Get Set! Get Ready! Live!

Get Set! Get Ready! ...

Then wait for the sound, the signal.

There you stay ...steady,

Your race to run, start-to-final.

Recall the heart-pumping thrill, all the excitement,

Waiting for that sound, or flag to drop.

Spectators’ anticipation, winner’s intent,

The sweaty brows, but no time to mop. 

The race of life that we each must run,

Is just like this, but with one deviation.

It’s not a flag or shot from a gun,

But it comes with the greatest trepidation. 

There in swirling, gurgling noises of Mom’s womb, 

Here we ‘Get set!’ by an act of love, Paternal.

To grow a body to live this life, womb-to-tomb,

We’re a sleeping seed, with DNA physical.

Throughout our harrowing days of life on land, 

Here we ‘Get ready!’ through years on life’s calendar,

To grow, to know, and be known by God and man,

A human soul with all the seeds of character.

In Mom we ‘Got set!’

Then in life we ‘Got ready!’

At life’s end we fret, 

With hearts now full of worry!

Now, no heart-pumping thrill or excitement,

Waiting for that sound, or flag to drop.

Mourners’ prepare, as the dying lament.

Now with sweaty brows, much time to mop. 

Then in the cold clutches of death’s sleep sabbatical,

There we ‘Get set!’ all over again. 

We’re a sleeping seed, with DNA spiritual.

Awaiting God’s great, ‘Arise!’, command.

‘ARISE!’ To God’s judgment bench we’ll then be summoned!

Thus we ‘Get ready!’, His feedback on our life to know.

Twice we ‘Got set and ready! Now His Books are opened.

Ummm....we’re you wond’ring, ‘When do we ever get to GO?!’

With Justice served, it will finally be time for us to ‘GO!’,

Each to our our everlasting abode, assigned,

Depending on whether it’s Christ you served, or satan, His foe. 

How will you end life’s race that God has designed?

Get Set! Get Ready! LIVE ...e.t.e.r.n.a.l.l.y!

Depression’s Lie (Poem)

Hook, line and ‘stinker’, we’ve bought into the devil’s lie:

‘No one cares, you don’t matter, God’s dead,

in Him there’s no breath!’

T’is the result of turning our backs on wisdom’s cry:

‘Embrace me for God’s favor; to reject me is to love death.’ ¹

Without Godly wisdom, the lie goes un-perceived,

Thus for death, in all it’s various forms, we’ve cast our vote!

Depression’s fruits of the lie so long we’ve believed,

Oppression’s boots press on many poor souls, as devils gloat.

‘Fear not! Do not fear!’, iteratively says wisdom. ²

But we’ve drawn a thick line between fear and anxiety.

Thus, we prefer to look at life through a fool’s prism,

Not knowing it’s fear we embrace, antithetically. ³

In the midst of anxiety, tell me what you see.

There’s a hint, a focus on ‘me, myself and I’.

Therein lies the trick and trap of ole satan’s dark plea,

To let it be you, yourself that you magnify.

But there’s hope, if you only take time to discover,

Wisdom’s insightful Truth, and in Light to bask.

Then you will surely become God’s great ‘lie disrupter’,

And see depression is merely …fear’s dark mask!

Perceive the Truth that in depression is couched:

‘Press on!’ Never give up! Never give in!

Resist the pressures that against you are crouched!

As you learn to live by faith, in Christ, you’ll win!

‘Anxiety in the heart causes depression,
Ahhh, but a Good word makes the heart glad.’ ⁴

You will only escape fear’s very dark dungeon,

When by God’s good Word your heart stays clad.

Avoid the trick 'n trap!

Press on!

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¹ Ponder the calls and cries of wisdom in Proverbs 1:20-33 and 8:1-36.

² Try using a Bible app (e.g., BibleGateway.com) to count how often this command appears in The Bible. Reading them contextually is a GREAT faith-builder and a cure for depression!

Also see: Fear Is Faith Is Fear Is… (Poem)

³ Rumination—or mulling over worries—is the biggest predictor of depression and anxiety, according to a large-scale British study published in 2013. It’sNot All About You!

Suicide: Mission Impossible (Poem)

Dead men are dying. ¹

Strong men all lying.

Fake news is duping.

Devils are whooping!

‘Curse God and die!’ That’s what Job’s wife once said.

With no faith in God, she was spirit dead.

While righteous Job shunned his dead wife’s advice, ²

By it, folk today are very enticed.

To be, or not to be?, the famous question posed.

Words penned in the work, Hamlet,
that Shakespeare composed. ³

With growing suicides by which our land some blot,

To echoes of this question, they have answered, ‘NOT!’ ⁴

To Eve, satan asked, ‘Did God really say…..?’,

The question by which we’re still tricked today. ⁵

Beware questions in your mind you ponder.

Know if they’re from God or from our tempter.

