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"Do not boast about tomorrow;

you don't know what it may bring."
That's the proverb writer's warning.

So, too, James says the same thing,
when he cautions in his letter

those who are inclined to say
they'll do this or that tomorrow,

not to boast of it today.
"What is life?" asks James profoundly.

"You will vanish like a mist!
All such arrogance is evil.

If the Lord wills, you exist!"
Therefore we should say "God willing,"

when we say what we will do;
God who rules the past and present

is Lord of the future, too.


Common Ground37

God is a faith assumption. I can't prove God is there;

but if I didn't have faith, life would be hard to bear.
I cannot prove to others what I believe is true;

but those who say there's no God have their assumptions, too.
I wish all nonbelievers could understand that fact.

Then maybe they would state their polemics with more tact.
Whatever our beliefs are, we can share faith, I've found.

Confessing our assumptions, we stand on common ground.
Then dialogue can take place, if people really care

and listen to each other. That's what it means to share.


It Means What It Means38

Oh, the Bible is a challenge to the mind, to the mind;

it's a challenge to the mind and to the heart.
If you listen to the Spirit, when you read it, you will find

that to take it word for word is not too smart.
For it doesn't always mean just what it says, what it says,

but the Bible always means just what it means.
Any person who can read it can tell others what it says,

but the test is to interpret what it means!
So to quote a Scripture passage may not be the wisest way,

if the context of the passage isn't clear.
Any text without a context is a proof text, as they say,

That's what's wrong with some theology we hear!


God Have Given Us The Word39

God has given us the word,
and the crucial question is,
What in Christ's name have we done
with the gospel that was his?

God has given us the word,
and we really ought to be
better stewards than we are
of that holy mystery.

God has given us the word,
and we ought to sow the seed
in the minds and hearts of all,
for it speaks to human need.

God has given us the word
not to keep it to ourselves,
and our Bibles ought to be
in our hands, not on the shelves!


Am I Forgiven?40

Sometimes I get discouraged,

and feel somewhat depressed,
when in my honest moments

my sins I have confessed.
I can't believe that God will

forgive the likes of me.
But then the Holy Spirit

by grace helps me to see
that if we are expected

our neighbors to forgive,
when they have sinned against us,

as long as we may live,
will we not be forgiven

through Jesus Christ, God's Son,
when we are truly sorry

for what we may have done?
My problem with forgiveness

reveals my lack of trust.
Can I accept God's mercy?

By grace I can -- I must!


The Gift Of Faith41

Faith, we say, is a gift.
If so, it must be true
that faith is not something
I can make myself have.
Rather, faith is something
that I find myself with.
I must depend on God
for the faith to go on
believing in the God
I say I believe in,
who is the Author and
Finisher of my faith.


The Devil You Say!42

Who's that calculating creature with the cold and shifty eyes?

Don't be fooled by what he's wearing; it's the devil in disguise!
He pretends that he has only your best interests in his heart,

but he'll tempt you to do something that will tear your life apart.
It's no wonder he is known as the Deceiver, for although

he is called the Prince of Darkness, he is roving to and fro
in a garb that makes you think he is a messenger of light.

He beguiles you into thinking everything that's wrong is right.
Like a roaring lion, always seeking someone to devour,

he is ready to entrap you any place and any hour.
If you bargain with the Tempter, swift disaster you will see.

But resist the devil and, the Bible tells us, he will flee!
Don't relax, though, for the Crafty One is never far away.

He is lurking in the wings 'til he returns another day.
When your doubt of the existence of the devil's power climbs,

just remember, you have wrestled with him many, many times!


Faith And Doubt43

I could never figure out
why some people always doubt.
Things that others can affirm
always seem to make them squirm.
Then one day I realized
my concern was ill-advised.
For I came to understand
faith and doubt go hand in hand.
Knowledge is what we should call
faith that knows no doubt at all.
When at last my doubts I faced,
and confessed my faith was based
on the grace of God alone,
then I knew that I had grown
stronger than I was before,
when I was so blindly sure.


Now Is The Time!44

Christ doesn't call disciples to join him just in name,

for "nominal" and "faithful" are not at all the same.
To be a faithful witness means following today,

but many part-time Christians deny him by delay.
All such procrastination, the Lord will disallow.

The time to follow Jesus is not sometime but now!
Some say that maybe one day they'll make the sacrifice.

They're like the rich young ruler, who wouldn't pay the price.
They think they have a lifetime to take the holy vow.

The time for that decision is not someday but now.
It's not when we are ready; it's not just now and then.

We cannot pick our moments; Christ's call determines when.
To say "I'll do it later" is really to say "No,"

and all our lame excuses our sinful nature show.
When Christ calls for disciples to put hands to the plow,

the time is not tomorrow. The time is always now!