Author: parasbovolos

It is the epitome of worship

In His presence with a song;

With joyful shouts of praise

And with a gratitude so strong.

It’s to enter His courts with thanksgiving

And to bless His holy name;

As our Creator and our Shepherd

Where much goodness will remain.

When we enter His gates with appreciation

From the heart we worship Him,

He’s a God of sovereignty

Who will cleanse our soul within.

Lord, You are good and always will be

No darkness is upon Thee;

You made us and not us ourselves

To be all we’re created to be.

God’s mercy is everlasting

And all truth belongs to Him;

His promises are honourable

And when we repent He wipes our sin.

There’s a song in our heart

When we worship with thanksgiving,

Knowing that the Lord is good

Filled with love and is forgiving.

You are God, there is no other

Who can ever compare to Thee?

You’re majestic and filled with integrity

Throughout all the beauty that we see.

(C) P.B. 2021

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!  Serve the Lord with gladness;  Come before His presence with singing.  Know that the Lord, He is God;  It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.  We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”  Psalm 100:1-3

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  For the Lord is good;  His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”  Psalm 100:4-5

A deep yearning from within

In the midst of all distress;

As we thirst for the living God

For His presence to manifest.

To feel His gentle touch

And the reassurance He is there,

To comfort and to deliver us

So all trials we can bear.

As the deer pants

For water to satisfy within;

Similarly our soul longs for God

So we’re reconciled to Him.

When our soul pants for God

In humility we’ve understood,

That He is the only One who satisfies

The only One who truly could.

This water is refreshing

From His undiluted word,

As it satisfies our thirsty soul

Revealing Jesus Christ as Lord.

It’s a living fountain, it is indeed

As it calms the storms within;

It gives us peace and a joy

And it washes all our sin.

It removes all our droughts

And the parched areas of our land;

It refreshes our inner temple

As we feel His sovereign hand.

As the deer pants

For the water from the brook,

So our soul is nourished

When we drink from God’s Holy book.

Satisfaction will quench our thirst;

Our spiritual need within,

Along with health to our bones

And all the blessings it so brings.

(C) P.B. 2021

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”  Psalm 42:1-2

“The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me – A prayer to the God of my life.”  Psalm 42:8

“Why are you cast down, O my soul?  And why are you disquieted within me?  Hope in God;  For I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”  Psalm 42:11

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  John 7:37-38

When the heart loses hope

And when patience it wears thin;

When prayer stops or ceases

It’s when we’re despondent from within.

The waiting period frustrates us

And it feels like its forever,

When we’ve been patiently waiting for an answer

But feel it will come never.

But when faith perseveres in our trials

And when patience becomes our cloak,

He hears our cries and will respond

As His promises He won’t revoke.

But it’s all in His timing

As He knows the hearts too well,

And will use it for our testimony

So His glory it will spell.

When we wait upon the Lord

And when in Him we trust,

We’re blessed beyond comprehension

When patience is a must.

If every prayer was answered

And in our timing too,

We’d take for granted everything

In all we say and do.

But by waiting on the Lord

And by persevering in our prayers,

He refines our character within

As He reveals His loving care.

He delivers us in a timely manner

And does not forget our plea,

And for those who wait there’s something special

That He’s prepared for us to see!

(C) P.B. 2021

“I waited patiently for the Lord;  And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.  He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.  He has put a new song in my mouth – Praise to our God;  Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”  Psalm 40:1-3

“Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done;  And Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order;  If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”  Psalm 40:5

“Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.”  Psalm 40:11

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;  Let such as love Your salvation say continually, ‘The Lord be magnified!’”  Psalm 40:16

“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

As a flower of the field

With all its beauty and its glory,

Is mankind in his prime

With a unique blueprint and a story.

But all will fade and perish

Like a vapour in the wind;

With all the passions and desires

And every hope and dream within.

Because all flesh is as grass

And returns to the grave,

But our soul remains forever

It’s the component that is saved.

God remembers we are dust

And has great mercy on our soul;

Towards those who fear and revere His name

And His statutes they uphold.

Our days are truly numbered

And the beauty of our youth;

Is like the most precious of all flowers

And the most succulent of fruit.

The glory of man is like a flower

It withers and it falls;

The only steadfast rock is Jesus Christ

And when our name He calls.

