Author: parasbovolos

When we look around

And see the evil manifest,

We wonder whether God is in control

Amidst all this horrid mess.

When we hear of children hurting

Or disgracefully sold as slaves,

Many questions do arise in us

And whether any hope remains.

When we hear of heinous crimes

And all the suffering that exists,

Although we’re grieved in our soul

Is there something that we’ve missed?

Apostle Peter thought he was doing good

By saying ‘Far be it from You, Lord;

This shall not happen to You’

But a rebuke for him was stored.

‘Get behind Me, Satan!’

Were the words of Jesus Christ,

Since Peter was mindful of the things of men

And not focused on God’s plight.

Because if Jesus listened to Peter

We would all surely be lost,

For an eternity if Christ avoided

The sacrifice on the cross.

The purest man to walk the earth

Had to be severely traumatised,

To appease the wrath of a holy God

So we’re made clean in the Father’s eyes.

Many testimonies do abound,

From those under severe duress,

Where the physical and emotional pain would linger

But where God’s grace did manifest.*

All injustices will require an account

And although we think they are ignored,

It’s God’s will that none perish but come to repentance

Or else God’s judgement will be stored.

And the judgement is forever

Where there’s wailing and gnashing of teeth,

Where the soul will be in torment

And never find relief.

The money hungry and their power struggles

Eventually come to a demise,

When they’re used for the purposes of injustice

Since in God’s eyes they are despised.

And just when we think we’re in control

All it takes is an accident,

Or a crisis to occur in life

Or any mishap that is sent.

Only God sees the big picture

And knows exactly what is required,

For Him to call us unto eternal life

Since His ways are so much higher.

(C) P.B. 2022

*Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.

“Then Peter took Him aside, and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’”  Matthew 16:22-23

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”  Matthew 12:36-37

“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Matthew 8:12

“But He was wounded for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”  Isaiah 53:5-6

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  2 Peter 3:9

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.”  Isaiah 55:8

Broken pieces of our soul

With shattered hopes and dreams,

Where pain it runs throughout our veins

With heartache in between.

Painful moments in every realm

And unbearable at times,

With many questions that go unanswered

Along with confusion in our lives.

Many scars that are invisible

But stamped upon our heart,

With a desperate need and a desire

For a refreshing brand new start.

A desire for healing in our wings

With a strength to overcome,

When the patterns of our pain

They become a collective sum.

But the one who satisfies the heart

Is the One who created same;

God Almighty who makes all things new

Where there’s healing in His name.

He bottles every tear

And is familiar with our pain,

He knows exactly how we feel

And sees a heart that’s bruised and maimed.

He redeems us from the pit

And instils much hope within;

He wipes all of our transgressions

And cleanses us from sin.

And He takes those broken pieces

To create a beauty from within,

When the heart and soul is transformed

As we learn to trust in Him.

(C) P.B. 2022

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”  Psalm 147:3

“You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You…”. Psalm 56:8-9

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”  Isaiah 40:31

What would be the point

If we were to die for eternity,

And have no consciousness whatsoever

Where we will not hear or ever see?

What would be the point

To procreate yet all will die,

If there’s no life for eternity

And all has been just one big lie?

What would be the point

In having faith in the Lord,

If there’s no eternal home

And where on earth treasure is stored?

If life is like a pencil

Then it’s either blunt or has a point,

It can rub off on all things negative

Or sharpen its viewpoint.

Because if we merely are erased

Just when our story has been written,

Then what would be the point

If in some coffin we are hidden?

There would not be a point

If we are smeared or erased,

Only to face a dull eternity

That does not lead to brighter days.

A point to consider

Is why was Jesus crucified,

If eternal life does not exist

And if we merely were to die?

The point of the matter is

That when we die we shall arise

To give account to our holy God

Since our soul remains alive.

When we trust in the Lord

Although mistakes happen in our life,

Our name is written in His Book

To forever be alive.

(C) P.B. 2022

“But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me.”  Psalm 49:15

“Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him – for the redemption of their souls is costly, and it shall cease forever – that he should continue to live eternally, and not see the Pit.”  Psalm 49:6-9

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Matthew 6:20-21

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”  Hebrews 4:13

“And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’”  Luke 16:23-24

“And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”  Matthew 25:46

“And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”  Revelation 20:15

“They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.  There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light.  And they shall reign forever and ever.”  Revelation 22:5

It’s one thing to be sincere

And another to be saved,

Because there’s a multitude of the kindest people

But who won’t acknowledge God or pray.

It’s one thing to be the sweetest soul

And another to be God’s child,

Because unless we’re adopted into His kingdom

In His eyes we remain defiled.

It’s one thing to be a happy soul

And another God’s heart to seek,

Because true happiness is found in holiness

In the humble and the meek.

It’s one thing to be nice

And another to persevere,

Because the tests and trials will arrive

And they reveal if we’re sincere.

Because it’s God’s commands and not our own

That really matter in the end,

Since our feelings will try to dictate

With all delusions that are sent.

