2/22/26 Through 2/28/26

 2/22/26 Through 2/28/26

Sunday

What God wants for you is too good to be true

This tactic will devil employ.

We're trained from above to be goodness and love

And all of His pleasures enjoy.

He's holding you back with one thing that you lack,

His motives are selfish, you see.

No one is that good, so be wary, you should

So, come now and listen to me.

Don't fall for his rot, for it's nothing he's got

Say, show me the fruit of your hand.

There's nothing you built, but a tower of guilt

That's founded upon shifting sand.

It's God who made all by the sound of His call

And all that He says is quite true.

The loser is you, if rejecting the true,

Become but a nothing at all.

He'll make you a king, if your all you will bring

And freely give all that you own.

For there's nothing you made, no price that you paid

In giving, His love is made known.

Monday

To love is duty for us all

The proof of how we meet our call

We love ourselves and seek our good

And so, for all our neighbors should.

Whene'er we see a one in need

A one who's hungry, we must feed

A one who's naked, we must clothe

And nevermore the stranger loathe.

For Christ is there within each soul

And serving Him must be our goal

By doing so, we pave our way

To Paradise, on Judgment Day.

Tuesday

Your will, oh God, is my delight

Too often, though, I lose the fight

I find excuses day by day

To shun Your will and go my way

This leaves me none but guilt and shame

For wants of flesh I fail to tame

These challenges are not so hard,

I simply must remain on guard.

I must rely on grace each time

And learn to always upward climb

For many little vict'ries find

My will and Yours, at last, aligned

A Little Flower shows each day

How smallness is the saintly way

For every little act of love

To light our path to God above

So, help me start anew today

Repenting of my sinful way

By saying, yes to all You ask

And making love my constant task.

Wednesday

A greater sign than Jonah then

Is what we have as modern men

Three days of dead and in the grave

But risen Christ for man to save.

Oh, why believe in other tales

When their veracity but fails?

A simple fact that's plain and true

Is Jesus Christ has died for you.

The Ninevites condemn the wise

For they but look with blinded eyes

At Jesus and refuse to cry,

How guilty, guilty, Lord am I?

When fast and sacrifice is made

We choose the light, and lift the shade.

We change the body and the mind

Confessing sin, we mercy find

Thursday

A total trust is what I need

To every word of Jesus heed

He wants my good, and not my ill

So, I must follow well His will.

With gentle nudge, He leads me on

To trust and to rely upon

His grace in every time of need

To fill my soul and spirit feed.

The more I follow in His way

The more I see throughout the day

His hand in all I say and do

And beauty in His children, too.

Whate'er I need if great or small

Upon the Lord, I always call

For He has blessed me well thus far

And where He is my treasures are.

I've wanted long for wealth and fame

But now such want is but my shame

Far better now it seems to me

A little child, secure in Thee

Friday

Unless you surpass what the Pharisees do

There's no hope for them, and there's no hope for you

Self-righteousness leads us away from the King

Repentance, to Heaven, a sinner will bring

No joy does He find when the wicked are dead

But only when humble and hungry are fed

Acknowledge your guilt and repent of all wrong

Then Heaven, you'll find, is the place you belong.

His memory fails of the wrong we have done,

But also the good if we turn from His Son.

He knows all our faults, and He sees deep within

He knows what we love, be it He or the sin.

Our weakness is gone in the blink of an eye

When humble we are, and on Him we rely

But full of ourselves, we will sink like a stone

To reap of the sin that we've scattered and sown.

Saturday

(Can be sung to the tune of "Adore Te Devote")

Love the ones who do us wrong

Be forgiving now

Be a one to suffer long

Trust in God somehow

(Refrain)

Jesus God and Lord of all

Help this simple soul

Answer to Thy loving call

Heal and make me whole

Bless my enemies today

Light within them shine

Help them find the narrow way

Make them souls of Thine  (R)

May I hearken to Your voice

Making me Your own

Be my ever only choice

You, in me, make known  (R)

Bring the masses unto Thee

Let all truth be known

Help us all to humble be

To thy heart be flown.  (R)

2/15/26 Through 2/21/26

 2/15/26 Through 2/21/26

Sunday

The way is clear and simply shown

But we must make the way our own

For if we choose another way

We turn from God and go astray.

