Rooted in Christ
Like trees so deeply rooted
That though life’s storms may blow
They stand through all securely,
We must take root to grow.
We must abide in Jesus
Through fellowship and prayer
So we can know the blessings
He daily wants to share.
We must be well established
On Jesus day by day –
His strength and truth our anchor,
His Word our hope and stay.
We must find satisfaction
In Jesus Christ alone –
Delighting in His presence
And all the love He’s shown.
Then storms of life can shake us
But we will stand secure,
For when we’re firmly rooted
In Christ we will endure.
Christina Joy Hommes
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7
Why Bear the Burden?
When I would bear my burdens
They seems so big for me –
They’re half my size or bigger
And I can hardly see.
But when I cast those burdens
On Jesus, how they shrink
And look so small beside Him!
It really makes me think,
Why should I bear a burden
He wants to bear for me
That’s large for me but easy
For Him who sets me free?
Christina Joy Hommes
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalms 55:22
Life
From Ecclesiastes (1:1-14, & 12:12-14)
The sun arises in the east
Then sets beyond the west,
The breezes blow in circling paths
Whose end cannot be traced.
The sun evaporates the sea,
The clouds send forth the rain
Which falls and runs until it meets
Within the sea again.
From dust a man is made to live
And then to dust returns,
His work repeated by and by
His knowledge one relearns.
Nothing is new beneath the sun,
What’s done was done before.
Is all vexation, vanity,
Or is there something more?
Ah, more there is, though life is vain
And earth is emptiness,
For we live not for these alone
But for a future place.
Some will discuss things to no end
(They’ll write and teach and fight),
Yet this alone is weariness
And gives no certain light.
Here is the end, this we conclude,
The whole summed up is this:
Fear God and do as He directs
Man’s single duty this.
For God will judge our every work
With everything secret thing,
Deciding what is good and bad
Since He alone is King.
So let us live as He directs,
This life is but a part;
Look on to that eternal life
And keep and guard your heart.
Christina Joy Hommes
The Pressures of the Moment
I Samuel 17, 21
I rose and killed the giant
I slew him with a stone,
The other men were fearful
I stood in faith alone.
Then pressures came about me
My life was daily sought,
Then daily fears beset me
My faith I soon forgot.
I fell to worldly mindsets,
I lied before the Lord;
I trusted earthly weapons
And doubted my God’s Word.
The hero of a moment
I fell when life beset,
The pressures of the moment,
Compared to life, were less.
Christina Joy Hommes
We are not saved by works we’ve done
But by the grace of God,
For all who trust in Christ are saved –
Washed in His precious blood.
Then, once we’re saved, we find good works
To do because we love
To please the One who showed us grace
And saved us is His love.
Christina Joy Hommes
Ephesians 2:8-10
I Will Not Want
(Meditations on Psalm 23:1)
I will not want another path
Than that which I am on,
Because my Shepherd knows what’s best;
This path is one He’s drawn.
I will not want a different way
Than where He’s leading me
With fewer thorns or more repose,
For He knows best for me.
I will not want a lighter yoke
Than this He made with care,
He knows what’s best and I will trust
He knows what I can bear.
I will not want what He withholds
Since He is always right;
His kindness is beyond my grasp,
It gives me strength and light.
I will not want a clearer view
So I can understand,
When He would guide me step by step
That I might trust His hand.
I will not want, in short, one thing
Which He does not deem best,
Because my Shepherd is my Lord –
In His good plan I rest.
Christina Joy Hommes