22, 3-2-SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTS, 10/17/21
As far as today’s show notes are concerned, I want to announce, very loudly and clearly, that I used spell check and any misspellings are not from my fingers tapping on the letters on the keyboard. That’s all I have to say.
Now it’s up to you, Dave. . . . . . . . . . . . . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Today we have poems about Jesus being the Bread of Life, the wonder of God’s way, a couple of the amazing things God has done for me, and God’s rest.
MATTHEW 16:6 (Living In God’s Rhyme, pg. 179)
I tremble in fear as I write these words,
Not in fear of what the reader may think.
I tremble in fear, in awe of God that stirred
My heart to believe I can be his scribe.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments
There are warnings about false prophets.
Warnings were given during the times of the law
And again today knowing all his people saw.
During the times of the Law
God’s chosen ones were instructed
As they sought their release
To eat unleavened bread.
Today we are saved by unleavened bread
Jesus the bread of life knew no sin.
In Matthew we find that the rulers of the law,
The Pharisees and the Sadducees, fought what they saw.
Though seeing they were unbelieving,
Missing God’s mighty wonder and awe.
After refusing the demands of those who were blind
Jesus left the religious leaders and others behind.
When they went across the lake,
the disciples forgot to take bread.
“Be careful,” Jesus said to them.
“Be on your guard against the yeast
of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:5,6
The disciples perhaps confused,
Or perhaps like a writer confounded,
Wondered if what he said
Was because they didn’t bring any bread.
Knowing of their discussion, Jesus asked,
“You of little faith, why are you talking
among yourselves about having no bread?
(Matthew 16:8)
And he reminded them of the times
They gathered baskets and baskets of loaves
That were left over, which were more,
More than they had when they began.
Jesus continued,
“How is it you don’t understand that I
was not talking to you about bread?
Be on guard against the yeast
of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
(Matthew 16:11)
Then the disciples knew as we should know
That it was not the yeast used in the bread
That they should guard against, but the preaching
Of those leaders in power and their false teaching.
Today there are those who profess
To know better than the rest,
That the Jesus they teach
They will show you how to reach.
God’s ways are not our ways
And any word we add or change
That leads a one in need astray,
For us life will become stranger,
Stranger with danger.
Jesus, the Bread of Life, needs no yeast.
Nothing needs to be added, no nothing,
How do we improve on perfection,
Ours through his death and resurrection?
We need to read God’s word,
We need to pray for wisdom
To know the words of man we have heard
Are the words that rule God’s Kingdom.
©2018 Living In God’s Rhyme by Tim Carter
Ok, the last 2 lines are confusing or mis-written. It has been 4 years since I wrote this poem. My hope is that I was trying to say that we need to pray for wisdom so we know if the word man speaks are the words of God, that rule His kingdom.
Maybe I should have written:
To know the words of the Son of Man we have heard
Are the words that rule God’s Kingdom.
or,
To know the words of man we have heard
Are not the words that rule God’s Kingdom.
I’II work on getting that changed. I’m not going to try to get out of this with my poetic license.
Let’s see how the next one goes.
THE WONDER OF GOD’S WAYS (Living in God’s Rhyme, pg. 182)
God’s love is shown and Jesus is known
As the words of King David are heard
Many years after and many years before,
After the creation and before the resurrection.
In times of grace and in time of waste
God’s love for us never falters, never fails.
His is a love we may never understand,
While on this earth we are merely man.
David writes:
the LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger; abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
(Psalm 103:7-12)
How can we on this earth understand this love?
We live our lives struggling for love
While we struggle at times to give our love.
We shake our neighbor’s hands with winter gloves.
If we have fear for the Lord, the awe and respect he deserves,
We have opened the door to our hearts to receive his grace,
If we truly believe and accept this and are not reserved
In our faith, he is faithful to forgive and remember never.
Be thankful that as Isaiah writes of God,
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways.”
declares the LORD .
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)
Live in awe filled wonder and his voice will not thunder
Because of who he is, as we live, he forgives.
By faith through his grace, we have the gift to forever live
Through the death of his Son, who took upon himself our sin.
Be thankful God is who he is and always will be,
Be thankful God loves you and loves me,
Be thankful God created us in love
So by believing we will see him in heaven above.
God so loves us that he sent his only Son to die for our transgressions.
If his ways were our ways, we would still be dying in those transgressions.
Be thankful and accept his love, the gift of his son
So one day you will be with him when with this world you are done.
©2018 Living In God’s Rhyme by Tim Carter
One phrase in this poem had me puzzled for years. Once I understood the meaning of one word as it relates to the Lord, my world confusion changed. “Fear of the Lord,” why should I be afraid of a loving God? Then, with a little research, I found the meaning of “fear of the Lord.” It simply means to have a deep respect, reverence and awe of God’s power and authority. I’m sure there are those listening who have know this for many years. I am happy for you and your understanding of it. Seek, and you shall find. Amen
Two things inspired in the next poem. The word amazing and bagpipes. I love the word amazing especially when sung in the song Amazing Grace. Yes, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. And I especially love the song when played on the bagpipes. I don’t know if I have Scottish blood in me. Our dad was adopted. But I know that the blood of Jesus has saved me by God’s amazing grace.
AMAZING (Living In God’s Rhyme, pg. 174)
I heard music with bagpipes and a fife
And knew how wonderful was life,
Amazing grace how sweet the sound.
Standing there I looked around
And it is in that moment I found
The gift from God that was my wife.
Oh, there were years with tears,
Years of hurry and of worry,
Years to forget, of life’s regret,
Years of joy starting with a baby boy,
Years of baby girls that maybe,
No, truly brought joy with the baby boy.
Without these years I would have had fears
That being alone would turn me to stone.
I had the love of family because I was me.
I loved them as one because I knew I had won
The battle so many face as they run the race.
The race of today and what may,
What may be, what I may be
As I have confessed I am blessed
By those who love me and what they see
In this lowly man doing what he can
To help them survive and stay alive.
Alive in hope that they may cope
With the world around and its sounds.
And as they cope my prayer for hope,
For all I desire is set on fire
Through the words of Jesus who saves us,
A wretch like me that I may be
A reflection, a connection
To the God of love in Heaven above.
And to help with me, for others to see
He changed my life, he gave me my wife.
©2018 Living In God’s Rhyme by Tim Carter
REST (God Still Rhymes, pg. 15)
When life has taken your best,
Take a step back, but don’t look around.
Do not be disturbed by the sound
For all you ever need can be found.
All you will ever need, in God’s rest.
© 2019 God Still Rhymes by Tim Carter
What is God’s rest? Hebrews 4:2-3 says those who have heard the good news and believe will enter God’s rest. As a follower of Jesus, we understand what the good news is, the news of our salvation. By believing and trusting in Him through our salvation we can enter into His rest. Through our salvation, Jesus has delivered us from sin which separates from God’s rest.
As we place our faith in God knowing that He is stronger than any situation we may find ourselves in, we enter God’s rest when we have done the will of God and patiently wait to receive His promise. That’s a paraphrase for something I read earlier.
It reminds me of Psalm 46:10, be still and know that I am God.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank you for the opportunity you have given Dave and me with this podcast. We pray today that you bless those who have listened to the podcast and that it has planted a seed where it needed to be planted. We pray for the healing of those listeners who have health problems and we pray that the needs of all are met. Amen
Believe the good news, turn your problems, your life over to God and may you rest this coming week.
If you give
Him the times
As you live
His word rhymes
And never forget, “We are the King’s kids, and you will never get rid of us because we are His with Jesus.