given the power to do His will. (Eph. 3:20)
In the Helper I will be given the words to speak of His glory. (Matt. 10:19-20)
In the Helper I will be given self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)
In the Helper I will be lead into good works, which God has prepared for me to do.
(Eph. 2:10)
All this and more will come about by the power of the Helper, (Zech. 4:6)
So that Jesus will be glorified in me,
And the Helper will keep me from vainglory, for I can take none of the credit.
(Psalm 115:1)
Stephen L Hufman 