It's not sublime or hard to find

It's not alone, in darkness mined

It's there in light of day to see

And well within the reach of thee.

Free will He gives to every man,

To good or ill, stretch out your hand.

Receive what e'er you choose and know

By this, you choose where you will go.

Monday

The wisdom He grants is to follow His will

To see in our trials, a lesson distill.

Persistance perfecting, and filling the gaps,

By giving the measure, the humble one lacks.

With faith you must come, never doubting His hand

Not wavering once from His every command

For doubts are like waves that are tossed in the sea,

Unstable when not always trusting in Thee.

So, see with His eyes what is fleeting below

And know that the way of the flower we go.

The lasting is all that we have when above

And lasting alone is the blessing of love.

Tuesday

Persevering in temptation

The blessed hear His voice

The wise ones in the nation

To love, will make their choice.

The carnal ways of living

Enticed by base desire

But all that's good and giving

Will lift you from the mire.

Each perfect gift is from above

From in the Father's store

A gift of true, unchanging love

To draw you in the more.

Have you not seen, have you not heard

In all His work proclaimed

The Lord, your God, the Father's Word,

The Son of God so named?

Wednesday

The ashes are a potent sign

Of how we need the grace of Thine

To turn from sin and back to God

To thus avoid His righteous rod.

Our lives have strayed in many ways

In busyness of present days

At first, we lose the time to pray

Then, soon enough, we lose our way

The gods we fashion of our own

From seeds of sinfulness we've sown

By seeking pleasure, thrills, and more

While God of all, we just ignore.

The ashes given here today

Are stark reminders we must pray

Repenting of our sinful ways

So we can see the joyful days.

His Passion was the Father's plan

To reach the hardened hearts of man

He showed that sacrifice is love

And that, our path to home above.

He showers grace on willing men

Who turns the face to God again

And gives them strength to long endure

Each sacrifice, to evil cure.

So, live the ashes here and now

Let grace be strength to love somehow

Then find this year on Easter morn

The risen Christ within you born.

Thursday

Clearly, He speaks and says what He means

Hope is our anchor, whatever it seems

His will alone is the way to be free

All others return us to captivity.

In sacrifice, we find our way

The gift of self, to God obey

The cross will lead to life anew

So, take the resurrection view

He speaks the truth in every word

So, we must act on what we've heard

No profit has the world to give

So, give of self, and learn to live

Friday

Our fasting must engage the heart

And cause us to, from sin depart

It must begin a change within

That turns our will from sordid sin

It must be such that humbles man

To so align within God's plan

If it produce but selfish pride

It has no value deep inside

The fast must draw us close to Him

It's not just there to make us slim

It's there to change the heart's desire

And kindle Holy Spirit fire.

A fire that burns the dross away

And changes how we live each day

It makes us see the other's need

And recognize the voice to heed.

So, Lord, I pray this time I change

And set my sights to longer range

To see where all my weakness leads

And choose the path where Jesus feeds.

My Shepherd knows what's best for me

And what will open eyes to see

The beauty and the love He gives

If one, within the Gospel, lives.

Saturday

A sinner called and chosen here

A one to whom the Lord draws near

May be repugnant here to some

But one He wants to make a son.

He made us all for good, not ill

But all have come to shun His will

For some, rejection shows quite well

While others hide how they rebel

What matters here is not the sin

But if we welcome Jesus in

For all have sinned and none are clean

In Him, no sin remains unseen.

2/8/26 Through 2/14/26

 2/8/26 Through 2/14/26

Sunday

Your light must shine for all to see,

A beacon each was meant to be

To guide the lost and light their way

And lead them to the Light each day.

By how you treat the lowly poor

Is how you make your road secure.

