SNOW ON THE EVERGREEN

Jesus, Jehovah, Immanuel—

Abundant joy rich to tell.

There is a love that fills my heart,

like snow in the deepest part.

El, Creator, Merciful, Love—

Blessed assurance from above.

There is a peace from Heaven’s crown,

like snow gently falling down.

Savior, Messiah, Adonai—

Blood outpoured to sanctify.

There is a grace from only Him,

like snow coating every limb.

Unspeakable Gift, Redeemer, King—

Sing the song the ransomed sing!

There is a life made wholly right,

like snow turning woodlands white.

Spirit, Counselor, Author, Friend—

Kingdom wonders never end.

There is a seal forever clean,

like snow on the evergreen.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power

to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:12-13

SNOW ON THE EVERGREEN

In the woods, here in Veery Glade, snow comes straight down and coats an evergreen. This scene reminds me that in Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit who guarantees our inheritance of eternal life.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14 

As I continue to write about this year's word, which is Heaven, I am drawn to the passage in Isaiah about how the wolf will feed with the lamb. Will there be prey and predators in Heaven? No! Let's take a look at God's Word which always comes to pass. Isn't that amazing? We know the Word of the holy, sovereign God is infallible. If that weren't so, He wouldn't be God.

"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain," says the LORD.

Isaiah 65:25

As we know, lambs are easy prey for one wolf, let alone a pack of wolves, even if mom and dad sheep were around. And they'd get eaten, too! And, we know lions eat the meat of the prey they stalk and kill, but to eat straw like the ox? Is this possible?

God says so, and He did through the prophet Isaiah, years and years ago! Has it happened yet? No, but we can count on this happening, even across generations because God said so. He will create new Heavens and a new Earth. Dust will be the serpent's food. In the LORD'S holy mountain, wolves, lions, and serpents will not hurt or destroy anywhere.

Mountains on Earth are not holy because the ground, through Adam's sin, was cursed as we know from the verse in Genesis 3:17. Even if the view were magnificent and the resources beneath abundant, the mountain is still less than holy. Only God can make something holy.

What is holy? Holiness is having no sin whatsoever, and no one qualifies for that. Holy is not us. Not even the best person is holy. No one is sin-free as I'm sure you already know. We have all fallen miserably short of the immense glory of God. The devil masquerades as an angel of light, trying to deceive anyone he can by convincing said person she or he does not need atonement, forgiveness, cleansing, redemption, and mercy— all of the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, on the cross, and in His victory over death, the resurrection.

Who is holy? Only God is holy as I'm sure you know, too. By His matchless love, He demonstrated His love and mercy by sending His Son to us, which is Him, incarnate. Jesus is God in human form! He holds the power of making what was corruptible incorruptible and what was mortal immortal. He gives the promise of eternal life in Heaven when we believe in Him.

"No one is holy like the LORD, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God."

1 Samuel 2:2

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Hebrews 1:1-3

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR DYING ON THE CROSS FOR MY SINS!

The place our loving and merciful Savior, Jesus, is preparing for us in Heaven will include wolves and lambs feeding together and lions eating straw like the ox. That, I got to see!

For The Joy: An Easter Poetry Book update...

As snow piles up around Veery Glade, I continue to work on writing poems for my next book release For The Joy. At this point in the manuscript, I have a sonnet, a diamante, a villanelle, a free verse (which is something new for me), and other verses. Also, I've painted some scenes that will accompany each poem and I've selected Bible verses. For The Joy is not quite half way finished with the first draft. Please pray for me.

Focus on Prayer

Please pray for our unsaved loved ones. Oh, that they would believe and draw close to the Lord! That is the best way to live each day— in fellowship with our Heavenly Father who is also our loving Creator. What a joy it would be if our loved ones could experience this good relationship, this wonderful relationship! Jesus said to not give up in praying. As long as we have breath, pray for the salvation of those individuals near and dear to us.

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Acts 16:31

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.

Luke 18:1

In Closing

Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.

Genesis 2:19

Wow! God created then and He can create in the future. And, what a desire God had to know what Adam would name each animal! If you created something, wouldn't you want to be the one who named what you created? Yet God, who is love and desires a relationship with us, His creation, with Adam, let him name the animals. Maybe God even had a chuckle to hear the different names Adam announced.

Set your sights on the promised new order in Heaven!