Slaves of Righteousness

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
Romans 6:15-18 (ESV)

Am I a slave
held in bondage?
No,
I think not.
But do my actions
support my words?
What evidence have my actions wrought?
Am I there more for my television
than for my family?
Of the myriad of vices available,
which of them defines me?
God offers two choices: sin, which leads to death,
or obedience, which leads to righteousness.
There doesn’t seem to be
a lot of area here that’s gray.
So far as I can tell,
God wants it all,
not just your first thing in the morning,
He wants all day.
© Joel Tipple

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®)
Copyright © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
All rights reserved.
ESV Text Edition: 2011

Hold on?

I have this preference for plants
that prefer to be ignored;
I’ve found the worst thing I can do to them
is to bring them indoors.
They’re sort of like people
in their own way I suppose,
though I’ve heard it said
from the supposedly better bred
that a rose is a rose is a rose.
It’s my experience,
though your’s may not be the same,
that people and other beings held too tightly
tend to resist those reins.
What is held too near
may lack the atmosphere
conducive to proper growth,
and what’s good for one
when all is said and done
may not be good for most.

Some days

Some days
poetry ideas form a parade through my mind,
one right after the other
like a dozen baby elephants
each holding on tightly
to the tail of the one in front of it.
Some days they’re locked in a portable jail that is being
watched over by an unusually large gorilla with a perpetually bad attitude.
Try to guess what today was like.

Open

Many times I’ve wondered
at my lack of vision.
What would it take to wash
the scales from my eyes.
Tender words or lightning strikes,
perhaps nuclear fission,
you just can never tell heart-wise.

Just be open
Just be open

Everyone is crying for some freedom,
But with so much they don’t know what to do.
I have found there are so many wrong directions,
leading to blind alleys for me and you.

There’s a cry that’s living deep within us.
Heaven’s message sprouting deep inside,
like two magnets speeding cross the universe,
God’s coming for us and it’s useless to hide.

Just be open
There is surely more than you’ve been told
Just be open
You don’t have to sell yourself to be sold
Just be open
There’s no need any more to be afraid
Jesus knows already what your soul craves.
Just be open
Just be open

The Battlefield

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NASB)

On the battlefield of my mind
where the sounds and sights and smells
of this old world unwind.
Well, the battle won for God would sure be fine,
on the battlefield of my mind.

There’s no question what artillery
this soldier should employ,
cause Jesus fought Satan with
the firepower of scripture,
on the battlefield.

Let’s give the Lord the high ground
Let Him command the field
This day and the ones to follow
let us see what they may yield.
This holy war is fought on battlefields
in the hearts and minds of men
Raise the flag of our God
and sound the call
of victory.
© Joel Tipple

In the Midst of the Storm

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Matthew 14:22-33 NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®

In the middle of my storms Lord
I’ve called to You
and asked You to calm the weather
But Your plans for me turned out to be
something so much better.
You gave me courage and strengthened my faith
so I could ride it through,
plus You promised You would never leave
so I could walk with You.
There’s no storm that I will ever face
that will defeat me with You by my side.
With each one that blows, my faith also
grows. I can endure with You by my side.

A Yard of Adventure

In my yard
for I am six
is great adventure
sailing ships
full of ants
oh so brave
who cling to life rafts
made of eggs
flower borders
with bits of glass
from castles broken
many years past
this bit belonged
to a maiden fair
perhaps she held
this bit there
a cup for tea
passed round and shared
next put on cloak
you’re Robin Hood
chased by the Sheriff
but you’re too good
hidden in
your grove of trees
with your men
a family
adventures many
like books you’ve read
then Mom calls
and it’s time
for dinner
bath
more books
then
bed

light

Light brakes
hard
striking the earth at its speed

revealing a million surfaces
clothed in a revelation
too bright
this glittering sight

inside I carefully replace the blind
but some light leaks in
where the corner bends
and the room’s transformed
from the night

then brighter bright
multi-hued
faceted light
moves quickly left and right

day begins
where night has been
the sun’s great sight
moves dark aside

till memory is light
and recedes to night
to hold warm tight
under covers till light
comes again

(Originally published 8:03 7-18-13 Edited 15:08)

To Read

As a child
it amazed me
that people
could write things
almost as incredible
as the stuff in my mind.

Do you mean
you can write those things down,
and people will read them,
adding their own sounds?

It’s hard to find words
to describe
how much words
mean to me.
It’s like living in a city
that grows
new streets every day.

I hope growing up
doesn’t mean
I stop loving
the words in the books…
the stories in the books…
the adventures in those books…
that I read today.

Stake your claim

Life’s too short
to save it
for the fourth.
Don’t wait till July
to let your rockets fly.

Declare independence
from the rut you’re in
and stake your claim,
the time to begin…
is now.
Once in your life
you have to stake your claim
take stock
of the junk
that is holding you down.
God doesn’t doesn’t bring anyone
into this world
without a purpose
so ask Him,
expect an answer,
He won’t let you down.

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