Life is like Litter

 Life is a lot like litter,

We all carry trash from our past.
To avoid the stink of our pain,
We need to discard of it, and fast.

Communities are called to pick up,
Even the litter that’s not their own.
We all need the help of another,
For the job's too hard to do alone.

When we choose to hoard our trash,
And not dispose of our dirty litter.
It will attract the maggots of sin,
And turn our pained trash bitter.

God calls us to give him our trash,
To turn the ashes of them to beauty.
For only He can recycle our pain,
And forgive us when we’re guilty.

Give God our black bags of pain,
Nail them to His cross of freedom.
This will clean and lighten our load,
And give us joy to enter His Kingdom.

Life is like a Garden

Life began in a Garden,
God formed us from dirt.
He planted us to grow,
And is our Gardener expert.

You weren’t created as a houseplant,
To live isolated and alone.
You were made for a garden-bed,
Where your seeds can be sown.

Your roots need to be grounded,
In God’s rich and fertile soil.
We need to submit to His pruning,
And yield to our lives of toil.

God waters us with Life,
And shines His Son for power.
He transplants us when it’s needed,
To new friendships, like a flower.

God tends our soil with care,
As He fertilizes our dirt.
He feeds us with His goodness,
And heals our every hurt.

As we each grow together,
In God’s garden of Life,
Let’s weed ourselves from sin,
To withstand the winter’s strife.

Our garden has many different trees,
With a variety of plants and flowers.
Some have thorns or fruits to bear,
And some have healing powers.

Grow where you are planted,
Endure your garden’s mud.
Bloom, to propagate your seeds,
Dig deep, and care for each bud.

 

(Inspired by the Sermon, "Glorious Dirt", by Gabe Philips - Life Changers Church, Milnerton, Cape Town)

Life is like a Storm

Life can be a raging storm
Often turbulent and bleak
It can leave you sad and forlorn
Feeling battered and all weak

Winds of change can leave you shaken
Feeling exposed and vulnerable
But their purpose is to see you waken
And not leave you miserable

Clouds of doubt and confusion
Make it hard to see the way
While lightning thought delusions
Can leave you stranded and astray

Raining tears may seem to drown you
When the hurt comes thundering in
But they are meant to cleanse you
And where your healing will begin

When your blizzard heart grows icy
Love can thaw it through
Like waves swelling in the sea
It can make your life feel new

We may not know the forecast
Of when our storms will come
But we can remain steadfast
When we are anchored to God’s son

For it’s there we can find refuge
As we seek shelter till our rainbow
Whether our storms are small or huge
God uses them to help us grow

What you Feed will Grow

We wake each day with a choice,
With what and who will we feed.
We can be miserable or rejoice,
Focus on our blessings or our need.

Our food is the fuel that grows us,
Transforming us into someone new.
Growing to become more like Jesus,
When we feed on what’s pure and true.

Our flesh and 5 senses keep calling,
To feed them with our selfish desires.
Whilst our spirit’s growth keeps stalling,
Getting choked out from what it requires.

We need to crucify our flesh,
And starve it’s needs to death.
So that our spirit can arise afresh,
And feed on our worship breath.

Our spirit’s willing, our flesh is weak,
We must look above and not around.
For the spiritual food that we seek,
Is where our maturing growth is found.

We need to feed on God’s Word,
To read it, listen and meditate.
Making sure that our spirit is stirred,
As we daily finish what’s on our plate.

We need to feed on earnest prayer,
To talk to and hear from our Lord.
Knowing that He is always there,
Offering us blessings as our reward.

We need to feed on joyful praise,
To worship our God with a song.
Take off our focus on what preys,
Feeding together makes us strong.

We won’t grow with fast-food junk,
Gobbled up in a hurry, on the run.
Savoring long, on a decent chunk.
Is where our best growth is done.

So wake up each day and choose,
To feed your spirit and not your flesh,
Resisting self, making no excuse,
Until your flesh becomes hungry less.

And as you feed your spirit well,
By abiding and snacking all day,
Others will soon be able to tell,
And will want to eat of your buffet.

Wash my Feet, Lord

Wash my feet, oh Lord,
My filthy, black, muddy feet,
With their smelly, stench of sin,
Ugly and wrinkled from the heat.

Cleanse my feet, oh Lord,
Will you wipe away their shame?
Let your grace rinse them clean,
By the Power in your Name.

Wash them with your blood, Lord,
Let your living waters pour on me.
Soften my cracked, coarse, callouses,
Unshackle me from the enemy.

Help me expose my ugly feet, Lord,
In close intimacy and with humility.
Stop me from covering up with barriers,
Or trying to make them look all pretty.

Help me Lord, to be a good example,
To wash the feet of my neighbour.
To help clean and heal their dirtiest parts,
And to share the load of their heavy labour.

Teach me Lord, to walk in your shoes,
To take off my coat of pride, yet feel secure.
To be a willing servant to wash and clean,
And co-administer Your healing pedicure.

Lord, let me shake off the dust of this world,
So I can leave deep footprints in their hearts.
Let me walk upright and in your righteousness,
As I learn to serve to clean their sinful parts.

Inspired from a sermon by Daniel van Schalkwyk – Shofar Church

Life is like a Vineyard

 Our lives are like a vineyard
We all grow fruitful like grapes
We need God’s full Son and Water
To make beautiful landscapes

Our diseased parts get healed
When we’re grafted to the true vine
It’s when our Spirits sap gets sealed
That helps us yield the best wine

Like grapes, we’re crushed and pressed
To bring out a better character
We can yield a bountiful harvest
That’s ready to pour and decanter

What kind of grape are you growing?
Are they sweet, smooth or full-bodied?
Or are they dry, bitter or sour to taste?
Were they ripened with patience or hurried?

Some grapes are grown to be wine
Whilst others are drunk or eaten as fruit
God knows which ones to dry for raisins
For it’s in Him that our branches take root

Are your fruits small or bountiful?
Do you have many seeds to offer?
When you are planted in the right soil
Your skin will ripen much softer

The fruits of our labor are juicier
When we grow clustered in a bunch
All kind of grapes can be delicious
When enjoyed together with lunch

We need training to grow upright
With supports that secure our roots
Our branches need watered and pruned
To yield the best kind of wine or fruit

Be sure to stay connected to the Vine
Drawing His strength to grow you best
Wait well, look up but hang low
As you wait on your eternal harvest

Life is like a Computer

 Your life is like a computer,
You need the right programs installed.
If you want the correct output,
You must take care of what is stored.

At times you may need a reboot,
For God to debug your system,
To restore your life to His default,
With His program full of wisdom.

Sometimes you just need a refresh,
Or an undo when you make an error.
Delete them from your cache memory,
And keep your focus on Life’s cursor.

Your sin and bad habits are like a virus,
That corrupts your life’s output data.
Your inner code may need to be rewritten,
In God’s Biblical version of Java.

You will need constant updates and scans,
In order to function and operate well.
Search the Bible like you do with Google,
To find life’s answers for you to excel.

You must stay plugged into God,
To keep your inner power constant.
Let His Holy Spirit be your modem,
To help you start up in an instant.

Let your Church be your network server,
So you can join and grow in life.
When you share and gain from others,
You'll find help to face all life’s strife.

Do you sign in with purpose each morning?
Have you got God’s Bible program installed?
Is God your chosen Operating System,
So your life can be protected and firewalled?