God's Success

Dying to live, giving to have, surrender to conquer, and choosing to leave the choice with God are all part of that life that measures with the life of God... the life of human failure that allows God to succeed. Such a life can be rightly called an ultimate success, because it is not human success. It is a success of the power of Heavenly transformation. 

Our usefulness and destiny 
Depend not on our birth,
And beauty is no guarantee
Of what a life is worth.

The genius, or the master mind,
Speak not of moral weight.
Too often those of brilliance find
They've learned it far too late.



It isn't chance or incident
That tells us who we are.
One failure does not represent
Our aptitude and par.

It's rather in the daily choice
That we can see our make,
Our habits tell with candid voice
If we're a fraud or fake.



But even habits can be changed
And molded by our Lord.
Our filthiness can be exchanged—
His heart in us restored.

It's work that only He can do—
To carve in us His face.
Each blow is shaping us anew,
Each stroke another grace.

He will not strike us needlessly,
He knows our feeble frame,
And how to make us fully free
Of sin and all its shame.



So no it isn't prettiness
That makes a girl like gold,
Nor is in strength the manliness
That makes his worth untold.

But in yielding up the will,
Despite the cost and pain,
Is found the one essential skill
For true success and gain.

Obstacles

It's obstacles that make you strong,
And not that helping hand
It's difficulties all along,
That give you strength to stand

Those hard responsibilities,
That conflict or rebuff,
Those things that take from life it's ease,
It's these that make you tough

So challenges are not that bad—
They're blessings in disguise
So when you face them don't be sad,
For they will make you wise!

Sensing His Presence...

I have liked this quote for a long time, and I thought it would be nice to make it a rhyme. :)

"Only the sense of God's presence can banish the fear that, for the timid child, would make life a burden...Let him read that wonderful story of Elisha in the mountain city, and, between him and the hosts of armed foemen, a mighty encircling band of heavenly angels. Let him read how to Peter, in prison and condemned to death, God's angel appeared... Let him read of that scene on the sea, when to the tempest-tossed soldiers and seamen, worn with labor and watching and long fasting, Paul the prisoner, on his way to trial and execution, spoke those grand words of courage and hope: “Be of good cheer....

These things were not written merely that we might read and wonder, but that the same faith which wrought in God's servants of old might work in us. In no less marked a manner than He wrought then will He work now wherever there are hearts of faith to be channels of His power." Child Guidance pg. 42-43.

Only the sense of God's comfort and presence
Can banish the fear of the timid and shy,
That knowledge alone to them is a defense,
Removing fear's burden that grows up so high

Let them remember the angel from heaven
Who camps round about all the children of Light,
Let them remember the promise that's given—
He's there to deliver them by day or night

Let them reread of that wilderness prophet
Who was with his servant behind Dothan's gate,
Though horses and forces surrounded them, yet,
God's army was bigger, the Scriptures relate

Let them review how from heaven to Peter,
Though chained, and though guarded, and deep in his cell,
Was sent a strong angel, to safely deliver
The servant of God from that dark citadel

And then there's the scene on the tempest tossed sea,
Of Paul telling sailers to 'Be of good cheer',
Revealing to them and to us heaven's key
For weathering storms and for conquering fear

You see, God had spoken a word unto Paul
That there would not even be one loss of life,
And so when in fear on God's promise we fall,
We'll find safe at last a strong tower in strife

Whenever, wherever we become afraid
We have but to turn to the Tower of Christ,
For faith cast upon Him cannot be betrayed
Nor trust at all placed on His Word sacrificed!

God's Detours

When traveling the paths of earth,

The road may often turn

But it’s God’s timing we unearth,

If we His ways will learn

Often looking as we do,

His trail seems drab and plain,

When where we’d planned to travel through

Seems better ground to gain

We see the beauty that we think

Will make our route so bright,

And fail to note the rose or pink

That blooms the more at night

We think it not the quickest way

To get right to our goal,

But God’s detours will repay

A wealth into the soul

At first the scen’ry may not charm

His way appear quite bleak,

But Heaven knoweth every harm

From which to guard the meek

And when we turn into His will

And give up on our own,

More than our dreams He’ll fulfill

For in us His are sown

One day our eyes will see above

And understand His ways,

And for the detours of love

We’ll lift our hearts in praise

So now my friends, when corners come

Do not give place to gloom,

For it is in God’s detours

That His promises will bloom.