Author: parasbovolos

You spoke and all things came to be

How marvellous are your ways;

You laid the foundation of the earth

And separated night from day.

We are the apple of your eye

Truly loved and adored by you;

We are created in Your image

To reflect the good you do.

You say we are fearfully made

And how precious are your thoughts;

More in number than the sand

As we’re skillfully made and wrought.

Our perception of who we are

Can be defined by society,

But you our Lord have uniquely signed

And sealed our destiny.

You say that You’ve promised

To give us eternal life;

To those who trust in Jesus

And in His words do take delight.

You promise to deliver us

From the wicked and the evil;

Who plan things in their heart

And who shake hands with the devil.

All glory, honour and credit

Can only belong to You;

You are wise and filled with integrity

In all You say and do.

(C) P.B. 2019

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

“My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed, and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” Psalm 139:15-16

“Deliver me, O Lord from evil men; preserve me from violent men who plan evil things in their hearts..” Psalm 140:1-2

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

Excuses will not be tolerated

On that fast approaching day…

Since we’ve all been told, encouraged or warned

Of God’s standards and His ways.

The work of God Almighty

All of creation it glorifies;

The flora and fauna so perfect

In every shape, form or size.

A healthy reverence for God

Will make us all realise;

That we’re fearfully and wonderfully made

And so precious in God’s eyes.

Through pain, trials and tribulation

Our character is strengthened and changed,

And its through the ashes of our experience

That a lasting beauty remains.

But our pride and the lust of the eyes

Should leave us and depart;

As we abandon the shackles of our deceit

And sincerely repent from the heart.

Don’t allow the opinions of others

To confuse or unsettle your soul…

The solution is in the Word of God

As all of God’s treasures unfold.

No excuse will be justified

So let’s awaken from our slumber,

And when the saints go boldly marching in

Let’s all ensure we’re in that number!

(C) P.B. 2018

“For you formed my inward parts, You covered me in my mother’s womb..” Psalm 139:13

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made….so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

“…knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character and character hope.” Romans 5:3-4

“…denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age.” Titus 2:12

Let’s not waste our life

On petty and trivial things;

As to focus on this mindset

Much stress and pain this brings.

Let’s look at the bigger picture

And as to why we all exist…

And what our purpose is on earth

And as to how the truth we’ve missed.

Let’s search deeper in our soul to find

The void that we’ve ignored;

The need for God’s unconditional love

And our need of Him as Lord.

Many times we search in places

Where we simply cannot find,

The answers which we really need

Since we choose to remain blind.

But once we do discover

God’s forgiveness and His grace;

The true riches and abundant wealth

Will be reflected on our face.

Since the love that emanates from God

Can never be replaced,

And when He finally fills the void

This joy we will embrace.

And God’s love can then be shared

To fulfil the Royal Law well;

To love God with our heart and soul

And our neighbour as ourselves.

(C) P.B. 2018

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

“You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Romans 13:9

Out of the abundance of the heart

Our mouths utter everything,

But we’re probably most unaware

Of the fruit that it will bring.

Are our words encouraging

Or do the soul they often quench?

Are they sincere with pure motives

Or is there an underlying stench?

Our words produce either weeds or seeds

Along with actions and desires;

Since there’s a spirit that always emanates

That either calms or ignites fires.

A weed is manifested from pride

From an arrogant, selfish soul,

But good seed that germinates

Will be a blessing as it unfolds.

A seed does not negotiate

With its maker God the Father;

It’s simply buried and patiently awaits

Till it blossoms like no other.

The weeds are thrown in the fire

And useless they are rendered,

But a seed sown with faith and hope

Is from a soul that is surrendered.

Good fruit will always germinate

From a tiny, quality seed…

We’re either weeds or seeds most times

The question is “which one are we?”

(C) P.B. 2019

“First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:30

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29

“For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth. Finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have to fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, bur rather expose them.” Ephesians 5:9-11

“For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

People of faith are pigeonholed

And branded as narrow minded,

But there’s a plethora of deception

When we’re perceived as open minded.

Healthy boundaries are required

In all aspects of life;

In physical, emotional and spiritual

To prevent us from entering strife.

The fallen world and our flawed nature

Can often be deceiving…

When we try to philosophise all aspects of life

But without God’s purpose and meaning.

We need to question our beliefs

And get real and very raw;

Since society has brainwashed us

To oppose God’s spiritual law.

Sin has us all in bondage

And has pigeonholed our mind;

Has caged our true emotions

And has left us spiritually blind.

The little bird in the cage

Is our heart crying to be free;

To realise our potential

Of who God created us to be.

“Come to Me all you who labor

And are heavy laden” too;

The Lord will guide you into truth

And promise to never forsake you.

(C) P.B. 2019

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 5:11-12

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

When all is said and done

Is more said than what’s achieved?

