Category: Poems

When we first heard of Christ’s sacrifice

What feelings did it evoke?

Were we angry and rejected same

Or did we allow the thoughts to soak?

Were we cross at the prospect

That a Savior is required?

Or were we delighted with the good news

And with joy we were inspired?

The cross is foolishness indeed

To those who are perishing,

Since the Gentiles seek after wisdom

And the philosophies this brings.

Philosophies won’t fill that hole

Neither will riches or status too,

Because we’re created to have a relationship

With a holy God so pure and true.

The cross is a stumbling block

To the beloved chosen ones,

Because Christ the Messiah did not represent

The political savior to come.

When we’re cross at the cross

The question should be asked,

Why does it bring upheaval

With unsettling thoughts so vast?

The cross is a gift to us

Whether we realise this or not,

Because it’s where we cross to eternal life

And delivered from sin and rot.

If we’re cross at the cross

And reject the Savior of our soul,

We’re doing ourselves injustice

With eternal consequences behold!

But when we cross at the cross

Eternal life we’ll see,

Because it’s the bridge that fills the gap

Where God’s redemption it will be.

So if we become disturbed

When we hear of Christ’s sacrifice,

Let’s examine and analyse our heart

So we’re set free from all the lies.

The day Christ resurrected

Is one to be celebrated indeed,

And although He suffered greatly

It was for us to intercede.

So instead of being cross

Let’s rejoice with thanksgiving,

That the cross was used so we can cross

To life with new beginnings.

(C) P.B. 2021

“The cross of Christ will either make us cross, or it will make us cross-over into eternal life.”  P.B

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written:  ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.’”  1 Corinthians 1:18-19

“For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness.”  1 Corinthians 1:22-23

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”  1 Corinthians 1:27

“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”  1 Corinthians 2:2

“…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

Every day is like a handbreadth

And like a shadow are our days;

A simple vapour in the wind

Are our thoughts and all our ways.

Our frailty is known

By the One who understands;

Who has measured our every day

By the sovereignty of His hand.

Teach us to keep Your precepts

And open our eyes to eternity,

And keep a guard over our soul

To resist all the vanity.

At his best man is vapour

Like a flower in all its glory;

Who will boast in his achievements

To invent just one more story.

Surely all is vanity

When riches they are heaped,

Not knowing who will gather them

And not knowing what they’ll keep.

When You rebuke us Lord

It’s for our best interests indeed,

Because You’ve seen our beginning and our end

So it’s wise when we take heed.

Every day is like a handbreadth

Short and sweet just like our palm,

And the bridge between us and You

Is Your outstretched arm.

The arm that crosses over

Where the cross at Calvary,

Redeemed us through Christ’s sacrifice

So eternal life we see.

You’ll never leave us nor forsake us

As You remember we’re just a breath;

A speck in the scheme of eternity

Where our days are just handbreadths!

(C) P.B. 2021

“Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.  Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapour, surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain, he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.”  Psalm 39:4-6

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.  For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”  Hebrews 13:5

“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

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.”  1 Timothy 6:9

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, 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.’”  Matthew 19:23-24

“Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding that I may learn Your commandments.”  Psalm 119:73

“Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end.”  Psalm 119:33

Help us Lord and set a guard

Over the door of our lips,

Because whatever is deep inside our heart

From our mouth will eventually slip.

Destructive ways and troubles

Can emanate from within;

Along with meaningless and trifle matters

With outcomes filled with sin.

We either bless or we curse

With what proceeds from our tongue,

And when we’re vigilant with our words

They’re a blessing to everyone.

Our words affect our world

Because either way they bring,

Peace or troubled moments

When they’re released from within.

Our tongue is a tiny member

But can boast many things,

Setting fire on all our issues

Along with heartache it so brings.

Our words cannot be retracted

And regret can remain,

When like arrows they do proceed

To cause chaos in every way.

When wisdom is acquired 

There’s no need to always speak,

But to pray as to whether we should respond

When the Father’s face we seek.

Our words have repercussions

And when like symbols they do clang,

They’re like a spider’s web to set a trap

And like the poison of a fang.

We actually believe

That we’re decent from within,

Until a situation presents itself

Revealing many traits of sin.

Anger is debilitating

And will destroy relationships too,

Because the root problem emanating from within

Is not dealt with through and through.

But unless we cry out to the Lord

And ask Him to intercede,

We’ll continue in familiar ways

Where true peace we will not see.

Because His Spirit does refresh

And will cleanse us from within,

As we examine every thought

Once we’re delivered from our sin.

(C) P.B. 2021

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.”  Psalm 141:3

“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.”  Proverbs 21:23

“He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.”  Proverbs 13:3

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”  1 Corinthians 13:1

“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.  See how great a forest a little fire kindles!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.  The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature…”. James 3:5-6

“Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.”  James 3:10

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”  James 3:17

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9

We hear it many times

To keep an ‘open mind’ indeed,

But in all honesty we need to ask

What exactly does this mean?

Is it to encompass every idea

And believe every word that’s said?

