blessed are the persecuted

Blessed are the persecuted,
Hounded and pursued,
Insulted and accused,
Cast down and crushed,
Wronged for no other sake but His.

Faithful you stand to righteousness,
Your loyalty remains to One,
Your heart will not be divided
Between a world and a kingdom,
And though meek and merciful,
Your hands for peace will still work,
Even if hostile rejection is all they reply.

So wallow not, neither withdraw,
Instead, take heart and be glad,
For looking ahead we see the end of our labour,
When the fullness that is breaking in
Shall indeed break through and out.
And looking behind are the voices of all before,
Who have struggled and mourned and hung on,
And whose ovation rings out at the finish line,
All across this present and coming kingdom.

Matt. 5: 10-12

sč
Singapore, February 28th, 2008

to be free

In You, I am free.

Not just from death and destruction, though I am.

Not just from sin and its choices, though I am.

In You, I am free to live.

Not for the family who wants my best in their eyes,

Not for the friends I love, binding their lives to mine,

Not for the race that calls all rats to run,

No, not even for the sake of my own virtues and vices

That pin down, forcing me into patterns of repeated successes and failures.

No, no longer forced to live for me,

I am free to live ... for You.

sč

Singapore, February 24th, 2008

desire

Sweetly, your voice it sounds,
Calling my name, catching my attention,
To my pride, you appeal,
Fanning the flame to gratify,
A longing for importance,
A wanting for admiration.

How attractive you appear,
The thought of you holding my mind,
Not for my own desire but your best, I think,
Seeking an excuse; no, a chance to bless, I say.

And so over and over do I hold,
The picture of you in my mind,
But when closer and closer I look,
Your image always morphs and changes,
Showing the ugliest side I've ever seen,
As insidious as it is revolting,
The picture of me.

sč
Singapore, February 24th, 2008