Has the mouthpiece of our words

Boasted in its evil deeds?

When all is said and done

Have we kept our noble word?

Is integrity of real importance

Or a trait we can’t afford?

When more is said than done

We allow our arrogant pride,

And all of its presumptuous ways

To manifest in its stride.

Do we make a stance for morals

Or pretend to really care?

Do we value the true ethics

Or we’re neither here nor there?

When all is said and done

Do our works align with scripture?

With God’s loving and eternal ways

That paint the bigger picture?

It’s not too late to change our ways

As our ignorance God understands,

But He commands us to sincerely repent

And to follow His commands.

When all is said and done

We will need to give account;

To our marvelous Creator

As we discover what really did count.

(C) P.B. 2019

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world….”

Acts 17:30-31

We all have expectations

Of how life should ideally be,

And we’re thoroughly disappointed

When the results we do not see.

Life can be unfair at times

With many twists and turns,

But the trials will refine our soul

When a lesson throughout is learned.

When we set our standards high

And many times with anticipation;

Our ways can be idolatrous

When in man we place expectations.

We tend to trust that people

Will provide and will be there,

But we set ourselves up for a fall

When they simply do not care.

It’s a blessing when we do receive

The love, care and attention,

But to rely on, live for and to expect

Is a burden that can bring tension.

Only God can ultimately satisfy

That empty hole within,

And will never ever let us down

As He understands the state we’re in…

When we trust in the Lord Jesus

We are truly all set free,

And we can expect all of God’s promises

With true blessings to finally see.

(C) P.B. 2019

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5

“Do not trust in a friend. Do not put your confidence in a companion…I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation, my God will hear me.” Micah 7:5-7

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19

Every single accessory

Has a beauty of its own,

But independent from the main outfit

That makes a statement all alone.

An accessory is multi-purposed

As it adds or it detracts;

An accessory is a fashion item

That reveals or hides the facts.

Is Jesus just an accessory

To our every waking hour?

Or is He our all-in-all

Portraying wisdom with much power?

Is Jesus just our handbag

That we choose to change each day?

Or is He stamped in our heart and soul

As a fixture that will stay?

Is Jesus just a scarf

That we’re wrapped to have around?

Or does He inspire our mind and thoughts

So much godly fruit abounds.

Is Jesus like our latest shoes

Where we walk our chosen path?

Or are we cautious in our walk with Him

So we’re truly set apart?

An accessory is an addition

That believes to complete the part;

It’s an addition that we require

To conceal a yearning heart.

When the branch is truly grafted in

Embellishments are not required;

Since true nourishment comes from the simple source

From God’s love and life inspired.

(C) P.B. 2019

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned.” John 15:5-6

Mammon is an influence…

It’s an object of devotion,

And when it is unwisely used

It can cause heartache and commotion.

Mammon always appears appealing

But can never be the source,

Of true happiness and satisfaction

Since it’s a temporary force.

As it can never fill the empty void

Deep inside our soul,

And no matter what we do with it

More trouble it unfolds.

Material abundance will rob our sleep

And steal us of much peace;

It may promise quality, beauty and comfort,

But our problems will never cease.

It can eat away at our health

When stress levels are too high;

As all unnecessary yokes and burdens

Will either make us sick or die.

And when it’s stored for selfish pursuits

Where pleasures are one after another…

It consumes our self-centred motives

Neglecting the needs of others.

If we do accumulate much wealth

Let’s ensure its properly used;

To feed the poor, provide for the widow

And where the orphan is not abused.

Jesus made it very clear

That two masters cannot be served…

We will either serve God or mammon instead

And hence reap the reward we deserve.

(C) P.B. 2019

“How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:24-25

“He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker; but he who honours Him has mercy on the needy.” Proverbs 14:31

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be loyal to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24

“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

 

If God wasn’t humble

He’d be continually in our face;

Pointing His finger at our wretched sin

Instead of extending His grace.

But God is very humble

And works in the hearts indeed;

He transforms and renews us

When He works behind the scenes.

He has given us a conscience

So we can know what’s right from wrong;

He’s stamped eternity in our hearts

So we know to Him we belong.

He has given us Jesus Christ

As His representative on earth,

And His crucifixion and resurrection

Heralds our new birth.

He has given us creation

So impeccable and perfect;

His signature upon every creature

As a sign we won’t forget.

But it’s the enemy of our dear soul

That’s loud and proud indeed;

Causing heartache, chaos and every bad way

As he plants his wicked seed.

The majesty of the universe

Yet a mere manger was used,

To cradle the babe of salvation

So true wisdom cannot be abused.

God is perfect yet humble as well

So holy, majestic and true;

There’s no excuse if we reject Him

Since He’s given us every clue.

(C) P.B. 2019

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

“Also He has put eternity in their hearts..” Ecclesiastes 3:11

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30