The wheel is not re-invented

And has not been throughout history,

Because it’s the same patterns of behaviour

With good and evil that we see.

It’s one thing to portray a persona

And another as to how we feel,

Because only God knows the depths of our soul

And whether we’re being fake or real.

According to God the gate is narrow

And very few do find it indeed,

Because the gate to destruction is very wide

Where the multitudes will see.

We all fall short of God’s glory

Yours truly first and foremost,

But we all need God’s grace to overcome

And His forgiveness we need most.

It’s one thing to believe in Christ

And another to be on fire,

Because the lukewarm ones will be vomited

Or found out to be liars.

It’s one thing to love someone

And another to really do,

When we sincerely love God and our neighbour as well

Where the motive is sincere and true.

And it’s one thing to be faithful

And another to adore the Lord,

Let’s rise up and truly examine ourselves

As we repent and trust in His word.

(C) P.B. 2022

“…eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.  For we were saved in this hope…”. Romans 8:23-24

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  Matthew 7:13-14

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”  Deuteronomy 6:5

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”  Romans 3:23-24

“…You shall love your neighbour as yourself.  Love does no harm to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.”  Romans 13:9-10

“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”  Revelation 3:16

If we could take a glimpse

Into God’s eternity,

We’d be on our knees repenting

When His glory we do see.

If we could look into hell

We’d be wailing on our knees,

Knowing that if we end up in that place

It will be for eternity.

Because God’s word is organic

And His promises are sure,

They’re sincere and they’re faithful

Where eternal treasures they are stored.

If we continue to be deceived

Through the eyes of society,

It’s because we’re too ashamed of Jesus Christ

So persecution we won’t see.

But society and all its ways

Naturally rejects the author of life,

Branding Jesus with all blasphemies

And that their ways are always right.

But it’s the cowards that are thrown

First into a hopeless eternity,

Because their voices could have changed the course

Of a crooked society.

And woe to those who call good ‘evil’

And who paint evil as being ‘good,’

Because when darkness dwells in the depth of a soul

God’s ways are misunderstood.

The foundation needs to be correct

Otherwise the building it will fall,

And unless we’re building on the cornerstone

There will be cracks in every wall.

If we continue rejecting the love of Christ

We’ll have nobody else to blame,

Because His sacrifice paid a dear price

Since there’s salvation in His name.

If we sincerely acknowledge

Our arrogant and selfish ways,

Then there’s still hope left through faith in Christ

As we humbly repent and pray.

And I’m the first to acknowledge

My dear and desperate need,

That I need a Lord and Savior to cleanse my sin

For all of eternity.

(C) P.B. 2022

“This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.  Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:11-12

“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”  1 Corinthians 3:11

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”  2 Timothy 3:16

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.”  Isaiah 5:20

“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”  Revelation 21:8

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Acts 2:38

If we love only those who love us

What benefit will it be?

And if we do good to those who do good

What real blessings do we see?

Because those who don’t believe in God

Do exactly the same thing,

They only love those who do good to them

But no eternal blessing this brings.

When someone smiles it does not mean

That they are being true and kind,

Because we never know the depth of one’s heart

Or what’s really on their mind.

Discernment is imperative

And those who ask will surely receive,

Because wisdom is required now more than ever

So God’s promptings we can see.

And if we give in order to receive

The motive needs to be questioned,

Because true giving expects nothing in return

But gives with genuine love and affection.

If we show partiality

To only those who show respect,

Then surely our heart is not broken for Christ

And we ought to sincerely repent.

Our heart should be humble and contrite

And to sincerely pray for salvation,

For every soul to know the love of Christ

From every tribe, tongue and nation.

Although we’re all hurting in different ways;

Some of us suffer more than others,

But there’s a reason why Jesus hung on the cross

So eternal life we can discover.

It appears we’re consumed by materialism

Or the latest thing to buy,

And our focus is on all things temporary

Whilst our eternal soul it dies.

The good news is that Jesus Christ

Knows exactly how we feel,

And He alone has that special touch

For our heart and soul to heal.

If we learn to truly trust in Him

We’ll be delivered and set free,

Because true freedom is found in the arms of Christ

Where there’s no better place to be.

(C) P.B. 2022

“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.”  Luke 6:32-33

“And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.”  Luke 6:34

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”  Luke 6:35-36

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise.”  Psalm 51:17

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  John 8:32

Anything that contradicts God’s ways

Will inevitably fail,

Because we can only go against the grain

Till the thread in us is frail.

Anyone who raises the fist at God

And contravenes His ways,

Will eventually discover the vanity of same

Where heartache will remain.

Any agenda that rejects God’s ways

Will eventually come crashing down,

Because God Almighty cannot be mocked

Or ever be pushed around.

Because hypocrisy and contradictions

They most surely will abound,

When God’s sacred statutes are removed

And when Satan’s tactics are not bound.

The battle it is real

And we should not underestimate,

The struggle between light and darkness

Or between pure love and hate.

