The Tree That Could Not Grow

Like a tree, I want to grow,

A showy and excellent plant, I want to show.

Let my branches spread out to all sides,

And my treetop and trunk reach the skies.

 

Growing is my innermost heart’s desire,

This thought catches my imagination all the time.

I always seek the best soil for my development,

I always seek ways for self-improvement.

 

I seek pure water streams constantly,

They will supply my needs permanently.

I do my best to achieve success,

But I am not growing; nothing has any effect.

 

After carefully analyzing my situation,

I discovered I live in a sad condition.

I discovered I do not grow because I am surrounded,

I do not grow because I am being obfuscated.

 

There are many big and old trees in the way,

They always try to thwart my plans every day.

None of them supports the way I try to go,

But all of them criticize me when I try to grow.

They say growth is not meant for me,

They say all my actions will do for nothing.

Long ago, these trees stopped dreaming,

Now, their mission is trying to discourage me.

 

I cannot hear them, I cannot stop to fight,

I need exceptional help to improve my life.

This wonderful help will come from that one who created me,

The help of the gardener, the Lord, I will receive.

 

God will open the way to my growth,

Taking off all that was covering me; all the shadows.

The Lord always believes in what I can do,

He always blesses my way and makes something good.

 

Like the gardener, God cared about His creation,

He poured out His blessing and removed any limitations.

I have learned I must trust and believe only in the Lord,

He is the only one who gifts me true love.

God is the unique who will always help me,

My growth will never stop since I continue with Him.

This poem is part of the book Words of Faith.

See the book:

https://books2read.com/u/meLvPr

I am very proud of everything you do

I am proud that you constantly forget the Creator. Everything in your lives becomes more important than Him.

I am proud that you created machismo. You use the Creator's words to diminish the importance and value of those who should be by your side. And beyond diminishing them, you assault, humiliate, mistreat them, and do unspeakable things.

I am proud that you created countless prejudices. You always find ways to separate yourselves. You consider yourselves superior and think you have permission to attack those who are the image and likeness of the Creator.

I am proud of your lack of consideration for what the Creator has given you. You destroy and consume the planet at an astonishing speed. No warning, study, or catastrophe can make you sensitive. You keep destroying in the name of progress.

I am proud that you love lies so much. You love spreading false news, unfounded theories, and mere fanciful speculations. And what makes me most proud is that you call this freedom. And every time someone tries to punish the liars, you create manipulative narratives that lead people to believe that punishment is oppression.

I am proud of the contradiction in your conservative acts. You do the impossible to prevent an abortion, but you do nothing to feed a hungry child. You severely criticize homosexuality, but let sexual impurity dominate you. You promote boycotts of content you consider inappropriate but do not promote the Creator's content.

I am proud of your lack of love for your neighbor. One human being has resources for a thousand future generations, while others do not know when their next meal will be. You seek life on other planets but forget the needy in your city.

I am proud of the apathy of the church. Many no longer make any difference in the world. They are just a social club. Some NGOs are more relevant than the churches.

I am proud of the distortion of the Creator's Word. You have created so many doctrines, rules, and commandments that it is difficult to know what the Truth is.

Signed: The Devil.

From Preoccupation to Peace

I wake up, and it starts the preoccupation

I have no peace but agitation

I get agitated thinking: what will come?

I get nervous imagining: what will go on?

My nerves are troubled

All my being is very exalted.

 

I live like that all the days

There is no peace in my ways

I’m always fatigued

I’m completely exhausted

I have no strength for anything

My flame is decreasing.

 

I need help to free me

Someone who can relieve me

I need a merciful hand

Someone to bring me to the promised land

I need to get out of this prison

Someone who gives me liberation.

There is only one who can do this

Someone able to understand me

The Lord God can save me

He’ll free me from the anguish

I’ll be able to walk carefree

He’ll relieve me from what was heavy.

 

I’ll deliver to the Lord my preoccupation

He will lead me to a solution

That seemed totally impossible

With God converts into possible

I’ll continue trusting in His great help,

I know that I’m not alone in my battle.

 

The mighty hand of God will cover me

From the evils, He’ll protect me

To infinite peace, He’ll lead me

A new life will begin

Leaving all stress and preoccupation

Living confidently in the God of my salvation.

This poem is part of the book Words of Faith.

See the book:

https://books2read.com/u/meLvPr

Death’s Time

Nobody knows about tomorrow,

No one knows what will happen.

People can make many plans,

And tomorrow may not even come.

 

Nobody knows the time they will die,

Nobody knows until when they will be alive.

Everyone knows that death will happen,

At the moment that has not waited,

It can bring us great amazement.

 

Today may be your last day,

Maybe tomorrow your life will be taken away.