One generous and kind will see

The Light of Life defending thee.

Monday

If only we'd touch just the tassel, we'd see

If only we'd try His way to be free,

The discipline thought to be holding us back

Would prove to be that which supplies what we lack.

His touch is the thing that supplies what we need

With grace for the weak to discipline heed.

The flesh is impotent, unable to stand

Unless with the help of His powerful hand.

His help is made ready, anew every day

For those with humility, willing to pray

But most are too proud to be coming each morn

And dread, from their comforts, each day to be torn.

The urgent replaces important, it seems

The searching for love, by the chasing of dreams.

We see in a moment, an instant, so much

If just on His cloak, of the tassel, we touch.

Tuesday

This temple be under Your eyes,

No shadow or funky disguise

A place of the Light, from morning till night

Where beggar can speak to the Wise.

Tradition we always uphold

And blessing we always unfold

When first we obey, everything that You say

And stick to commandments of old.

Wednesday

Now wisdom exceeds all riches and more

And all we possess, it comes from His store

For all that we have, and all that we need

Is not found in gluttony, lust, or in greed

It's found in the ways of the humble and meek

It's found in the ones, whom the will of God, seek

It's found in the docile, obedient soul

And one not afraid of assuming his role.

The role of one washing and cleansing within

Removing all traces of evil and sin

It's darkness within that defiles each one

So we must expose it to Light of the Son.

Repentance will bring us renewal within

A cleansing from darkness, forgiveness of sin.

Be wise and avail of this gift from above

For the wise are the ones who learn how to love.

Thursday

A one apart from God to be

A one without the eyes to see

Is how the foolish man inclines

And so, his wisdom thus declines.

As once the wisest man around

A fool, the man was later found

For he ignored the Light of Day

To let the women have their way

His wisdom gift He gives to all

Who simply will, upon Him call

He wants us looking every day

To stay upon the narrow way

The pagans, too, receive this gift

And so, the veil of blindness lift

To recognize His mighty Son

Who, on the Cross, the vict'ry won.

So, ask each morn for wisdom's grace

To see His hand in every place

To recognize our time of need

And then the voice of wisdom heed.

To turn away from lesser gods

And pay no heed to useless frauds

For Christ alone must be our King

And He alone can wisdom bring.

Friday

The dynasty be torn from thee

So few will heed His voice

The good will see what needs to be,

But few will make the choice.

Ephatha means, be opened now

To hear and speak what's true

So, listen and be changed somehow,

Don't let the fool be you.

For wisdom makes a mighty king

When used as He commands

But pride and selfishness will bring

Division to the lands.

Two ears, one tongue, should show us well 

To listen more than speak

So, understand before you tell

And know the One you seek.

When all is ordered to His plan

A harmony occurs

Then, in the heart of sinful man

To love, the wisdom spurs.

Saturday

A king who leads the flock astray

Will come to task on Judgment Day.

For all are meant to spread the Word

And not some useless rot they've heard.

There's One alone deserves our praise

To Him, our hands and voice we raise

No idol worship e'er supplies

The joy of those, the truly wise.

But fools will try to have their say

And worship in some novel way

But golden calf, or carriage grand

Are worth no more than grains of sand.

They cannot see, they cannot hear

So, why do people gather near

To place their trust in what is dead

Instead of going where they're fed?

The God of signs and wonders waits

But nay, a golden calf creates

There's only One, and God is He!

So, from all lesser idols, flee.

2/1/26 Through 2/7/26

 2/1/26 Through 2/7/26

Sunday

All that we suffer will work to our gain

Even when robbed and beaten or slain

The ones who will love in the darkest of days

Discover the secret of worship and praise.

The Lord is our Master and Maker, you see

He knows what is best and redeeming for thee

All suffering comes as result of our sin

And patient endurance is needed to win.

It's hard to explain what appears to be wrong

Like a note out of place in a spiritual song.