Because the power struggles are real

That become firm strongholds,

Where they’re used to manipulate

To gain power and control.

But it’s always a matter of time

And it’s portrayed through history,

That good prevails over evil

And where God’s victory we see.

Jesus Christ had to hang in torment

And be nailed to the cross,

To eradicate our accumulation of sins

And our enormous spiritual loss.

Anyone who contradicts God’s ways

Will eventually discover,

That there’s no point in beating our fist in the air

Since salvation is found in no other!

(C) P.B. 2022

“But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”  Revelation 21:27

“And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”  Revelation 20:15

Better to have a handful of friends

But that are sincere as can be,

Rather than a multitude of so-called ones

Where our harm they wish to see.

Better to have the favour of God

And for all of eternity,

Rather than the temporary praises and feigned affection

Of what we’d rather hear and see.

Better to have simplicity

And not to set our heart on treasures,

Where rust and moth will eventually decay

But rather to have God’s love without measure.

Better to be humble and meek

Than to have a high opinion of self,

Because God has wonderful ways of humbling us

When we never ask for His help.

Better to know where we do stand

Than to pretend that we belong,

Because that gut-wrenching feeling deep inside

Will be with us all along.

Better to eat a morsel of bread

Than all the delicacies of deception,

Because unless the motives are peaceful and sincere

There will be many temptations.

Better to trust in the living God

Than all the dead idols in our lives,

Because true trust combined with faith and hope

Will shield us from Satan’s lies.

Better to know where we are headed

Than to fear all the unknown,

By trusting that Jesus died and rose

When on the cross His love was shown.

And better to dwell in eternity

With God’s love that’s sincere and true,

Since we’re created to honour and love our Creator

Through a faithful relationship too.

(C) P.B. 2022

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”  Psalm 118:8

“Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed.”  Proverbs 27:5

“Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.”  Proverbs 17:1

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Matthew 6:19-21

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.  Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”  1 Corinthians 10:13-14

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  James 4:6-7

“That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”  1 Corinthians 15:3-4

What a tragedy it would be

To devote our lives to a particular cause,

But when we stand to give an account to God

We won’t enter through His doors.

Because the worst words that we can hear

Are the dreaded ‘I never knew you;’

Since our heart and devotions on this earth

Didn’t align with God’s to be renewed.

What calamity and what a dread

To realise that we were deceived,

Preferring the temporary praises of so-called friends

Rather than God’s favour for eternity.

What a tragedy and a profound loss

If our soul is not redeemed,

And where the inevitable we need to face;

A hopeless eternity to see!

Because the devil indeed manifests himself

And portrays as an angel of light,

To steal, to deceive and to take our soul

If we don’t stand to fight the good fight.

It’s not a laughing matter

But one to take so seriously,

Because eternity is forever

Where we cannot cross that boundary.

The good news is that Jesus Christ

Died in our place to give us life,

And was resurrected after three days

When He won the spiritual fight.

When we accept and receive Jesus Christ

As our Lord and Savior too,

We sincerely repent for all our ignorance

As He makes all things new and true.

God’s wrath was placed on Christ;

On His beloved one and only Son,

Since a pure sacrifice was required 

To be a propitiation for everyone.

For everyone who trusts in the Father

Though our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

Who understand the sacrifice that was required

So with God we are made right.

(C) P.B. 2022

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”  Matthew 7:21

“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”  Matthew 7:23

“And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”  2 Corinthians 11:14

“So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” Romans 14:12

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life…”. 1 Timothy 6:12

“That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…”. 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name;”  John 1:12

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Acts 2:38

Our fleshly tent is perishing

More and more each passing day,

Along with all the glory that we attain

And with the deception of our ways.

Our earthly tents are temporary

But they contain our precious soul;

The component that requires salvation

Through our Lord and Savior Christ, behold!

The glory of man points to self

With all the credit that is due,

But God alone deserves the glory

With all the praise and honour too.

Our fleshly carnal ways are aroused

When selfishness remains,

Where at the expense of others we accumulate

But where unrighteousness is attained.

The glory of man is like a flower

And although beautiful at the time,

It is transient and so temporary

In its moment that it shines.

Its stunning beauty eventually fades

And from its elevation it falls,

Because the throne belongs to God alone

And not on self-glory or applause.

God’s glory is forever;

It cannot be shaken or removed,

Since ‘the word of the Lord endures forever’

When our heart and soul it renews.

The life of Christ would always reveal

The glory of our Heavenly Father,

And as an example Jesus’ life was portrayed

To show that glory belongs to no other.

It’s the Spirit of God that will last;

It never withers or it fades,

It is beautiful and splendid too

With a purity that remains.

(C) P.B. 2022

“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.  The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”  1 Peter 1:24

“I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”  John 17:4-5

“While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.  For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  2 Corinthians 4:18

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”  2 Corinthians 5:1

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”  2 Corinthians 5:7-8

“But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”  Hebrews 10:39