Will you die happy and realized?

Did you do everything you desired?

 

In life, it is possible to do some things,

Gain a lot of money, to be important.

To be a genial person, to be brilliant.

But one thing is needed to think:

“And after I die, is the end of everything?”

 

The answer to this question is not!

Your life does not end when you die.

At least not your spiritual life.

This one will continue eternally,

Regardless of whether you were good or bad.

If you were good and saved by God,

In heaven, your soul will arrive,

You will be received with happiness by the Lord.

But if you were not saved by God.

Something very bad will happen.

They will throw you in eternal torment,

And from there, you will never leave.

 

Choose carefully how to lead your life.

In this world, there is nothing for sure.

Today you are good and alive,

And tomorrow, maybe you are in hell.

 

Do not leave God for a later time,

You do not know what will happen in your life.

Do not wait for the future to change,

Because the future may not even arrive…

This poem is part of the book Christian Poetry Volume III.

See the book:

https://books2read.com/u/3nG5R5

Gospel Complete

The preaching of the gospel must be complete,

It cannot be only pleasant things.

The preaching must always tell the truth,

It cannot be just about what is good.

This gospel is based on satisfaction,

It wants to please the heart of the person.

This one does not matter about the real message,

It draws Christ with a new image.

It is the image of Jesus Christ, the servant,

His function is only to be like an attendant,

He is not considered the author of salvation,

They do not think about his sacrifice and affliction.

The gospel must come back to its origins,

The pure gospel saves people from their sins.

The gospel that shows Jesus crucified,

Cross’ gospel to forgive all sins of each life.

This kind of gospel must be revived.

Everyone can be saved with this message,

Leaving old ways, each person can change.

Leaving all his egocentrism behind,

The God father will be the center of his life.

The focus of God’s gospel is salvation,

Through repentance, forgiveness, and transformation.

There is no other way of preaching,

This was the message Christ commanded us to spread.

This poem is part of the book Christian Poetry Volume V.

See the book:

https://books2read.com/u/m0JKpA

The Widow and Elijah

God said to Elijah to go away,

He should go to another place,

Where a woman would supply him.

He went according to the Lord’s saying.

He met a widow when he arrived at the land,

He asked for some water, and she gave in his hand.

Then Elijah asked her for some food,

The woman said she had almost no food or supplies,

She would cook for her and her son, and they would die.

The prophet asked the widow to serve him,

Saying that God would supply her with all things.

She trusted in what the prophet had said.

And she had food for many days.

It was a demonstration of God’s grace.

The prophet stayed with that woman,

And there was the death of her son.

She questioned the prophet Elijah:

Did you come to bring disgrace over me?

Did you come to take away my reason for living?

The prophet took the boy and prayed to God:

Let this boy’s life return to him, oh Lord!

The Lord resurrected that boy.

She saw that Elijah was a Lord’s man,

And she has never questioned Elijah again.

This poem is part of the book Christian Poetry Volume IV.

See the book:

https://books2read.com/u/bpMr16

The Word of Elijah

The land of Israel was living in sin,

To the idols, they were sacrificing.

To the Lord, they had no dedication,

They were bowing only to the abominations.

King Ahab sinned every day,

He led Israel’s people out of the Lord’s way.

Jezebel, his wife, increased the contamination,

She added many abominations.

God raised the prophet Elijah to rebuke the king,

He gave the message of the Lord to him:

Any rain will not fall on this land,

Until I give another command.

Elijah ran away to the brook to hide away,

The ravens gave him food every day.

The water dried up because of the lack of rain,

Accomplishing the words God had spoken.

The whole people of Israel could see,

Elijah said what God commanded him.

That was a signal for the people back to believe,

Only God has the power to do all of this.

This poem is part of the book Christian Poetry Volume IV.

See the book:

https://books2read.com/u/bpMr16

Good Father

We have a father with much love,

That is God, our Lord.

We are his beloved sons,

On our side, He is going on.

 

He never leaves us alone in our walking,

He is near us; He is always helping.

The way, He is cleansing,

All dirt and evil, He is removing.

 

When I make some mistakes,

As a good father, He will correct me,

The correction is not to punish me,

It is for my development.

 

There is no reason for revolting,

He is only teaching,

A good father must educate,

This poem is part of the book Christian Poetry Volume II.

See the book:

https://books2read.com/u/mg5w0z

Freed From Sin

One heavy handcuff was on me,

It was hard to walk with it.

I thought to follow in many ways,

Wherever I walked, it was disturbing me.

It seemed that I was a slave.

But it was not usual slavery.

I was a slave of sin.

My life was corroded by many sins.

My soul seemed to be hurt.