Or is it to be nonchalant

Or to believe our thoughts instead?

When we loathe that a holy God

Will be sovereign in our lives,

It’s because our philosophies take priority

As we’ve fallen for the lies.

Philosophies can be good

But they’ll never lead to salvation,

Since they’re mainly focused on good works

And not on Christ’s foundation.

Society believes that those of faith

Are closed minded indeed,

And narrow in their approach as well

Where oppressive ways they feed.

When God’s word offends us

It’s a natural reaction indeed,

Because when we idolise our carnal ways

We refuse to listen and to take heed.

But God’s thoughts are not like ours

As He’s superior to all,

And extends revelation of His ways

When our name He calls.

When we humble ourselves

And revere God Almighty,

We realise we’re just a vapour

And not so strong and mighty.

When we enter through that narrow gate

Our heart and soul is open to see,

God’s brilliance and His majesty

And how His hand does intercede.

We should take care with caution

When we promote an ‘open mind’,

Because when anything goes and all is acceptable

Our morals are left behind.

God has a standard

And it’s promoted in His word,

To take captive and renew our thoughts

To coincide with the Lord’s.

To have an open mind

Should leave our selfish ways behind,

With our arrogant and unkind ways

So our thoughts with God can be aligned.

When we’re open to Jesus Christ

And receive His sacrifice,

We’re open to eternal life

And closed minded to heretical lies.

(C) P.B. 2021

“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”  Colossians 2:8

“For the weapons of warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”  2 Corinthians 10:5

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind..”  Ephesians 4:23

“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

“Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him..”  Luke 24:31

“And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”  Luke 24:45

“Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  Matthew 7:14

No trial or tribulation

Or pain and torture too,

Will ever compare to those in hell:

A place that’s real and true.

We like to believe all rest in peace

Without the writhing in agony too,

When our humanistic and worldly ways

Want to determine what is true.

When God says ‘Depart from Me’

To those who believe were His,

Imagine the level of deception

And the lies that have bred within.

When Jesus sits at the centre

Of our heart and in all we do,

There is clarity in our decisions

With His wisdom that is true.

Our friends may appear sincere

But their opinions can lead us to hell,

When they’re not grounded in the word of God

Where truth and righteousness does dwell.

Because the gate is truly narrow

As Christ proclaims He is the way,

And the truth and life that leads to God

Where this fact always remains.

Jesus spoke of hell

And several times indeed,

And we sincerely know He never lied

But warned us gently to take heed.

When we examine ourselves

And forgive those who do us wrong,

God’s forgiveness will extend to us

With His grace so pure and strong.

These words are penned with love

And never to judge or to condemn,

But as a warning and a timely reminder

That God’s judgement will be sent.

A loving God demands justice

As He’s sincere and holy too,

And given that we all fall short

We need the Holy Spirit to be renewed.

As long as there is breath

There’s time to repent and change:

To rest in greener pastures

Where God’s mercy will remain.

Nothing will compare 

To God’s grace and forgiveness too,

Hence the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

Who expressed His love for me and you.

(C) P.B. 2021

“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.”  Matthew 7:13

“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.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”  Matthew 7:21-23

“It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire – ‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”  Mark 9:47-48

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 3:23

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”  Matthew 6:14-15

“Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.  For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.”  Isaiah 30:18

“Now ‘if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?’” 1 Peter 4:18

“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

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”  John 14:6

How wonderful is Your tabernacle

And secure Your covering;

A resting place for our soul

Where love and peace it brings.

Better is one day in Your courts

Than a thousand days elsewhere,

As Your Spirit and Your presence

Can never be compared.

One day in Your courts

Renews our strength and grace,

Because it’s only You that provides true peace

When we seek You face to face.

One day in Your courts

Provides a sweet smelling scent;

A fragrance that ignites our soul

When we sincerely do repent.

You withhold no good thing

From those who respect You Lord;

Who understand Your riches

That are found in Your word.

One day in Your courts

Should become a daily visitation,

When our soul is hungry for Your truth:

To absorb without hesitation.

Blessed is the soul

Whose hope is found in You,

And covered by Your love and grace

When the heart is renewed.

The worldly ways can rob our soul

With negativity and jealousies,

But to spend one day in Your courts

Much joy and peace we’ll see.

None can compare to You

As you reignite our soul,

When the fruit of the spirit is deposited

Within to seal that hole.

One day in Your courts

Where the sunshine never ends;

Where our heart and soul cries out for You:

When our praise to You we send.

(C) P.B. 2021

“For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.”  Psalm 84:10

“How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”  Psalm 84:1-2

“Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You.”  Psalm 84:4

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.”  Psalm 84:5

“For the Lord is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  Psalm 84:11

“O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!”  Psalm 84:12

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”  Galatians 5:22

We’re accustomed to the natural;

As far as the eye can see,

And trust in the tangible

Where proof and evidence is seen.

But there are moral implications

That extend into the spiritual realm,

Along with root causes that cannot be seen

That can leave us overwhelmed.