The grass withers and the flower fades

But God’s love and grace remains;

As our spirit is reconciled to Him

When in our heart He rules and reigns.

(C) P.B. 2021

“As for man, his days are like grass;  As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.  For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.”  Psalm 103:15-16

“For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”  Psalm 103:14

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:17

“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 1:24-25

Blossoms and petals in abundance

With an aroma that is sweet;

Warm embraces with many cuddles

It’s where love and beauty meet.

Pleasant moments and beating hearts

Lovers joined hand in hand;

With walks along the beach

Leaving footprints in the sand.

A whirlwind of emotions

With a promise to each other;

Where a commitment throughout all trials

Their love it will not smother.

Warm embraces and gentle hugs

With a surety that is secure,

And a union that is steadfast

Where all storms it will endure.

But the deeper truth remains

When the commitment is honourable;

Where fidelity and eyes for each other

Will keep the hearts warm and full.

As wonderful as the romance is

We must surely bear in mind,

That the tests and trials will present themselves

And it’s in these times we must be kind.

The sweetness of a relationship

When with love it is anchored;

And where the needs of the other is paramount

Where kindness is not hampered.

Love is truly in the air

With a joy that will abound;

When with honour we truly love each other

And where respect and grace is found.

(C) P.B. 2021

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely; does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails.”  1 Corinthians 13:4-8

When we stand before His Majesty

Will we tremble on our knees?

Knowing there is one true Mediator

Whom God’s wrath He will appease.

When we stand before Almighty

Will it be in confidence and pride?

Most highly unlikely

Since life was taken in our stride.

When we stand before the Holy One

Individually to give account,

We’ll discover we weren’t so perfect

When the list of transgressions will amount.

The heart is deceitful and wicked

It’s a fact we can’t ignore,

And when confusion marries emotions

It is filled with many flaws.

The armour of God is necessary

If we’re to stand and fight the fight;

So we’re protected in the spiritual realm

To expose darkness and shine the light.

When we stand in full armour

With the breastplate of righteousness;

The shield of faith is mandatory

Where the sword of the spirit it manifests.

The gospel of peace is preached

And it’s where the helmet of salvation;

Will guard our thoughts and our heart

To protect without hesitation.

When we stand before His Majesty

Let’s ensure we are covered,

And where our Mediator is Jesus Christ

And in our heart there is no other.

(C) P.B. 2021

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all..”  1 Timothy 2:5-6

“For it is written: ‘As I live says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’  So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”’ Romans 14:11-12

“Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  Ephesians 6:13-17

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?”  Jeremiah 17:9

The pain and the injustice

Is at times too great to bear,

But it’s a grain of sand in eternity

As we’re reminded of God’s care.

All our trials are only temporary

As are all our tribulations,

And they will eventually pass

As they refine us with much patience.

This too shall pass…

With every struggle and every strain,

And we rejoice when we’re delivered

And set free from all our pain.

Job suffered immeasurably

And unfathomable in many ways,

But he received a double portion

When blessings filled his latter days.

Joseph was sold as a slave

Out of bitter jealousy,

But throughout his trials he trusted God

And a position of honour he did see.

Moses lived in the wilderness

For a significant portion of time,

But led the Israelites towards the Promised Land

When Egypt was left behind.

Jesus wore the crown of thorns

And suffered in many ways,

But His vision was on our eternity

Having understood the price to pay.

The hand of God revealed

That throughout all their suffering,

They were exalted in significant ways

Where much honour this did bring.

A crown of honour will await

For those who persevere

Throughout every test and every trial

When God’s ways they are revered.

It’s only by His grace

That we can truly overcome;

Where the blessings are innumerable

Through His beloved Son.

This too shall pass…

And as overwhelming as it may be;

There’s a plan and a purpose

So God’s glory we can see.

(C) P.B. 2021

“So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colours that was on him.  Then they took him and cast him into a pit.”  Genesis 37:23-24

“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no-one as discerning and wise as you.  You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”’  Genesis 41:39-40

“And the Lord said, ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.  So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’”  Exodus 3:7-8

“Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord…The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him.”  Exodus 15:1-2

“And my groanings pour out like water.  For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.  I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.”  Job 3:24-26

“Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.”  Job 42:12

“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”  2 Corinthians 3:17

“And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”  2 Corinthians 5:15

“Behold I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.  He who overcomes, I will make Him a pillar in the temple of My God…”. Revelation 3:11-12

Amidst the noise and troublesome ways

Our heart it yearns to see,

The tender touch of peace and beauty

When it’s hidden behind the scenes.