I needed my freedom urgently.

I had to get out of this prison of malignity.

I lived every moment, lamenting.

And every day, there were new sufferings.

One day, my long-awaited freedom came to me

The Lord came to me with the key.

From my prison, He freed me.

For me, a new life started.

Of all wickedness, He rid me.

I live under the protection of the God of love.

That One who rid me of all evils.

With his strong arm, He rescued me.

I will adore only Him,

Because only his mercy could free me.

This poem is part of the book Christian Poetry Volume I.

See the book:

https://books2read.com/u/mg5w0z

But God

I am very weak,

But God is with me.

I can do anything,

But God can do all things.

 

Everything seems impossible,

But God does everything possible.

There is no exit in my way,

But God creates a new way.

 

I cannot overcome my situation,

But God can win on any occasion.

My anguish is discouraging me,

But God is strengthening me.

 

Everything seems to be against my life,

But God is walking by my side.

I do not know what I have to do,

But God tells me the best to do.

 

I have many uncertainties,

But God has all certainties.

I do not know what will take place,

But God will always be with me.

This poem is part of the book Words of Faith.

See the book:

https://books2read.com/u/meLvPr

Friends

Some important and special people pass through our lives,

They are always with us, help us, and like our family, they are,

For them, there is no bad moment where they cannot help us,

We can always count on them because they will never forsake us.

These people truly can be called friends,

Because whether we are good or bad, they will attend.

Loyal friends do not matter about what you have,

They matter if you are happy or sad.

Getting loyal friends is a task very hard and complicated,

It is like finding fine gold in the middle of mud being cleaned.

A loyal friend is like a treasure that cannot be purchased,

Because the value of a true friendship cannot be calculated.

Always help those people you consider to be your friends,

They always need support and everything you can do for them.

Stay happy when your friends reach some achievement,

Be a blessing in their lives, and always try to cheer them on.

And remember, there is a great friend you can count on all the time,

He is an incredible, marvelous, and perfect friend; He is on your side.

This friend is Jesus, in all moments, He pleases to help you,

Just trust in Him, then, on your side, He will always continue.

This poem is part of the book Life Through the Words.

See the book:

https://books2read.com/u/bQpQ7d

Endless Blessing

Have you ever thought about the permanent blessing of God?

I know that sounds too good to be true, and in fact, it is, because it is a blessing that has no beginning or end.

The permanent blessing is the blessing of God that is upon our lives every day; it is the favor that gives us life, protects us, leads us and brings us to our homes, frees us from diseases, gives us strength to overcome the bad seasons of life, gives us wisdom and intelligence to solve problems, in short, it is multiple blessings happening at the same time, each one given especially for an area of life.

God sends us what we need at the exact time we need it. Although the situation may seem chaotic and meaningless, the permanent blessing is there with us.

What is the purpose of this blessing?

The Lord gives us this blessing so that we can grow, develop, and become everything that He created us to be.

God created us to do great things, and this takes time, so He graces us with the permanent blessing; the Lord is perfecting us daily, extending his hand so that we can climb one more step towards the future that the Almighty God has designed for each one.

Don’t give up! Don’t surrender! The permanent blessing will always be with you.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (CSB)

Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!

Always Present

Throughout life, we create a wrong perception about what it means to be under God’s protection. We are taught that divine coverage will deliver us from all bad situations, and nothing bad will happen to us.

However, throughout life, we live many things that bother and sadden us. We suffer disappointments, betrayals, and injustices; we feel physical and heart pain, and it seems that everything that could go wrong happens to us.

In these moments, we question whether God is really with us; we question whether we are under his protection and blessing. The whole scenario indicates that we are living alone, and no one cares for our steps.

Before concluding we are alone, we must dive into the Word of God and comprehend how He acted in the lives of his beloved children.

In the Book of Genesis, we see how God was with Joseph throughout his life, the young man faced the envy of his brothers, slavery, and prison. In every place he was, God showed him his grace. Joseph ended his life as the second most important man in Egypt, responsible for saving the nation during the time of famine.

In the Book of Exodus, we see how God cared for the people of Israel in the desert, providing them water, food, shade during the day, and light and warmth during the night. The people were led to the Promised Land, where they enjoyed abundance in everything.

In the Book of Daniel, we see how God saved Daniel’s friends in the blazing furnace, He sent an angel who protected them. Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den and was also protected by an angel sent by God. Daniel and his friends were respected and admired by the king of Babylonia.

All these stories have something in common: God rescued the people amid their disgraces. Everything seemed lost, but God saved them and led them to blessing. The Lord was with each of His children in their worst moments.

