Love Like God

PODCAST 21, 3-1, SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTS (proposed date 9/10/21)

Today we will be discussing and reading poems about God’s love for us and struggles we overcome knowing who Jesus is and what He has done for us.

The first poem is about a Bible verse that I am sure everyone listening is familiar with.

JOHN 3:16 (God’s Rhyme, pg. 106)

“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.” (NIV)

God loved us,

He gave us,

His only Son,

For everyone,

Who believes

In His Son

Should not,

Will not,

Perish,

But have

Life

Everlasting.

What could be more poetic,

More comforting than this?

No words of yours or mine

Could convey love like His.

Gave His son,

Whoever believes,

Life everlasting,

There is nothing,

Not a thing,

Left to say.

Except,

Thank you Lord

For Your love.

Reflection:

So, one day I thought I could make God's love for us sound more poetic, make it sound more . . . whatever that it is in the Bible. I couldn't and happily admit it. The work of God in human hands . . . It should be left in God's hands.

Read reflection on next poem first:

Reflection on What Can I Offer?

I had the thought of writing about what I have to offer to God for a few months. I’m sure that I heard it in a sermon. When I finally was able to write, I was in church. During the last song before the sermon we were asked to sit as we sang. At some point in the song the poem was there. I wrote on the bulletin and was finished just after the singing was over. When I typing it I did add “the void”. God’s rhyme, always there. Sometimes he just says follow my lead and write. There is a message in that.

WHAT CAN I OFFER? (God Still Rhymes, pg. 87)

What gift can I offer you?

All I have to offer is my sin.

And with your grace you accept them.

You take the weight of my sin

And lift it from my failing heart

That I may have new life

Breathed in to the soul of my heart.

Through your grace

You take from me

All that is wrong

And fill the emptiness,

The void with your song.

In John’s Gospel, Chapter 11, Verses 38-54, are about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Let me read a few verses starting at verse 45 to lead into the next poem.

⁴⁵Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. ⁴⁶But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. ⁴⁸If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”⁴⁹Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”⁵¹He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵²and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. ⁵³So from that day on they plotted to take his life.⁵⁴Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. (NIV)

Into this world you were born so that you might be scorned,

Never seeing your worth while on this earth,

Though they saw the torn veil, not knowing that you would prevail.

JOHN 11:45

Part I, the Poem

Jesus threatens the comfort of our lives

Just as he threatened the Pharisee’s lies.

For that he should die.

Did they, do we know why?

The Messiah, the Son of God.

For that and all he said

They wanted him dead.

The world hasn’t changed.

He who controls rules.

The law, did it have clues?

Not for the ruling few

Who believed they knew.

But what did they know,

What seeds did they sow

Leading the lost sheep astray?

Did they ever ask or pray?

Today

what do we say?

Do we ever pray

that we not be

led astray,

but find

the Way,

the Truth,

and the Life?

Part II, the Thoughts

Jesus threatens our comfortable way of life

just as he did the Pharisees.

They wanted to kill him because

when people believed he was the Messiah,

the Son of God,

they no longer had control over those lives.

So many are comfortable in their own beliefs,

their own religion,

either devised or perverted by man.

The way of the world is control,

Control of the weak!

Traditions can become the way;

when perverted, the wrong way.

Who perverts - man of course.

Their power gives false hope

as if on dope.

Their promises are of man,

of this sinful world.

They are proud in the eyes of their gods –

themselves.

Jesus gives life everlasting.

The ultimate judge,

his control is love,

his saving grace.

Not forced, freely given

to those who accept.

Love does not control,

it guides,

forgives,

gives hope

which leads to freely accepted

obedience.

They wanted to kill Jesus then,

they want to kill him now!

Reflection on John 11:45

I write notes, thoughts, verses and more in a small spiral notebook, on the back of the church bulletin, on sticky notes at work, but not my hand. Part II of this poem was written on two pages of the small notebook. With the exception of some punctuation marks and putting the free flow of thoughts into verses, it is the original thought. Sometimes I think that the original is better than the rewritten. I know that at all times the original is better than the rewritten.

If it seems that the verse before the title is missing something, it is.

BLESSED IS LOVE (God’s Rhyme, pg. 25)

Blessed are they

who love the Lord

thy God,

for they shall love

one another

& those around them.

We are commanded

to love God

our Father

with all our heart

& all our soul.

And after, to love

Thy neighbor

As we would

love ourselves

who are created

in the image

of our Creator.

Love with all

our hearts

& all our souls

as He did

who saved our souls

on Calvary’s hill.

Father, Son & Holy Spirit;

One & the same

for eternity.

Likewise, the Ten Commandments

Jesus said are one;

“Love one another

as I have loved you.”

The love that God commands

is the love He has given.

Blessed are we

who accept His love,

for we can return

the blessing.

Blessed are they

who love the Lord

for they, like God,

are love,

& love, like God,

goes on forever.

It is God’s love that we need and God’s love we need to share.

Where to find books (book signings, mention book signing inquiry at a local library, read inside, sell in parking lot)

Closing Prayer:

Dear Father, we thank You for this time we have had today to share our faith with each other and our listeners. We pray that it not only has lifted our faith but also our listeners. We pray Lord that if there is someone listening that hasn’t accepted Your grace, the gift You have offered of salvation through your Son, Jesus, that this may have been the planting of the seed that will be watered and lead to salvation for that person. We thank you, Lord, for your blessings in our lives and this podcast. We also pray for those listeners who may be going through trials in their lives, emotional, health wise, or in other ways that you work a miracle in their lives this coming week. We give You all the honor and praise for anything good that comes from this podcast. We pray in the name of Jesus, Your Son, our Savior.

If you give

Him the times

As you live

His word rhymes

And don’t forget, we are the King’s kids and you will never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus .

Follow is on our website

www.livingingodsrhyme.com

You can buy Tim's books at the following websites

god rhyme tim carter | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Amazon.com : God's Rhyme Tim Carter

https://www.lettrapress.com

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