Today - Poem by Martha Snell Nicholson

Today

Help me to place in Thy hands today
The thing that my heart most fears—
Tomorrow’s anguish and bitter pain,
Tomorrow’s sorrows and tears;

The long, long years, and the loneliness,
The silence, the vacant chair . . .
The grief of today is enough, dear Lord,
But tomorrow’s I cannot bear!

Ease Thou my burden and lighten my load
Till only today is left.
Soft comes His voice in the hush of my soul,
“O broken heart, and bereft,

“My grace is sufficient for thee today,
Pillow upon My breast
Thy weary head, in My circling arms
Today thou shalt find rest.

“Today I can meet thine every need,
Today My love can fill
The echoing chambers of thine heart.
Then rest thee, and be still.”

Be still and trust . . . tomorrow’s tears
May all be wiped away
By God Himself . . . O grieving heart,
Thy Lord may come today!

~Martha Snell Nicholson~

My Son, Give Me Thine Heart (Poem)

I found this in one of my saved emails and wanted to post it along with the poem, to give the thoughts behind writing it:

Dear friends,

The following poem was written by Jerry Bouey in response to our article "Not Forgetting the Children." This is an excellent poem that truly conveys the spiritual truth we wanted to convey. It also speaks to the real spiritual problem in rearing our children to serve the Savior and why many fail to do so. We hope it is an encouragement to you.

Pastor Terry L. Coomer
Hope Biblical Counseling Center

Terry,
I just wanted to say thank you for all your messages. They are a blessing to me. I do not have children, but want to glean all the wisdom I can in preparation for a Godly home some day - if the Lord wills me to be married.

Many of the points you emphasized today, as well as the main verse - Proverbs 23:26, were preached on at our church Sunday night. The Lord loves getting our attention and repeating what He wants His children to hear!

I wrote a poem this morning that I wanted to pass on to you. Feel free to use it if you'd like. It is called My Son, Give Me Thine Heart.

My Son, Give Me Thine Heart

"My son, give me thine ears,"
Is a saying that may seem wise.
While they listen to your words,
You don't know what goes on inside.
They may appear to pay attention,
To respond to all you have to say,
But nothing is changed in their lives;
They may heed, but do not obey.

"My son, give me thine eyes;
Observe all that I do.
Overlook all my hypocrisy,
And copy the good and true."
While that saying may seem right,
It's only part of what God has to say -
They may watch all of your actions,
But inside, they're unchanged each day.

"My son, give me thine heart,"
Seek the Lord with all diligence.
Jesus works from the inside out;
That's what makes the difference.
Because when God really has your heart,
You will observe all He tells you to:
Obey your parents, read God's Word,
And glorify the Lord in all you do.

December 4th, 2002
Jerry Bouey

My son, give me thine heart,
and let thine eyes observe my ways.
Proverbs 23:26

A Shadow Of Things To Come

I have created a new blog for my devotional outlines. Please stop by and bookmark it if you are interested.

I wanted to have an outlet to post less developed studies or outlines from messages I have preached at the Gospel Mission. I have entitled it A Shadow Of Things To Come Lord willing, I will be posting more regularly there, as I am still regularly preaching at the Mission, but don't always find the time to work on writing up my studies.

The first few studies I will be posting will be a series I am currently preaching through on the I Ams of Jesus from the Gospel of John. The first sermon outline posted is pretty long (I Am The Bread Of Life), but most of them will not be anywhere near that length. These outlines will also contain links or quotes from other articles and poems that I have used in my devotionals. I have about 10-15 minutes to preach at a time, and sometimes I find a solid poem can really hit home the point after covering the related Bible passages. It is also a blessing to be able to preach various series, as I can develop or build upon themes covered in other messages.

I hope this new blog is a blessing to you as well.

The Weaver (Poem)

The Weaver

My Life is but a weaving
Between my Lord and me;
I cannot choose the colors;
He worketh steadily.

Oft times He weaveth sorrow,
And I, in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the under side.

Not til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver's skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

He knows, He loves, He cares,
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives His very best to those
Who leave the choice with Him.

~Author Unknown~

(Doing an online search reveals various editions of this poem. Most editions do not contain the last stanza, so it was probably not part of the original poem - though it is a welcome addition to me.)