Therefore, we must cling to this same faith, believing that God is with us even when everything is chaos and seems like our end. The Lord is by our side, strengthening us and guiding us towards victory.

Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Never Forget

 

Modern life provides us with many challenges daily; there are many tasks, appointments, notifications, calls, messages, and e-mails, so, all want our attention the entire time. And amid this chaos, where is the word of God and his commandments?

It is not uncommon to leave reading and meditation for later. We always say that we are busy at that moment and can’t stop for biblical reading and prayer. In part, that’s true, there are moments where nobody can stop what they are doing.

However, we can’t allow the ocean of tasks to drown us and kill our spiritual life and relationship with God. Although there is a lot to do, we must “reserve” a time in our agenda for the Lord; a moment of peace and calm where we’ll be alone with God.

Someone can start with a little while, maybe ten or fifteen minutes a day, in a private place. If it’s possible, with relaxing music to calm the mind down; seek an encouraging text in Psalms or advice in Proverbs. Reflect on the text and talk to the Lord with all your heart. Don’t worry about nice words or saying something wrong. The most important thing is to open your heart before God.

I’m sure this moment will transform your day and life. You’ll have created a personal, direct, and continuous connection with God. Do your best and see the transformation.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV)

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Remember Your Best Days

 

All of us have good and bad days. Moments where everything runs perfectly without any trouble, and moments where everything is out of control, we don’t have peace, and nothing works.

I don’t know why these bad days are the only ones we often remember. I’m not joking; this is real. If we start recompiling our happenings, we’ll remember more the displeasing situations than good ones. Our minds seem to have a special room for disgraces, mistakes, hurts, disappointments, misfortunes, etc.

What are the consequences of storing these memories?

We get used to thinking and hoping for the worst of everything and everybody; we can’t hope for anything good in our destiny. Whenever we are waiting for an answer, we are assured the reply will be negative. We can’t trust anyone because we suppose they will hurt us. We feel incapable, ordinary, defeated, and abandoned.

All these negative emotions sour our lives and limit our vision. In fact, we can’t do anything good because we decide that we don’t deserve it, and it won’t happen.

It’s time to shift your mind. Replace your sad memories with happy ones; instead of remembering what you didn’t get, remember all the gifts that God already gave you. Don’t give room in your heart to those who have hurt you; remove them and replace them with those who love and care about you. Forget the sadness of one failure in your past and meditate only on the lessons you’ve learned.

With these simple decisions, you can grow and become all the Lord has created you to be: a blessed, strong, awesome, and victorious son of the Most High God.

Psalm 77:11-12 (NIV)

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.

Don’t Wait, Act!

 

Many things can rise against us and frustrate our plans. Many hiccups can arise and discourage us. Opposition dismays us and makes us doubt our capability and strengths to continue.

Besides all that can be against us, sometimes, we ourselves are fighting against pursuing and realizing our dreams. I know that can seem odd, and the first answer would be:

“I’m not against my dreams. I fight for them; I do my best.”

Generally, that’s true. We do our best for our dreams. However, we’re not always really acting. Sometimes, we are waiting for the perfect condition to start. We glimpse a bright future but don’t act to achieve it. We delay the action, always saying things like:

“Now is not the right moment.”

“Tomorrow, all will be better; I’ll be more willing.”

“I’m going to start next week.”

“Next year, everything will be different.”

The beginning is postponed, delayed, deferred, and finally; that never occurs. We carry a mountain of regrets and imagine how all could be different if we had acted; how we would be better if we had started…

Don’t carry regrets because of what you would like to do; learn valuable lessons by doing and making mistakes. Do, make a mistake, do it again, hit the target. The pain of trial and error is much less than that of a heart frustrated by not acting.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (AMP)                                               

He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

Look at the Spectacular

Some things impress and fascinate us because their existence seems incredible and spectacular. Some things give us a feeling of greatness, power, and mystery…

We look at nature and are amazed by the size of the great animals; we are astonished by the huge ocean or an interminable desert. And we get even more dazzled when we think about the sky, the stars, and the universe.

And if our hearts and minds are open, we also notice greatness, power, and mystery in tiny things.

We look at our hands and see fingerprints. A unique and unequaled draw not repeated in any person (alive, who has lived or will live). The small ants can carry objects heavier than them. And the bees who have an ingenious system of honey production.

Our vision must be open to the small great miracles we experience daily: wake up, come back home at dusk, have food, have a house…

Many are the blessings we receive from God, but sometimes, we forget their value. We blindly seek the spectacular, the fantastic, and the unimaginable, and despise what is right in front of our eyes.

Each of the Lord’s gifts should be treated with the highest esteem and appreciation because they sustain and support us to achieve greater and greater miracles.

Psalm 23:6

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.