Dear God, Forbid...

If these roses were nothing more than a two-to-three week-bloom's-worthit would seem like a hefty price to pay for soon-fallen petals... Every touchable and taste-able gift without love soon lies in waste! But with love, the knowledge and memory of The Giftsustains a continuous joy! The humility of the cross, without love would be a mockery of God's goodnessbut because He so loved us He saved us through The Gift of His Son to take our punishmentand pay sin's penalty once for all, purchasing the gift of salvation that we all may by faith receive,sustaining a continuous joy from the moment it is given and receivedthroughout eternity! Dear God, forbid we strive to secure faith's worth through our works,but oh, dear God, forbid we fail to shine Your worth through our works so all who see may glorify Thee! In Matt.5:16 Jesus commands us to...Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good worksand glorify your Father in heaven. *** "It is not great faith, but true faith, that saves; and the salvation lies not in the faith, but in the Christ in whom faith trusts."- Charles Spurgeon *** Dear God, forbid that we should fail to praise You for Your faithfulnessAs if Calvary’s sore travail was something trivial to ignoreAnd God forbid that we should cease to pray with great unworthinessAnd gratitude to You, whose peace consoles and calms Fear’s lion-roar Dear God, forbid that we invade Today equipped with nothing moreThan thirst for fortunes that will fade with final breath's solemn revealAnd God forbid we live enslaved to idol-worship You abhorHeedless of holy scars engraved on hands that help and hold and heal Dear God, forbid that we should count, rather than blessings, curse on curseDashing like beasts through mercy’s fount that each new morning manifestsAnd God forbid that we forget Who died for us, and thus we nurseThe injuries of wounded pride or disappointment's complex tests Dear God, forbid we never taste the bread and water of EnoughBut lay life's precious lease to waste, like pigs, rolling in priceless pearlsAnd God forbid we never find Your wellspring of redeeming loveWallowing in shackles and blind to Truth's lifeline, Your Word unfurls Dear God, forbid that we should wait until it is too late to callOn you, or humbly contemplate sin's pardon paid at CalvaryAnd God forbid man justifies, through sight and logic's wherewithal 'a way that seems right' but denies Your Unrelenting Sovereignty Knowing, rather than sacrifice You desire obedienceBecause of the unrivaled price You paid to achieve death’s defeatDear God, forbid we choose soul’s doom rather than its deliveranceDear God, thank-you! Your empty tomb proclaims enough until we meet Dear God, forbid we wave love's rose, but rue its thorn and curse its sting Unwilling to suffer love's blows or live beneath love's cross, content Not hungering and thirsting for your Word, nor crowning you as KingOn our heart's throne because you bore sin's penalty and punishment Dear God, forbid we taste and see, but then let vanity take rootForgetting how you set us free and the great things that you have doneUnlike the tree beside rife streams, through drought and heat, still bearing fruit Because the hope that faith esteems, is in You and in you alone Janet Martin This poem first began while pondering Samuel's warning to Israelafter he anointed their first king, Saul, after they pleaded with him'for a king to judge them like other nations' 1 Sam.8:5They wanted a king other than God! The conclusion of Samuel's warning in 1 Sam.12:20-25struck a deeply convicting chord in my own heart (esp.v.24) 20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22 For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. 24 Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”