Hosea 14:2
Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

On a steep ravine
Getting closer to the fire
Clinging flat to the rock
Not falling is the desire

A close grip on the rock
Makes the climb more sure
The light is so powerful
Gives the strength to endure

Others there along the way
Are there to help the weak (Gal.6:2)
The young are holding fast the rock
They can almost see the peak

Remove the thorns along the way
So no distractions choke (Matt. 13:32)
A clear path is easier
When traveling through smoke

Our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29)
He that cometh to God must believe (Hebrews 11:6)
After ye have done the will of God,
The promise you'll receive! (Hebrews 10:36)

To Moses was the secret given
Long long ago
Rise up early in the morning
To the mountain you must go

Climb up to the very top
You must be all alone
Have your blank slate before you
Bow down before the throne

Bring the hewed out stone
The tables of your heart will do
He will descend like a cloud
His presence will cover you

His name you will proclaim
With you, God will stand
He is merciful and long suffering
Goodness and truth are in his hands

Based on Exodus 34

2 Timothy 2:16

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

A tree by the river
With roots spread out
Not afraid of the heat
Nor of a drought

If the water of life
Wasn't there for the tree
It would not prosper
Would have no green in it's leaves

Jesus' words are like the river
That strengthens the tree
The roots, the foundation
An approved workman needs

Without searching, you
Won't find,
Break up your fallow ground
Then when the Lord returns
Watching and praying, you'll be found

Jeremiah 17

Ruth 2:12
The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

Cursing at the king
Throwing stones and dust
He deserves the death penalty!
But King David, he is just!

He tells his men to let him be
Not to touch this man
King David knows a secret
He takes the MERCY stand

"It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day. " says King David

A very different story
A very different man
God calls Jonah to warn Ninevah
And to fulfill his Godly plan

God pours his mercy on Ninevah
Jonah gets angry and wants to die
He doesn't understand the mercy plan
And Then God shows him why

A plant is created
To shade him from the sun
A worm devours the plant
Jonah comes undone

God points out to Jonah
He Wanted mercy for that little plant
A plant he didn't create
Or labor with his hands

On that great city, he wanted no mercy Given to them
A city full of people
Who fasted and did repent

Blessed are the merciful
For they shall obtain mercy

Isaiah 53

The sins I have committed
The things that I have done
Have fell upon another
On God's only son

He was tempted by the devil
Was strong and endured
He was led as a sheep to the slaughter
A sacrifice clean and pure

Through one man's disobedience
Many are called to sin (Romans 5:9)
the obedience of Jesus to the cross,
keeps the hope of righteous men

He was wounded for our transgressions,
To the cross, he was nailed
He was bruised for our iniquities:
By his stripes we are healed

Seeing as how he suffered
And endured for MY sin
I have to give my all
And devote this life to Him.

Lord, give me the strength
To give up my will
And not to be entangled
In affairs of this life still

Help me to remember
The blood and the wounds
The way that Jesus suffered
And gave Up His life too.

Isaiah 53

we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
⁴Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
⁵But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

^{Isaiah 51:6}Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
⁷Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
⁸For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
⁹Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old.

 Matthew 12:³⁶
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Websters 1828
I''DLE, a. 1. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing.

Keep your conversation on the business at hand, the only business that matters, ....eternal life

The enemy provokes her sore
And causes her to fret
She gets a worthy portion
But has no child just yet

The adversary is at her
Day by day by day
And teasing her year by year,
Devil, go away!