When good people suffer, and hungry need fed

We must tune our ears to what Jesus has said;

See who gets the Kingdom, see who gets the land

See who at last is satisfied, and who at last will stand.

The span that we must measure is far beyond this Earth

The truest form of treasure is found in second birth.

Monday

Obey and then prosper, how simple it seems

Be one as was Joseph, obeying of dreams

Not just the dreams, but the voice of the Lord

Calling that self be forever out-poured.

Knowing a sword will be coming our way

But still always choosing to hear and obey

If it is so simple, then why do I fail?

Because, on the truth, you have lowered a veil.

A veil made of sinfulness, power, and greed

That says, "I'm a king who has all that I need."

So, why be one humble and meek who obeys

When all of my comforts will last all my days?

The veil has so darkened how far you can see

Perverting the concept of one that is free.

All that you have is all passing away

Just look around, for it's true what I say.

For death comes to all, and then what shall be?

You must have the light, for beyond death to see.

With light you can see that when sacrifice looms

Self-giving brings love, but selfishness dooms.

Tuesday

For all is by faith and nothing by fear

Just touching the hem, and drawing so near

Releases the love that changes the day

Allowing the healed to go on their way.

Even once death has entered the scene

No traces of doubt or despair should be seen

Expelling the doubt with the fear and despair

The child is raised with the tenderest care.

So be it today when we come to the Lord

With much that we ask, but faith is ignored

Doubters are cast to the outer domain

Faithful find hope and relief from the pain.

Wednesday

Though all along his word has led

Why choose another way to tread?

Why choose to think it's you that won

And not acknowledge all He's done?

For all has come from Providence

Just look and see the evidence.

No way your skill could match the Lord

Or one with stone, defeat the sword.

The vict'ry comes from God alone

But haughty spirits men have grown

They seek His glory as their own

And then their weakness, well, is shown.

So, don't let pride conceal the truth

And move beyond your foolish youth

To recognize His hand in all

And thank Him for your humble call.

Thursday

Be manly and take courage

Observe the Lord's commands

Your witness will encourage

The people of the lands

His law will be your guidance

To lead your people home

But if you choose subsidence

Another takes the throne

Receive a throne united

And follow in His way

With wisdom, you're invited

To seize your every day.

But folly chooses failing

To walk upon His way

The selfish voice prevailing

And wisdom flies away.

The kingdom soon divided

In lust and selfish greed

By those who then decided

His statutes not to heed

But God alone was steady

And made His word come true

A Savior He made ready

To save both me and you

A King to reign forever

Upon the sacred throne

To falter, He shall never,

But lead us to our home.

Friday

The bear and the lion the shepherd boy slayed

Protecting the sheep as they frolicked and played

The giant, he too, as a boy, would defeat

His faith and his trust in the Lord was complete.

But not free of sin, soon he faltered and fell

And then when the prophet, his sin would re-tell,

Great sorrow would come with regret for his sin

Repenting, he prayed that forgiveness he'd win.

A far greater King was to come here one day

A prophet would baptize and straighten the way

Who preached of repentance to save us from sin

Forgiveness and mercy, the humble would win

Our Savior would enter as such into time

Exhorting us all to obedience, climb

To listen then act on the word He will send

And then to the last, for the truth to defend

Saturday

He asked for wisdom, which You gave

But that alone, no man can save

The will to follow all You say

Must pair with wisdom on the way

Intelligence is good, we say

But only when it knows the way

The way of humble servitude

And daily, where to find its food.

In quiet places where he speaks

Among the valleys and the peaks

In times of plenty and of need

To ask His will, and that to heed.

So, yes, a fool, the wise can be

By not conforming all to Thee

Obedience, you see, is wise

And not the lustful, greedy eyes

So, seek with all your heart, His will

And know that in your sorrow still,

He gives all wisdom that you need,

But you must listen well and heed.

1/25/26 Through 1/31/26

1/25/26 Through 1/31/26 

Sunday

Do not empty the Cross of its meaning

For to do so would be quite demeaning

The people must see that in Christ you agree

And none, to the world, are leaning.