To be, or not to be? What a naive question!

To see why, let us take some time for reflection.

Reading through God’s Bible book, this is what
you’re sure to see:

A living spirit you are, and forever shall you be.

An eternal spirit in God’s image you’re created,

To whom an eternal soul is equally allotted --

Will, intellect, emotions, imagination and mind,

All in a mortal body, temporarily assigned.

Like air escaping from a fully blown up balloon,

Like a caterpillar encased in its cocoon,

Death of your body will only your spirit release,

As your body awaits God’s eternal masterpiece.

His masterpiece: Your spirit to a body immortal assigned.

The only question then is, To which domain
will you be aligned?

‘Like angels’, in the resurrection Jesus said we shall be.

Heads-up!

Two groups of angels there are now,
and forever will there be.

Now, one group is bound by satan’s prideful lies,
God’s enemy.

Then, it’ll be forever bound in a hellish domain, fiery!

The other group chose to resist satan’s pride;
from pride it’s free.

Note well: Pride is the first sin, tap root of sin’s
very broad tree.

To be, or not to be? What a deceptive question!

With which group to be aligned? Ahhh, that’s
the right question.

To this ling’ring question, your life will surely respond.

Trust me, it’s God’s question from which
you cannot abscond.

Dead men are still dying, shaking their fists
at God’s key question.

Thinking life they’re escaping, their eternity has begun!

The righteous, too, are dying, but to God
we remain ALIVE.

In death, all spirits survive. Thereafter, 
the righteous will thrive! ⁶

Please ponder my message seriously:

Since spirit we are, and ever shall be,

Here is a truth that is incontrovertible --

Suicide of a spirit is impossible!

==========

¹ Spiritually dead -- dead towards God

² But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2:10) If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes. (Job 14:14)

³ Prince Hamlet bemoaning the pain and unfairness of life, but acknowledges the alternative might be worse. Today, folk willfully embrace this alternative.

⁴ See: Medications That Can Lead to Depression and Suicide

⁵ Genesis 3:1

⁶ And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. (Revelation 21:6)

Life, Tripartite (Poem)

Believe me! Believe me!, to us known liars plead,

Thus to their word and promises many do heed.

To words of men, made in the image of God, we cling,

Yet to The Word of God, who made men,
some treat as nothing.

To whatever you cling, whether in pride or fear,

In our clinging, it’s God’s voice we cannot hear:

‘Let it go, to Me cling, with nothing above Me,

To that which you cling, you are its slave,
and not free.’ ¹

For now, ‘in this world’ we are certainly meant to be,

But if we’re ‘of this world’, then in life we walk blindly,

Blind to things spiritual, blind and also deaf,

That’s spiritually dead, though alive with breath.

Dare you insult Him, Lord God Almighty,

By believing lies of His enemy,

Lies that you just can’t do without this or that,

Lies that only pin your faith to satan’s mat??

God designed life with two, not one, ‘womb experiences’.
Let's peek at their similarities and differences.

If each womb is a door designed by God Who is Sovereign,

Then of the second door,
what’s the most pertinent question?

Alone in Mom’s’s womb, we develop physically,

All the basics needed to engage our world, earthly.

As an embryo, to Mom’s uterine wall we ‘stick’, ²

Tethered by our birth cord in fluid amniotic.

Leaving this comfort zone with resistance and labor,

Into our new world, we’re ushered by our Creator.

Earth suit in tack, we’re now ready for life’s next stages.

Now in Earth’s womb, it’s our spirit that life engages.

God’s purpose in earthly life is to test and to develop,

Our soul and spirit that, for now, our bodies envelope.

Character traits (integrity, faith, honor…) are on His mind.

In Earth’s proving grounds, these traits, good/bad,

are revealed and refined.

No longer alone, and with much more on which to cling,

It’s easy to lose site of this through life’s tough grilling.

Once our character traits have been established
and are well known,

Into eternity we're born, one day to bow at God's Throne.

Body, soul and spirit, before Him we all shall stand,

To be judged for all our conduct in this earthly land. ³

There will be nothing on which we can then cling,

But Christ’s redemption song that angels can’t sing.

Since womb experiences are time limited and transitional,

God’s design for us to have two, reveals His
‘three life’ principle:

Life in vivo, in Earth, and in eternity,

Life tripartite, that we live sequentially.

Man -- created body, soul and spirit, in that sequence. ⁴

Life tripartite parallels this, and it’s no coincidence!

Believe me! Believe me!, to you I now plead.

Insights from this poem I hope you will heed.