Eli thinks she is full of wine
But she is crying for a child
She makes her plea for a son
To be hers a little while

God blesses her with a son
She fulfills her part of the deal
She gives the child back to The Lord
She trusts in God's will

O Lord, you have given us
more than we deserve
Please fill us with hearts
That really want to serve

Souls that desire
Not to please "just me"
But to be servants
Devoted unto only thee

Help us when we hear the adversary,
whispering his lies
That we drown out his words
And to God, we cry

^{Phillipians 1:6}Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
⁷Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
⁸For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
⁹And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
¹⁰That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
¹¹Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
¹²But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

I am seeking for the old paths
Wherein is the good way (Jeremiah 6:16)
There is a rest offered there
For those who seek today

The rest is found to those
Who abide in His will
They keep his commandments (John 14:15)
They wait (Galatians 5:5) and "be still" (Psalm 4:4)

His power is overwhelming
His mercies, they abound (Eph 2:4)
Peter had to follow Jesus
Where eternal life could be found (John 6:68)

Today, people are seeking
For many things today
They have made their life so busy
They don't have time to pray

This life will be over in A minute
What will you have to show?
Did you win the marathon?
Was your chlorestrol low?

Oh lord, my plea today
Is that people all around
Prepare a habitation (Eph 2:22)
Where Our Lord will want to be found

A place where he consumes our thoughts
Our minds are stayed on him (Hebrews 8:10)
In every word, he is glorified and
Our love we freely give

Emulation

^{Galatians 5:19}Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
²⁰Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
²¹Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The 1828 Unabridged dictionary defines emulation as:  
EMULA''TION, n. 1. The act of attempting to equal or excel in qualities or actions; rivalry;

2. Contest; contention; strife; competition; rivalry accompanied with a desire of depressing another.

We have always discouraged our children from partaking in any childhood game where there is a "winner."  I was watching my children play a few years ago, when one of my older children decided to go ahead and "race."  This child had decided in their heart that as long as they gave away the prize, it would be ok, it was "just for fun" (as others often say)  Of course, the Lord allowed my child to "win" and sure enough, the prize was given away by the child to another child.  I happened to see the face of an older child that participated in the race and didn't win.  That child had a look of defeat on their face.  The next game played was a dodge ball type of game.  Who do you suppose the adult gave the ball to in order to start the game.  It was none other than the child that lost the race to my child. Need I even ask who that child chased down and threw the ball as hard as she could at?  Yes, it was at my child.  It was a beautiful teaching example of how anytime you choose to participate in any type of competition where there is a winner and loser, there will be a "loser."  The only thing we should desire to emulate is the Spirit of Christ. 

"Our life for yours"
Was the deal they made
She hid them and helped them
Make their escape

They would save hers
To return the good deed
There was a risk involved
In helping them leave

Did she stop and think
Did she hesitate?
Would they keep their word
What was at stake?

She trusted God
Although she had sinned in the past
She gave up her life as a harlot
For a life that would last

Would you offer your life
And make a sacrifice
To help another survive or
To have a better life

Could you find someone
Who would give up this life
To save another
Whose life was lived right?

Scarcely will you find
That person today (Romans 5)
But when Jesus came
He paved the way

He gave up his own
And he Carried the cross
He despised the shame
Desiring none should be lost

There is a great conspiracy
Against what your doing
Your wall has some breaches
And your temple is in ruins

The enemy is watching
And decides to hinder you
You have rubbish all around
So much you can't see through

Set a watch,Say a prayer
Not just once a day
You need protection day and night
To keep the enemy away

Get a firm position
Right inside the wall
Keep your sword on your side
With God you will not fall

The Lord is great and terrible
The Bible shares his plan
You must pick it up and read it
Allow Him to strengthen your hands

Nehemiah 4

Help Wanted: Building the Wall!

^{Nehemiah 4:14}And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the LORD, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

^{Hebrews 10:24}And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

^{Nehemiah 4:15}And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.

^{I Thessalonians 5:6}Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

^{Nehemiah 4:16}And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah

^{I Thessalonians 5:8} let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation

^{Nehemiah 4:17}They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.

^{II Timothy 2:15}Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

^{Nehemiah 4:18}For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

^{I Thessalonians 5:2} For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

^{Nehemiah 4:19}And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

^{Acts 8:4}Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

^{Nehemiah 4:20}In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.

^{Colossians 3:16}Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

^{Hebrews 3:13}But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

²¹So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.

^{I Thess 5:6}    Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober