THE GOD OF ALL GRACE (l Peter 5:10)

"The God of all grace" is sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9)
To meet us at our point of need;
But it takes time and maturity
To sort our needs from our greed.

When we are reduced to our extremity,
Our priorities make a great shift;
Those to which we gave importance
Give way to those which our spirits lift.

His purpose is to "perfect" or mature us,
To "stablish" us in Christ our Lord;
Then, He can "strengthen" our walk in him
As we abide in Him and His word. (John 15:7)

All is meant by God to "settle" us
In a consistent walk in Him; (Col. 2:6)
As our affections are "set. . . on things above", (Col. 3:2)
The things of this world begin to dim.

"Perfect, stablish, strengthening, settle" us, (1 Pet. 5:10)
Is done by "the God of all grace";
And we will give Him all the glory
When, at last, we see Him face to face!

C. R. Solomon 5-1-12

THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM (Prov. 9:10a)

The fear of God is missing
In the affairs of men today;
Being captain of their own fate,
They refuse to allow Him sway.

Being moved by their own passions,
They refuse to allow Him room;
As they're ruled by earthly wisdom,
They have thereby sealed their doom.

All the while, God bides His time
And lets them run their course;
When their wisdom comes to naught,
There'll be ample time for remorse.

We, as Christians, must pave the way,
With the fear of God our guide--
Exposing the fallacy of their unbelief,
On which they have relied.

When instead we live by faith
Lives they cannot explain,
We will have forsaken our wisdom
And in the Life of our Lord remain. (Jn. 15:5)

When they follow the life we live,
They should be drawn to our Lord;
We have been crucified with Christ,
As it is written in His Word. (Gal. 2:20)

- C. R. Solomon 10-12-11

COMPLETING THE REFORMATION

The Reformation served its purpose,
While needed much in Luther's day.
Again, the Church needs reforming
With fleshly teaching holding sway.

When measured by earthly standards,
The numbers indicate success;
But when assessed by the Spirit,
There are signs of much distress.

With the world in great confusion,
Will the Dark Ages be repeated?
Though we are satiated with knowledge,
Spiritual life has been depleted.

The printing press was Luther's ally,
With the way of salvation needed;
A similar need exists today,
With the way of the cross unheeded.

The internet can be our ally,
With sanctification by faith the cry;
Preaching the cross the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18)
On which the Church must rely.

The Reformation stopped short
Of teaching the believer's cross, (Gal. 2:20)
Thus subverting true discipleship, (Lk. 14:27)
With the Church suffering great loss.

The Reformation must be completed
With sanctification the missing piece;
The bands of flesh must be broken
If the Church is to know release.

The world will soon be clamoring
For the Church to be the Church;
When it fulfills its destiny,
The hungry can cease to search.

Only a completed Reformation will suffice
To make the mid-course correction;
Sanctification must have twin billing
With the foundation of justification.

When we return to preaching the cross,
The power of God will be displayed;
And the world will know once again
That full atonement has been made!

The Light is the Answer to darkness
And only Jesus can it quell;
When the believer's cross is central, (Rom. 6:6-11)
The full story the Church will tell!

C. R. Solomon, 9-30-11

THE WORLD IN TURMOIL

When your world falls apart
And for answers you are gleaning,
You must forsake the usual haunts
And look to the cross for meaning.

Losing our lives to save them (Matt. 16:24,25)
Is not known by the masses.
We're forced to learn by default;
It's usually not taught in classes.

Discipleship has long been neglected (Luke 14:27)
Such that the Church has suffered loss;
It can only regain its power
By the preaching of the cross. (1 Cor. 1:18)

Defeated and desperate believers (Rom. 7:24)
Cannot settle for justification; (John 3:3, Rom.5:10a)
Spiritual growth is an absolute must,
Which is the object of sanctification. (Rom. 5:10b)

I will settle you after your old estates,
And will do better unto you than at your beginnings;
And ye shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezek. 36:11)
As your battles, within and without, I am winning.

- C. R. Solomon 9-24-11

GALATIANS 5:25

          

      

"If we live in the Spirit", (Gal. 5:25a)

And God's Word says we do, (Rom. 8:29)

"Let us also walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:25b)

As He lives His life in you.

"As ye have. . . received Christ Jesus the Lord"

In Him you are to walk; (Col. 2:6)

Only so is our faith demonstrated,

If abiding in Him is our talk. (1 John 2:6a)

-    C. R. Solomon 10-6-10