George Thurlow: November 2015

November 30, 2015

Sharing The True Christmas

Sharing The True Christmas
By George Thurlow

It's not nostalgic feelings,

Tinseled trees and brilliant lights:

Food, fun, and parties

And a wonderland of white.

Neither is it reindeer,

Magical Santa and his elves:

It's not about malls and shopping,

Searching through aisles and shelves.

Christmas is a miracle

And an awesome act of love:

A rescue mission to the earth

Devised in heaven above.

It's a gesture of forgiveness,

The restoration of the breach,

Reconciliation brokered

Through the Prince of Peace.

It's God's offering of pardon,

A free gift of love and grace:

Reinstatement of lost fellowship

Of our relations face to face.

The inspired celestial outreach,

The Trinitarian plan:

Emmanuel, God is with us

Indwelling mortal man.

Culture and tradition

Has gotten the world off track,

So the true meaning of Christmas

Is nonexistent or is slack.

Now a season of great selfishness

And materialistic greed;

Forgotten is the Savior

Who came to set man free.

But as Christians, by example

We can lead the way;

Sharing the true meaning of Christmas

As open epistles on display.

Heralding the Good News

That Christ repaired the rift;

And gave His life as a ransom

As the ultimate Christmas gift.

November 21, 2015

The Antidote

By George Thurlow

The subtle serpent struck,

Striving to usurp the plan:

Fracturing the fellowship

Separating God and man.

Penalties were appointed

To the man, the wife and snake.

Adam lost the title deed,

And was forced to capitulate.

But an antidote was promised

For the serpent's bite...

A prophetic anti venom

To restore and make things right.

There'd be a crushing of the serpent's head

For the bruising of the heel.

All accomplished through the woman's Seed

Signed in Blood and sealed.

The precious Blood of Jesus...

Antidote for death and sin,

Flowed from this second Adam

For the final win!

This remedy of highest value

The fix so true and sure.

One drop of Christ's untainted Blood

Wrought the double cure.

The devil was defeated

And man was now redeemed

The Seed of the woman

Foiled the serpent's scheme.

Genesis 3:15
¹⁵And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

No Problems

By George Thurlow

Copyright December 23, 2006

There really are no problems,

Only portions of the plan:

All things are beneficial

When placed in the Father's hands.

From annoyance to a crisis,

On a scale of one to ten,

God makes the situation

To abound for man.

All things work together

For our eternal good,

When we thank and praise Him

As all believers should.

As we allow Him everyday

To order our steps aright;

Staying on the path of righteousness

All things work out alright.

There really are no problems

From an eternal point of view,

Just golden threads of a tapestry

Woven in me and you.

Romans 8:28
²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

November 16, 2015

The Lynchpin
By George Thurlow

November 16, 2015

Let Jesus be your lynchpin
To make you safe, secure:
To hold your world together
When all about is not too sure.

Christ will keep you steadfast
And stabilize your life:
Keep your feet from sliding
So your steps will be aright.

Christ will keep you solid;
He will be to you like glue,
And hold your life together
To firmly establish you.

In this world of great perplexity,
In these last and fleeting hours,
Stay locked and linked to Jesus Christ,
And strengthened by His power.

Let Jesus be your lynchpin;
Stay fastened to the rock.
Be steadfast and unmovable,
Unwavering in your walk.

Poem inspired by Pastor Merle L. Mitchell's sermon "The Lynch Pin" delivered
in the morning service November 15, 2015 at Faith Lighthouse Church, Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

November 14, 2015

Giving Thanks For What I Don't Have

By George Thurlow

How great to count our blessings

Giving thanks for all God's done,

For the benefits wrought at Calvary

Through Jesus Christ the Son.

Then it was quickened to my spirit

Further reasons to be glad,

Not just for the blessings I received

But for the things that I don't have.

Like guilt and condemnation

And eternity in hell:

Worry, fear, anxiety,

Being trapped in satan's cell.

No spirit of heaviness,

Depression, hate or gloom,

Bitterness, oppression

Nor sense of impending doom.

I give thanks for joy unspeakable

And redemption through the Blood,

For the gift of Christ's own righteousness

And peace flowing like a flood.

Romans 8:1

8 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit

Isaiah 61:3

³To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

1 Peter 1:8

⁸Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

November 11, 2015

It's Not About Turkey

By George Thurlow

Thanksgiving is not about turkey,
Stuffing and pumpkin pie,
Neither holiday hoopla,
Nor parades passing by...

Dare I mention football
With its endless string of games,
Being a couch potato,
Or a day off from work with pay?

Thanksgiving once was set aside
To bless and honor God,
To thank Him for His mercies
And for the land on which we trod.

Thanksgiving is a holy day
Sacred and set apart,
A special day of reverence
With rejoicing from the heart.

Family, food, and fellowship
Most certainly have their place;
But don't forget to bless the Lord
Full of love and grace.

Thanks Given

By George Thurlow

T...For the table spread with plenty
God graciously provides,

H...For a home with joyous laughter
Wherein the Lord abides.

A...For the assembly of the brethren
All in one accord,

N...For new mercies every morning
And a never failing Lord.

K...For adoption as a King's kid
And being heaven bound,

S...For salvation and deliverance,
The new life I have found.

November 3, 2015

The Voice Of Thanksgiving

By George Thurlow

What privilege, what an honor
To publish all abroad:
The exploits and wonders,
The works of the Lord.

Through psalms, songs and poetry
The offerings of praise...
What joy, oh what blessing
Jesus' name to raise.

The voice of thanksgiving
Related via rhyme...
That's Holy Ghost inspired
And of a heavenly clime.

In a neat pithy package
Those lyrics of love,
Blessings to my Savior
Conveyed by the Dove.

Psalm 26:7
"That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works."

"Yeah But"

Yeah But

By George Thurlow

No "yeah buts" in God's Kingdom;

God said it, it is true:

If written in the Bible

Then the promise is for you.

No "yeah buts" from believers;

We're sheep not billy goats.

Don't be wishy washy Christians;

Cast aside all doubt.

Don't "yeah but" what God's spoken;

He'll never lie to you.

God's willing to perform all things

That He said He'll do.

Don't hinder Him through unbelief,

Insulting the living God;

And question His integrity

As if He would defraud.

Believe it and receive it;

Accept those things you've heard:

As proclaimed in the Scriptures,

Christ is the living Word.

Mark 6:5-6

⁵And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
⁶And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

John 1:1-3

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

²The same was in the beginning with God.
³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

*Poem idea borrowed from an expression my pastor, Rev. M.L. Mitchell often says to the flock at Faith Lighthouse: "Don't 'yeah but' God. We're sheep not goats." Thanks Pastor Merle for reminding us.

November 1, 2015

For Such A Time

By George Thurlow

For such a time each one ordained

Fulfilling strategic roles;

As warriors in God's Kingdom

Praying in lost souls.

For such a time each one is called

Working out God's plans;

Through leading of the Holy Ghost

As kings and priests we stand.

For such a time each one empowered

To destroy the devil's work;

As believers in Christ Jesus

Doing even greater works.

For such a time through Jesus' name

We're His body, We're His hands;

Continuing the work He started

And whatever He commands.

For such a time until He comes

Christians carry on;

Until we rule and reign with Him

In the New Jerusalem.

John 14:12

¹²Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Revelation 1:6
⁶And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Pages

November 30, 2015

November 21, 2015

November 16, 2015

November 14, 2015

November 11, 2015

November 3, 2015

November 1, 2015