My Name Is I Am (Poem)

My Name Is I Am

I was regretting the past
and fearing the future.
Suddenly my Lord was speaking:
"My name is I AM"

He paused.
I waited. He continued,
"When you live in the past
with its mistakes and regrets,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I WAS.

When you live in the future,
with its problems and fears,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I WILL BE.

When you live in this moment
it is not hard. I am here,
My name is I AM."

~Helen Mallicoat~

The 23rd Psalm - Assurance (Poem)

The 23rd Psalm - Assurance

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD...
That's Relationship!

I SHALL NOT WANT...
That's Supply!

HE MAKETH ME TO LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES...
That's Rest!

HE LEADETH ME BESIDE THE STILL WATERS...
That's Refreshment!

HE RESTORETH MY SOUL...
That's Healing!

HE LEADETH ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS...
That's Guidance!

FOR HIS NAME SAKE...
That's Purpose!

YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH...
That's Challenge!

I WILL FEAR NO EVIL...
That's Assurance!

FOR THOU ART WITH ME...
That's Faithfulness!

THY ROD AND THY STAFF THEY COMFORT ME...
That's Shelter!

THOU PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES...
That's Hope!

THOU ANOINEST MY HEAD WITH OIL...
That's Consecration!

MY CUP RUNNETH OVER...
That's Abundance!

SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE...
That's Blessing!

AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD...
That's Security!

FOREVER...
That's Eternity!

~Author Unknown~

A good way to read this Psalm is by asking the question, "What shall I not want?"

I shall not want--
Rest -- for He makes me to lie down in green pastures.
Drink -- for He leadeth me beside the still waters.
Forgiveness -- for He restoreth my soul.
Guidance -- for He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.
Companionship -- for Thou art with me.
Comfort -- for Thy rod and Thy staff comfort me.
Food -- for Thou preparest a table before me.
Victory -- in the presence of mine enemies.
Joy -- Thou anointest my head with oil.
Overrunning joy -- for my cup runneth over.
Everything in time -- for goodness and mercy shall follow me.
Everything in eternity -- for I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Quoted from The Annotated Bible by Arno Clement Gaebelein

I Am Jesus (Poem)

Lately, I have been preaching on the I Ams of Jesus from the Gospel of John.

Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

John 4:25-26 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

I Am Jesus

I Am the Good Shepherd;
I gave My life for My sheep.
I Am the Resurrection and the Life -
Your comfort when you weep.

I Am the Light of the World
That shines upon you each day -
In this perilous journey of life,
I Am the only Way.

I Am the True Vine -
There is no real living apart from Me.
I Am the Door of Salvation;
Eternal life is knowing Me.

I Am the Messiah, who died
From sin to set you free;
For everything you are searching for -
I that speak to you Am He.

I Am the Bread of Life
On which your soul can feed.
I Am That I Am - 
I Am all you will ever need.

I Am the Great Jehovah;
The LORD of Heaven, the earth, and the sea.
I Am Jesus Christ, the Saviour;
The LORD which is, which was, and will be.

I Am Jesus.

April 21st/2010
Jerry Bouey

The Dark Tomb (Poem)

Luke 22:52-53 Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

The Dark Tomb

The Light of the world flickered and dimmed;
The Lord of Glory was crucified.
Darkness veiled the whole world from Him
As blood poured from His wounds and side.

His loved ones gathered around His cross,
Heard, "It is finished," as Jesus cried -
Their souls overwhelmed by grief and loss,
Watched as He gave up His life and died.

They laid Him in a rich man's tomb;
Sealed His grave with a heavy stone.
As night brought on its sorrow and gloom,
His friends left - heavy-hearted and alone.

Three dark days passed by - troubled by fears,
While their Hope lay silent in the grave.
Defeated, discouraged, filled with tears -
Conquered by death? How then could He save?

While their hearts were grieving, triumph was near -
The Saviour had faced our greatest foes.
The tomb is now empty! He is not here!
Wonderful victory - Jesus arose!

Oh dark grave, where is your victory?
Oh death, where now is your bitter sting?
How impossible for a sealed tomb
To imprison or hold the King of kings!

April 4th/2010
Jerry Bouey

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.