Amidst the noise and chaos

And all tumultuous of waves,

Is a hungry heart that seeks escape

With all restorative ways.

Amidst the pain our tears are bottled

And preserved for eternity;

As our character is changed and moulded

When with faith our eyes will see.

Amidst the calamities

There’s a peace to be claimed,

When Jesus calms our storms within

As we cry upon His name.

Amidst all the valleys

When despondency remains;

The floods will never overtake

When in our heart He reigns.

He rebukes the winds in our life

With all accompanying noise;

He silences the lying whispers

And the darkness of their voice.

There’s a never-ending hope in Christ

When we see beyond the circumstance;

Knowing there are better days

And a time to sing and dance.

But to sing and worship throughout trials

This is honourable indeed;

As it’s proof that the soil of the heart

Is planted with good seed.

(C) P.B. 2021

“And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves…But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”  Matthew 8:24-26

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Matthew 11:28-29

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

“A time to mourn, and a time to dance.”  Ecclesiastes 3:4

“My brethren, count in all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”  James 1:2-4

“Behold, a sower went out to sow…But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”  Matthew 13:3-8

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:4

A parable is instructive

With a principle and lesson,

To highlight a deeper meaning;

Analogies with morals mentioned.

When Jesus spoke in parables

A deeper meaning was conveyed,

By using the natural to describe the spiritual

For those who would listen and would pray.

They were illustrating truths

That demonstrated comparisons;

With an inspired message

And a deeper definition.

Jesus used wisdom when He spoke

But those who believed they were wise,

Could not understand the parables

Nor the deeper meaning in disguise.

Because most religious leaders loved the praises

And were challenged indeed by Christ,

Who exposed their self-righteousness;

Who would not see God’s light.

Parables had a spiritual meaning

And were significant indeed,

Because they pointed to God’s kingdom

And planted with morally good seed.

Those who had ears to hear

Could understand perfectly,

As their spirit absorbed God’s mighty ways

When He opened their heart to see.

Parables are treasures

Because their meaning is so deep,

With imagery that’s humble

Where we sow what we will reap.

When Jesus spoke in parables

It was for those who wanted to see,

And to hear the wisdom from His lips

That pointed to eternity.

(C) P.B. 2021

“Then He began to speak to them in parables:  ‘A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.”’ Mark 12:1

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.”  Mark 13:28

“Then His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘What does this parable mean?’ And He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ’Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’”  Luke 8:9-10

“And Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”’ Luke 12:41

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”  Matthew 11:15

Do we swallow all we hear

And digest what society portrays?

Or do we trust in God’s foundation

To believe all that He says?

Our soulish hunger is never satisfied

When we need to continue to feed;

Our heart and soul with various ventures

With new things to do and read.

Because that void will always simply remain

Like a never-ending hunger;

With an insatiable appetite to consume

All things that are filled with wonder.

The craving for truth will always exist

Because we’re created to ask many questions,

About our existence and our life

And the deep things we hardly mention.

It’s easy to get indigestion

When we feed on unwholesome thoughts;

On all the selfish and the greedy ways

And all the lies that we have bought.

God’s ways are healthy and pure

And when we crave for same;

The fruit of the spirit will manifest

Where love and peace remains.

When we’re hungry for the truth

And when wholesome seed has been sown,

It will flourish into a refreshing spring

Where godly thoughts are grown.

Whoever is hungry for the truth

Will ultimately discover same;

Like a miner who digs deep to find

The most beautiful of remains.

Shallow ways are skin deep

And are always washed away,

Just like a house built on the sand

Where no true foundation will stay.

The truth is simply beautiful

Like a treasure that we discover;

When Jesus becomes our pearl of wisdom

A precious gem like no other.

(C) P.B. 2021

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

“Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding.”  Proverbs 23:23

“Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”  Psalm 51:6

“His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”  Psalm 91:4

“As righteousness leads to life, so he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.”  Proverbs 11:19