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¹ Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.’ (John 8:34)

² Scientists Discover What Makes Human Embryo Attach to Uterus

³ And The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7) But see: Creation, Reversed (Poem)

 ⁴ Everyone, saints and sinners alike, will eventually be resurrected, FULLY ALIVE, in a promised, immortal body. The only question is in which zone on The Lord's promised new, eternal Earth will we spend eternity, the zone of nations inhabited by His saints, or the zone of the eternal lake of fire that burns with brimstone, and is reserved for every unrepentant sinner, every devil, plus death and hell. Don't just believe me. See: Revelation 20 - 22.

What Goes Up, Must (Poem)

There is an adage that is well renown,

That what goes up, must at some point come down.

It helps to explain somewhat graphically,

Sir Newton’s Laws of Motion and Gravity.

Gravity, Newton did not discover.

God’s rules it obeys He did uncover.

It was in full force from the beginning, most assuredly!

He just postulated about it mathematically.

What if something goes up, but by gravity isn’t bound,

But yet it most certainly will return to the ground?

Scratch your head and think just for a quick moment,

What has mass but ignores gravity’s warrant?

To some men of Galilee, an angel once said,

As they stood and marveled at the sight overhead:

This same Jesus, taken up from you into Heaven,

Will return in like manner, i.e., in the same fashion.^*

To them and to many today this inspires hope,

Enabling us with trials of this life to cope.

But to make sure hope stays strong, without any doubt,

Here are some juicy details the angel LEFT OUT!

Cloud hidden, into Heaven Jesus did ascend,

And on a cloud, to us He promised to descend.

His ascent, a solo journey, only seen by a few.

His descent won’t be solo, and will be a worldwide view!

‘…And you will be with Him!’, that angel omitted to say,

To those men of Galilee on that very blissful day.

If Jesus is your Savior, and He is also your LORD,

You will be with Him as He unsheathes His victory sword!

Let this blessed hope feed your spirit and fuel your soul.

Do your best to keep it fresh; never let it grow old.

O’er all the world, for a thousand years He will rule,

Hey, doesn’t this give new meaning to the ole term, Yule?

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^* Acts 1:11

Laodicean Lackadaisicalness - Part 2

See the series here

As noted in Part 1 of this series, The Book of Psalms, especially Psalm 119, frequently references this whole heart concept, testifying of God’s desire for us to engage with Him, and with our world on His behalf, with an enthusiastic heart full of love, praise, worship, adoration and service. Other references note the harsh/undesirable consequences of half-heartedness or lukewarmness toward The Lord God Almighty.

Jesus Christ was God’s effective bloody seed, planted (died) in Earth to produce an eternal fruit called ‘church’ -- a holy [separated/set-aside] remnant of humanity with a distinct purpose. Some Bible scholars believe this church, worldwide, would transit 7 rather distinct phases or ages, culminating in the final Church of the Laodiceans, or the Laodicean Church Age that would precede the predicted return of Jesus to rapture His church.¹ While this point is debatable, in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul reveals a key precursor of the end of this age, namely a great falling away of previously faithful Christ followers. In His letter to the Church at Laodicea, dictated to Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos circa 95 AD, Jesus promises to ‘vomit out of His mouth’ fake, inauthentic, lukewarm believers. While this may have occurred all throughout the church age, it seems reasonable that satan ‘knows his time is short’, and thus he would increasingly ramp-up efforts to deceive and tempt believers who remain weak and easy prey.

Of particular note is Christ’s message to the final, Laodicean church age. It is a cutting, stern warning about its intolerable lukewarmness, fed by its material wealth and riches, and the resulting sense of self-sufficiency. Together, these reflect no real need for God, or ability to display His power to an on-looking society and world.²

The astute reader will recognize, as many Bible scholars do, that the Laodicean Church Age is now. This is the Church (worldwide) generally at peace, comfortable with its great/increasing wealth that making it relatively self-sufficient, displaying to society and the world what Paul referred to as ‘a form of godliness, but denying [or not demonstrating] the power thereof’. (2 Timothy 3:5) ³

Particularly noteworthy is that America(ns) often boast(s) of being a Christian nation, and having the largest number of professing Christians worldwide.⁴ This is an oft debated, highly politicized issue, pitting our so-called political right against the so-called political left. While any straight-thinking citizen will recognize both sides of America’s political divide are rife with beliefs and practices that seriously conflict with God’s spiritual laws/principles for humanity, let’s imagine for a moment that this oft touted boasting may have some merit.

What would that infer about Christ’s stern rebuke

to this current Laodicean Church age?

As you ponder this question, consider the following:

1.  Have American Christians today generally become rich and wealthy, living as if we have need of nothing, lacking revelations of the power of God flowing through us as healing oil flowing on intractable problems across our land? Have we effectively lost our [spiritual] salt that, though biting/stinging, represents essential nutrients that society itself needs, but simply cannot produce (just like sodium/chloride are to our physical bodies)? We often consider the preservative qualities of salt, but omit its crucial role in regulating many bodily functions that transport oxygen and other nutrients, and digestion and maintaining the body’s overall fluid balance.

