Thursday, August 7, 2008

Christ is all

This is another poem/meditation from The Valley of Vision entitled "Christ is all".

O lover to the uttermost,
May I read the meltings of thy heart to me
in the manger of thy birth,
in the garden of thy agony,
in the cross of thy suffering,
in the tomb of thy resurrection,
in the heaven of thy intercession.

Bold in this thought I defy my adversary,
tread down his temptations,
resist his schemings,
renounce the world,
am valiant for the truth.

Deepen in me a sense of my holy relationship to thee,
as spiritual bridegroom,
as Jehovah's fellow,
as sinners' friend.

I think of thy glory and my vileness,
thy majesty and my meanness,
thy beauty and my deformity,
thy purity and my filth,
thy righteousness and my iniquity.

Thou hast loved me everlastingly, unchangeably,
may I love thee as I am loved;

Thou hast given thyself for me,
may I also give myself to thee;

Thou hast died for me,
may I live to thee,
in every moment of my time,
in every movement of my mind,
in every pulse of my heart.

May I never dally with the world and its allurements,
but walk by thy side,
listen to thy voice,
be clothed with thy graces,
and adorned with thy righteousness.
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I want to confess to you that there is an element of pride in my heart as I post stuff like this. You know, this looks so spiritual and deep. Let me confess to you that reading these just causes me to worship my great Savior, Jesus Christ. When I read these I want to experience Jesus like these guys did deep within their being. Unfortunately, alot of times I just don't. I find myself more often than I'd like fighting sinfulness rather than basking in His greatness. I find myself wanting to want Him but struggling with this body of death in which I dwell (Rom 7:24). I teach the youth at our church that joy in Christ trumps the temptation that we experience in daily life. I teach that as we grow in Christ our joy in Him will eclipse the fleeting pleasures in this world and I believe that because I see it in Scripture. However the 1 and 1/2 feet of distance between my head and my heart often times seems as wide as the Grand Canyon. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.

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