There’s No Change...
There’s no change that I can bring about
In this poor life of mine.
The power to change my life, dear Lord,
Is Thine and only Thine.
Only Thou canst cleanse my sin
And wash away each stain;
Only Thou canst send the Light
And make the dark way plain.
Only Thou, through Jesus’ blood,
Can make me clean and pure;
For only by His righteousness
Is my way to heaven secured.
No, there’s no change that I can bring about,
I’ve no righteousness of my own —
The power to change my wretched life
Is Thine and Thine alone.
a. franklin staples
September 21, 1997
© 1997 by A. Franklin Staples
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Monday, March 6, 2017
Lord, You promised to supply our daily needs
And that is all I ask,
And for strength to follow where He leads
That I might perform the task.
WHAT KIND OF FRUIT?
What kind of fruit will the seed you sow bear?
Will the fruit of the Spirit be evident there?
Is the seed of Christ’s gospel the message you share?
Be true to that message, if His Name you wear.
Do you consider God’s will in all that you do?
Do you strive every moment to His Word to be true?
Do you have His commandments always in view?
REMEMBER! In doing God’s will, Christ died for you.
In the way straight and narrow each day do you trod,
Toward the gate that is narrow,.not the one that is broad?
Are you walking the Way that leads straight to God?
With the gospel of Peace are your feet surely shod?
Do you shun the broad way that leads straight into Hell?
Are you willing and eager Christ’s story to tell?
Do you know deep within that with your soul it is well?
Is your greatest desire with Jesus to dwell?
If you’ve answered “Yes” to these questions I’ve posed,
Then your faith is well grounded, not just supposed,
But if your answer to some or all has been “No!”,
You had better repent before the Straight Gate is closed!
a. franklin staples
August 17, 1990
Copyright © 1990 by A. Franklin Staples
And that is all I ask,
And for strength to follow where He leads
That I might perform the task.
WHAT KIND OF FRUIT?
What kind of fruit will the seed you sow bear?
Will the fruit of the Spirit be evident there?
Is the seed of Christ’s gospel the message you share?
Be true to that message, if His Name you wear.
Do you consider God’s will in all that you do?
Do you strive every moment to His Word to be true?
Do you have His commandments always in view?
REMEMBER! In doing God’s will, Christ died for you.
In the way straight and narrow each day do you trod,
Toward the gate that is narrow,.not the one that is broad?
Are you walking the Way that leads straight to God?
With the gospel of Peace are your feet surely shod?
Do you shun the broad way that leads straight into Hell?
Are you willing and eager Christ’s story to tell?
Do you know deep within that with your soul it is well?
Is your greatest desire with Jesus to dwell?
If you’ve answered “Yes” to these questions I’ve posed,
Then your faith is well grounded, not just supposed,
But if your answer to some or all has been “No!”,
You had better repent before the Straight Gate is closed!
a. franklin staples
August 17, 1990
Copyright © 1990 by A. Franklin Staples
SOMEDAY WE’LL BE WITH HIM
Someday we’ll be with Him over on that fair shore
And partake of the blessings that He has in store;
To dwell with Him there in that home evermore;
To worship and praise Him and ever adore.
In that Home over yonder we will all be so glad;
No more long faces, for one will be sad,
And we willl never remember any troubles we’ve had.
No one will ever mention, or even think, the word “bad”.
In that land of pure bliss where life never will end
We wll serve the Lord Jesus. Our Saviour and Friend.
To His will and commandments we will ever attend,
Always doing His bidding, go wherever He’ll send.
Over there we will know even as now we are known,
In that Home He’s preparing for each of His own,
And we wll never, no, never here a sigh or a moan
As we worship King Jesus around His glorious throne.
We will be clad in white raiment; on our heads will be crowns,
And at Jesus’ dear feet we will gladly cast down
Those crowns He will give us, as we gather around
To thank Him and praise Him. What great joy will abound!
The whole of creation we will forever explore,
Never reaching an end, for there will always be more.