If earth was our only reality

Then Christ we would not need,

Because if the afterlife did not exist

There’d be no Savior to intercede.

God’s put eternity in our heart

Whether we realise this or not,

But we’re distracted to discover the truth

When too absorbed with our lot.

Fear is debilitating

And will take full control and reign,

Where our common sense is numbed

And where logic does not remain.

All forms of negativity

Have a deep root within,

And stem from the powers of darkness

Associated with our sin.

It’s the invisible attributes

That gain power in our lives,

But we prefer to claim another source

When reality is disguised.

There’s more than meets the eye

And we’d be pleasantly surprised,

When we discover the deeper meaning;

When scales fall from our eyes.

When we have true vision

Of what the Father does desire,

We were once blind but now we see

As our heart and soul is rewired.

Jesus came to set us free

With a heavy price to pay:

He’s the epitome of love and grace

And forever this remains.

God’s vision was pure and clear

As He saw our eternity,

And sacrificed His dear Son

So eternal life we see.

(C) P.B. 2021

“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”  1 Corinthians 15:19

“Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”  1 Peter 5:8

“For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”  Galatians 6:8

“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”  Galatians 5:16

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

“…and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”  Ephesians 4:23-24

“Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptised.”  Acts 9:18

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

An afterthought is an idea

Not originally planned or intended,

And remembered at a later time

So the feature is amended.

We are not an afterthought

Since everything was contained,

In the sperm and egg with our DNA

Where no seam it will remain.

Look at how we’re created

Ten fingers and a nose,

All features working in harmony

With seeing eyes and ten of our toes.

We are not an afterthought

And definitely not a mistake,

Because God is sincere from the start

And will never become fake.

Christ was not an afterthought

Since the Father could foresee,

Our fallen nature and a requirement

For a Savior that we would need.

An afterthought does not contain

The original plan and design,

Because the addition and amendment

Leaves its simplicity behind.

At times we feel like an afterthought

When we’re initially rejected,

By those we believe are our friends

But instead forgotten or neglected.

An afterthought will never exist

In the Father’s pure mission,

Because He’s true and precious and truly divine

With a faithful plan and vision.

God is wholehearted from the beginning

With a steadfast perspective indeed,

When He gave us Christ to die on the cross

And for our sins to intercede.

(C) P.B. 2021

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

“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 139:16

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…”  Jeremiah 1:5

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.”  Jeremiah 17:5

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.  For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters…” Jeremiah 17:7-8

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you, and you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 17:11-13

The most magnificent voice of all

Belongs to God Almighty;

The Creator of Heaven and Earth,

Full of majesty and is mighty.

His voice thunders over many waters

And flames of fire He divides;

With great power filled with wisdom,

It’s a voice that never dies.

His spoken word created all

And made the deer to give birth;

His glory extends forevermore

Along with His precious worth.

His voice is pure and holy

And with authority it’s enthroned;

It can never contradict itself;

With integrity in His tone.

It thunders over valleys

And will shake the wilderness;

His voice can strip the forests bare

But will also give us rest.

He sits as King forever

And will distribute His great strength,

To those who revere and fear His name

With provision at great length.

No other voice can ever compare

And no sweeter can it be,

Because the melody that’s in His word

Will entirely set us free.

Free from chains of bondage

Where true liberty abounds,

And where true peace, love and joy

His glory it will sound.

He rejoices over us

And sings His praises too;

The most magnificent and dearest voice

That is sincere and is true.

(C) P.B. 2021

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”  Genesis 1:3

“Then God said, ‘Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.’”  Genesis 1:20

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The Lord is over many waters, the voice of the Lord is powerful; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.”  Psalm 29:3-4

“The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness…the voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, ‘Glory!’”  Psalm 29:8-9

“The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.”  Psalm 29:11

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”  John 1:1-3

“And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”  Isaiah 62:5

When the rainbow in our heart

Ceases to exist,

It’s where every hope and dream within

Has died or gone amiss.

When the tears soak our pillow

From our waterfall within,

The pain’s too much to bear

When things look dark and dim.

But this phase is only temporary

Like every other thing on earth…

And it’s through this broken vessel

Where new adventures can be birthed.

At times it is a whirlwind

With no perceived end in sight;

A vortex that spans deeper

Resisting all our strength and might.

It’s like a battle never ending;

A war that’s deep within,

When we become the casualties

And can never really win.

But our battle is not fought alone

When we come to understand,

That our Creator is fully aware of same

As He holds us by the hand.

He mends our broken soul

And our battered heart He seals,

With His promises that are eternal

And our emotions He does heal.

But it requires humility on our part

To come to the realisation,

That we need God in a deeper way

Along with faith, hope and patience.

When it hurts…

The hope we so desperately need,

Is only a cry or a whisper away

For our God to intercede.

(C) P.B. 2021

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

“I set My rainbow in the cloud…and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”  Genesis 9:13-15

“…for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.”  Joshua 23:10

“The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”  Exodus 14:14

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

“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