For Jesus is light and salvation

He came to release every nation

From slavery to sin and their confidence win

By leading to joy and elation

So, repent for the Kingdom's at hand

A great light has been shown on the land

Overshadowed by death, now breathe of His breath

Upright, now the cripple can stand.

Monday

Each was created for work of some kind

For each, a vocation to seek and to find

Each called by our Lord in some special way

To carry the torch and light up the day

Darkness is lurking wherever you turn

Aflame with the light of the Spirit, you burn

A gift of yourself to bring warming and light

The Sword of the Spirit, to win you the fight.

Don't shy from assaults, as surely they come

Don't cry in your beer, looking pittied and glum

The Spirit you have is detachment from all

Empowering grace when you answer the call.

Enslaved unto Christ, by a choice that you made

In awe of His love and the price that He paid.

He'll never abandon His Church in her need

Each martyr she claims is a life-giving seed.

Take courage as such, knowing all that you do

Is fodder that's feeding successors of you

The city beyond, in the skies up above

Is a city of peace and of brotherly love.

Tuesday

A dance of joy before the Lord

A cup of blessing, Christ out-poured

He showed the way for men to be

Adopted sons, in love with Thee.

His family does the Father's will

Each making sacrifices still

To place the other one above

And build the Paradise of love.

Lord, let me see and know Your will

Then with Your love, my quiver fill

That every arrow meet its mark

And all Your light dispel the dark.

It's discipline that brings the joy

The will, we must, all times deploy

Conforming ours to Thine alone

And making love to others known.

Wednesday

No house of cedar, stone, or gold

Could such a mighty Savior hold

The house He builds is that of men

Revealing all His glory when:

The weakling conquers over might

And poor and humble win the fight

When wicked men, the fools, are shown

And through the righteous, wisdom known

The Cornerstone He laid is Christ

Whose sacrifice alone enticed

The common man, to love embrace,

And trials, like our Savior, face.

It's such a house will never fail

And mansions of the earth but pale

When seen beside the house of love

That He prepares for you above.

Thursday

Now bless, oh Lord, your servant's house

My progeny, and yea, my spouse

With faith that's strong and true in You

And always giving rightful due.

For all I have are gifts You sent

To love You more, each gift is meant

I pray that all would follow well

And of the Gospel story tell.

What e'er I have, I now return

And offer all to someday learn

Your depth of love for all mankind

And life eternal, with You find.

So, let Your light within me shine

And let me, on Your flesh, Lord dine.

So all that I've received from you

I pass along to others, too.

Friday

Once sin is chosen over good

The heart is hardened, much like wood

Then, as we choose for self alone

The heart will soon become like stone.

Then sins which once the heart abhorred

Become the only crew aboard

Then sin, it seems, is all we know

And lost into the depths we go.

But just as sin was started small

Repentance helps us hear our call

And as we turn the ship around,

The truth of love is what is found.

As little sins all led to more,

So, little vict'ries win the war.

Each time we turn to what is true

We see a little more of You.

The beauty seen in sacrifice

Will more and more, to love entice

Then small beginnings start to bloom

And sweetness fills our every room

Saturday

Oh, what a shock when our sin is revealed!

The sin which we thought so well, we concealed.

With One who's all-knowing and sees every deed

The lies of the guilty will never succeed.

For wasting away when concealed in the heart

Repenting is always the way we must start

Confessing our sin and admitting our guilt

In only this way is a sturdy house built.

When seen in the light, every sin is quite dark

Greed, envy, and pride, always missing the mark

Our gluttony, lust, and our avarice, too,

Ever pulling us down and much further from You.

So, walk in the light knowing there you're secure

By doing what's needed to keep the heart pure.

Don't sin in the storm, but rely then on He

Who speaks and gives orders to wind and to sea.

It's Jesus alone who's forgiving of sin

His working alone, our salvation can win

So, give Him your heart in repentance each day

And turn from the sin that has darkened your way.