We will really find out then what God has in store
For this man He created and Christ died to restore.
a. franklin staples
August 11, 1990
Copyright © 1990 by A. Franklin Staples
Someday we’ll be with Him over on that fair shore
And partake of the blessings that He has in store;
To dwell with Him there in that home evermore;
To worship and praise Him and ever adore.
In that Home over yonder we will all be so glad;
No more long faces, for one will be sad,
And we willl never remember any troubles we’ve had.
No one will ever mention, or even think, the word “bad”.
In that land of pure bliss where life never will end
We wll serve the Lord Jesus. Our Saviour and Friend.
To His will and commandments we will ever attend,
Always doing His bidding, go wherever He’ll send.
Over there we will know even as now we are known,
In that Home He’s preparing for each of His own,
And we wll never, no, never here a sigh or a moan
As we worship King Jesus around His glorious throne.
We will be clad in white raiment; on our heads will be crowns,
And at Jesus’ dear feet we will gladly cast down
Those crowns He will give us, as we gather around
To thank Him and praise Him. What great joy will abound!
The whole of creation we will forever explore,
Never reaching an end, for there will always be more.
We will really find out then what God has in store
For this man He created and Christ died to restore.
a. franklin staples
August 11, 1990
Copyright © 1990 by A. Franklin Staples
Saturday, March 4, 2017
THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
What should we say about spiritual gifts?
Are they only those written there
On the pages of letters written of old?
Are they those for all time, everywhere?
Do we limit the blessed Holy Ghost to just those
That He gave to the new infant Church?
Don't forget that the God-head is not bound by time,
And that gifts are to help in God's work.
Some of those first gifts are no longer needed,
And are therefore no longer given.
The gifts of the Spirit are those that He chooses
To give to those whom the Lord has forgiven.
Don't be too worried about discovering your gift,
For it may not be specifically labelled
In the Book's list of gifts to the early church.
The Spirit knows whereof your are able.
If you've found a place of service for God,
If you're doing what needs to be done,
Then the Spirit has given you a gift for God's service.
Give the glory to God through His Son.
a. franklin staples
April 17, 1994
Copyright © 1994 by A. Franklin Staples
What should we say about spiritual gifts?
Are they only those written there
On the pages of letters written of old?
Are they those for all time, everywhere?
Do we limit the blessed Holy Ghost to just those
That He gave to the new infant Church?
Don't forget that the God-head is not bound by time,
And that gifts are to help in God's work.
Some of those first gifts are no longer needed,
And are therefore no longer given.
The gifts of the Spirit are those that He chooses
To give to those whom the Lord has forgiven.
Don't be too worried about discovering your gift,
For it may not be specifically labelled
In the Book's list of gifts to the early church.
The Spirit knows whereof your are able.
If you've found a place of service for God,
If you're doing what needs to be done,
Then the Spirit has given you a gift for God's service.
Give the glory to God through His Son.
a. franklin staples
April 17, 1994
Copyright © 1994 by A. Franklin Staples
THE MESSAGE, NOT THE MAN
The message is more important, by far, than the man.
Though preaching the Word is the way that God planned
To win people to Jesus through belief on His Name,
It's not the man that's important, but the Word he proclaims.
The Word is the Lord's; 'tis to be faithfully preached.
God says that's the way that the lost will be reached.
'Tis the message that the lost soul must hear, understand;
It's the the message that counts far more than the man.
'Tis the message of God, not of man, that men need;
'Tis the gospel of Christ that the lost soul must heed.
If preaching the gospel is the way that God planned,
It's the message that counts, friend. Take your eyes off the man.
a. franklin staples
April 17, 1994
Copyright © 1994 by A. Franklin Staples
The message is more important, by far, than the man.
Though preaching the Word is the way that God planned
To win people to Jesus through belief on His Name,
It's not the man that's important, but the Word he proclaims.
The Word is the Lord's; 'tis to be faithfully preached.
God says that's the way that the lost will be reached.
'Tis the message that the lost soul must hear, understand;
It's the the message that counts far more than the man.