Ponder the spiritual equivalent of salt in a society.

2. Have American Christians today generally grown thick and fat, living off the fat of our land [prosperous economy]? Without doubt, we have become increasingly obese, physically.

Ponder the spiritual equivalent of rampant physical obesity in a society.

3. Like the taste and feel of tepid water in the mouth, Christ promises to vomit the Laodicean church out of His mouth/His Church body!

Ponder whether our American society may have already done the same with today’s ineffective, seemingly powerless church.

4. Though the typical American local church may be relatively rich compared to local churches elsewhere, much of this wealth is in buildings, equipment and money. In 1971, the U.S. dollar was taken off the gold standard and now only represents a promise from the USG, the same entity that controls and heavily uses the currency printing press, and that might weaken the dollar’s value with each (non-replacement) printing. Moreover, since buildings and equipment rapidly deteriorate, they cannot represent real wealth. Spiritually, Christ counsels the Laodicean church to ‘buy gold’, a representation of enduring, spiritual wealth.(See: Isaiah 55)

Ponder how Church America can adhere to Christ’s counsel to ‘buy enduring, spiritual gold’.

5. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul noted there would be a great ‘falling away’ from real, Christ-rooted faith in the last days. This paints the picture of Christians, in name only, leaving Christ outside, knocking at the door of their hearts. (Revelation 3:20)

Ponder, if you will, the relationship between lukewarmness and falling away.

6. Though the above generally refers to an age, the astute reader will correctly perceive it also refers to individuals who populate the age.

Ponder, if you will, what does this mean for you, dear Reader, as you carefully examine any ‘Laodicean likeness’ in your personal lifestyle.

7. Jesus sternly chided religious scholars of His day for their inability to ‘discern signs of the time’, and thereby modify their thoughts, words and actions. (Matthew 16 and Luke 12) Their response signaled their strong dislike for being judged.

Ponder, if you will, relationships between discerning and judging. Are you aware that Christ-followers are called upon …to do both??  (See: Judging, Misjudged (Poem))

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¹ The 7 Church Ages are:

The Loveless Church            (@Ephesus)

The Persecuted Church        (@Smyrna)

The Compromising Church    (@Pergamos)

The Corrupt Church             (@Thyatira)

The Dead Church                 (@Sardis)

The Faithful Church             (@Philadelphia, ancient city)

The Lukewarm Church         (@Laodicea)

Rapture: The global event that will signal the start of the predicted 7-year tribulation period of God’s wrath poured out on the Christ-rejecting world.

² “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, “These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: ‘I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ -- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked -- I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”” (Revelation 3:14-22)

³ See: The Age of Laodicea Has Arrived

⁴ ‘The United States has the largest Christian population in the world, followed by Brazil and Mexico.’ Christianity by Country

Trust Transitions (Poem)

America’s money says, ‘In God we trust.’

Perhaps so, in some days gone by.

But now we all know …that’s a lie!

If truth be told, after ‘this, our god, we lust!’

Thus money became our alt-god to which we all look,

For just about every need and desire in life.

Chasing after it is the root of so much strife.

What are things in life that, for money, you forsook?

Money, the oil that lubricates markets.

Before God, we’re willing to become uncouth,

All for more money, at the expense of Truth,

Thus we worship at our money faucets.

Money, meant to serve us, but has this picture been flipped?

Lies about its power, have we swallowed hook, line and sinker?’

Serving the god of money, life has become quite a stinker.

With inflation, it’s buying power is being stripped. 1

With its accumulation comes great fear of its loss.

So to mitigate this fear, it’s guns we invent.

Now their proliferation we cannot prevent.

In this conundrum, we’ve now come …to rough roads that cross.

Now in every facet of all our communities,

And in every tier of our life American,

The god in which we really trust is now …our gun,

To protect our mammon …and fill our cemeteries. 2

From God-to-mammon-to-guns, that is what I see,

As the transitions of our American trust.

In you, does this trigger any righteous disgust?

Oh God, is this the result of lost trust in Thee?!

On this transition of trust, God has kept a very close eye.

Money is the ink of your heart, can’t you see?

How you get and spend it writes your life story.

It’s your attitude toward it, not just what you save or buy.

Only when we seek a Godly attitude adjustment,

And place money/mammon in their proper perspective,

Then our grip on guns will be so much less aggressive,

And to God, our misplaced trust will not be so abhorrent.

With faith in God restored, fears of loss won’t be so afflictive.

Life won’t be strangled by the Law of Greed and Fret,

But will thrive on God’s gracious Law of Give and Get. 3

Your turn: To you does this sound wise, or simply …prohibitive?

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¹ See: The Problemwith Printing Money

² Mammon in this context refers to all things material (money, wealth, family, houses, consumer goods, investments, etc.)

³ “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)