'Tis the message of God, not of man, that men need;
'Tis the gospel of Christ that the lost soul must heed.
If preaching the gospel is the way that God planned,
It's the message that counts, friend. Take your eyes off the man.
a. franklin staples
April 17, 1994
Copyright © 1994 by A. Franklin Staples
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Don’t Laugh in the Face of God
Those who laugh in the face of God While they live here on this old earth
Will one day meet Him face to face And will rue the day of their birth,
For they will be standing then before the Great White Throne On the final Judgment day
And they’ll tremble and shake with awful fright For they know they will hear Him say,
“Depart, ye cursed, from before My face, To never be remembered again,
For I cast you forever into that Great Lake of Fire That was never prepared for men,
But was reserved for the devil and those of his own, The Beast and the False Prophet, too,
But you’re going there because you’ve rejected the One Who died on the cross for you.”
And not one person there will dare utter a word, For in this Court there will be no defense,
For the One who judges is both Justice and Truth, And He knows well the hearts of all men.
So, my friend, don’t laugh in the face of God, Don’t mock and reject Jesus, God’s Son,
For in so doing you’ll be condemning yourself To that awful judgment to come,
And you’ll spend an endless existence in torment and pain, In hopelessness and awful despair,
And you’ll know full well that only you are to blame, That your own stubborn will put you there.
a. franklin staples
© Copyright 2002 by A. Franklin Staples
Those who laugh in the face of God While they live here on this old earth
Will one day meet Him face to face And will rue the day of their birth,
For they will be standing then before the Great White Throne On the final Judgment day
And they’ll tremble and shake with awful fright For they know they will hear Him say,
“Depart, ye cursed, from before My face, To never be remembered again,
For I cast you forever into that Great Lake of Fire That was never prepared for men,
But was reserved for the devil and those of his own, The Beast and the False Prophet, too,
But you’re going there because you’ve rejected the One Who died on the cross for you.”
And not one person there will dare utter a word, For in this Court there will be no defense,
For the One who judges is both Justice and Truth, And He knows well the hearts of all men.
So, my friend, don’t laugh in the face of God, Don’t mock and reject Jesus, God’s Son,
For in so doing you’ll be condemning yourself To that awful judgment to come,
And you’ll spend an endless existence in torment and pain, In hopelessness and awful despair,
And you’ll know full well that only you are to blame, That your own stubborn will put you there.
a. franklin staples
© Copyright 2002 by A. Franklin Staples
Something to Think About...
How are things between you and the Lord?
Do you talk with Him daily?
Do you feed on His Word?
Have you committed your life to His keeping?
Are you secure in the palm of His hand?
Is Jesus your Lord, your Master, your Saviour?
Are you obedient to His call and command?
Just how are things between you and the Lord?
What’s been your response to the Good News you’ve heard
Ever since you were raised by those who believed?
Have you been to the altar His grace to receive,
Or are your concerns just about earthly things
Like houses and cars and dishes and rings?
What of eternity which you soon must face?
Will you be accorded in heaven a place?
Have you trusted in Jesus as your Saviour and Lord?
Just what will be your eternal reward?
Something to think about, that’s what it is,
For the Lord up in heaven knows those who are His.
Are you among them? Are you saved by God’s grace?
Are you walking with Jesus, living by faith?
If to these questions your answer is “Yes!”,
Then you’ve already entered God’s haven of rest;
But if “No!” is your answer, then time’s running out —
There’s not much left for you, of that there’s no doubt.
Will you choose to make Jesus your Lord, Saviour and King,
Or will you reject Him and stubbornly cling
To the lie of the devil, the god of this earth,
And leave it in death as you entered at birth,
A poor, wretched, blind sinner, unsaved and alone,
Who will one awful day stand before God’s gleaming White Throne,
And find your name blotted from the Lamb’s Book of Life,
Judged and found guilty, condemned to die twice
In the great lake of fire, far worse than in hell!
It’s something to think about—with your soul, is it well?
a. franklin staples
August 5, 2001
© Copyright 2001 by A. Franklin Staples
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