Measured by the Intentions of One's Heart

Privilege should be based on what you earn,

Not your lifestyle, whether good or bad.

Not just one day,

Not just one minute,

Because one day and one minute might be very bad.

Conduct overall is what matters,

What your heart is inclined towards.

If your heart is inclined towards evil,

Why should you have privilege?

If your heart is inclined towards good,

Then you should have privilege.

Not based on what you look like,

But the good of a person,

From day to day.

If people knew privilege was based on character,

We would be better.

We would have a society

Built on the intentions of your heart,

And your overall conduct.

Yes, we are all going to slip up,

But not on moment by moment

On the person’s overall conduct in society.

Not writing these words because I like to say them,

But because the first step is not the last.

We need to work for a society

Where all people have equal rights,

Where none are treated better for appearances,

And we are trained to look deeper.

If we get too entitled,

We can become a monster ourselves,

And the monster we try to get out of other people

Can rise in us, too. 

Amen

Straight A's for the Soul

Not only on Sunday, but every day,

Aim for Christ consciousness in every way.

Like a student seeks a straight A record,

Put truth into practice in deed and word.

At work or play, at school or home,

In little things let His grace be shown.

Always being honest, though hard to do,

Not as a burden, but a path for you.

To make better decisions and reach His grace,.

Amen

When We Slip, Bring Us Back

Oh Jesus, we who have turned our hearts toward You,

Keep us from slipping back into our old ways.

Teach us to notice when we begin to drift,

And bring us quickly home again.

Christ our Savior, You know our hearts,

You see what is true, and You see what is weak.

Let our way be the way of Christ our King,

For we cannot live this life without Your daily help.

When we backslide, keep us from excuses and hiding.

Teach us to return as David returned,

With humility, with responsibility,

With a sweet and honest contrition.

Lord, You have the medicine to heal our sin,

And to restore our loving devotion to You.

Renew us by Your mercy and grace.

Amen

Repair The World

Dear Jesus,

You made this world in perfection,

By love and joy.

Sin has messed it up,

And what is broken needs repair.

Repair the world by kindness,

By respect,

By true and everlasting compassion.

Work through all who call themselves Christians

To repair the world

In faith, hope, and love.

Make us pure and true

By acts of kindness and compassion.

Repair the world little by little.

Let every act of kindness repair the world each day.

When we act in your way, Jesus,

We fix what is broken.

Make us pure, true, and kind in every way.

Teach all people to become more like Christ,

True, compassionate, gentle, humble, and kind.

Amen

A Prayer To Repair The World

The world as we see it is messy,

And many in it think it is clean,

But when you see the problem,

Both spiritual and physical all around you,

You realize what is true.

The world, though created by the love of the Father,

And the wisdom of Jesus,

Is truly special

Yet we messed it up through our sin.

Let us repair the world through good deeds,

Let us be true to Christ,

Let us repair the world by choosing life,

By choosing love, light, and everlasting compassion,

By choosing what is true, and pure.

So that Christ may work through us,

His chosen people to repair the world,

Not with violence, though,

Because violence does not repair it,

It makes it worse.

Amen

The First Gate: True Contrition

Lord Jesus,

Without true contrition,

We cannot walk with you.

Whether we think ourselves strong,

Or whether we know we are weak,

We cannot pass the first gate

Without repentance.

Give us hearts that want to change.

Give us the desire to be made new.

Teach us to see the truth:

That only you can change the heart.

And while we still have time,

However much time remains,

Help us to take the next step,

One step at a time,

One gate at a time.

Make us willing to make things right.

Make us ready to restore what we can.

Make us eager for restitution,

Not to earn your love,

But because we have received it.

Lead us through every gate,

Until our lives reflect your life,

And our hearts rest in your heart.

In your mercy,

And by your grace,

Amen

Jesus, True Son And Teacher

God our Father is true,

The only one we should trust.

Let Jesus, His true Son, be our teacher.

Take the Word, Jesus, into our hearts,

For our hearts are the temple

Of the living God.

True and pure,

Wise and holy is our God.

His name is compassion,

His word is truth,

His light forever.

So choose light and love

While you still can,

For we do not know tomorrow

Or what tomorrow will bring.

Choose with all your heart

The path of love and light,

That our hearts may be joined to Christ,

His teachings, and God our Father.

Let our hearts be true and pure,

Full of kindness and compassion.

Without devotion,

Without kindness, compassion,

The path to heaven is not available.

Amen.

Draw from the Spring of Life

The Samaritan woman said,
“You have no bucket; the well is deep.”

How shall we draw living water?

Jesus is the well.

From Him flow rivers of living water.

As no one lives without water,

Our bucket is meditation on God’s word;

We cannot live without His teaching

Without drawing from his word

Our rope tied to the bucket is sincerity and devotion.

So we lower our prayer

And draw from Jesus; the Spring of Life.

Amen

There Is No Way Without Jesus

Oh Jesus, Your name is compassion,

Forever and unending.

You forgive,

And You give wisdom

To all who seek You

With honest hearts. 

First we seek God’s wisdom

With honesty of heart and mind.

For how can trust be given

Unless our hearts are open? 

You are the Father

Of love,

Of life,

Of light.

And in Christ

Your will is made known. 

There is no way to Heaven

Except through Jesus

Through His teaching,

His love,

His peace,

His joy,

And His mercy. 

Amen. 

Love God First

The only true hope of salvation is this:

To try to live God’s will,

The best you can,

With God’s help. 

For you need His help daily

To listen,

To follow,

To live. 

For His will is love: 

Love God first,

First and above all,

And love all people second. 

Listen to the Gospel.

Listen to the teaching of Jesus.

God will not break your free will;

He cannot go against it. 

So if you desire salvation,

Live the Gospel as best you can,

With God’s help.

Amen

Soft or Tough, As Needed

Oh sweet Jesus,

Bind our hearts together

In truth, and love, and virtue.

Grant that we remain pure,

Ever mindful in how we think,

How we speak,

What we do.

Hold us deep within your heart,

Pure compassion

Full of mercy,

Full of truth.

Let your grace
Teach us to love god,

And teach our hands

To do good for others.

Your love is everlasting,

True and pure compassion

The way of Jesus

Compassionate to all He met,

On the road,

By the well,

Within the temple.

Sometimes gentle,

Sometimes strong,

Soft or tough

As needed

Both in body and soul. 

Amen.

Mary the Lamp, Jesus the Oil

We know that Jesus is God

True, pure, humble, and full of mercy.

Mercy rests on His right hand, justice on His left.

But because He is God incarnate, Mary is the Mother of God.

So we must be true to Jesus, our Teacher and Savior.

We must also be true to Mary, who faithfully leads us to Him.

For Mary is the lamp and Jesus the oil

Pure oil of the living God, lighting the hearts of the faithful.

Hearts bearing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
Goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self‑control.

For against these things there is no law.

Be true to Jesus; bear the Spirit’s fruit.

Live the Christian life with the help of God and the love of Mary,

For her heart is true and her love is pure.

Amen

One Foot in Each Boat

Mary is the mother of all who keep the gospel

Who hold the teachings of Jesus close to the heart

Holding virtue and justice, yet always compassion

So their judgment is never anger or malice

But a gentle push leading us away from sin toward Christ

For Christ is the way, the truth, and the life

And His teachings are life‑giving

So let us be compassionate, truthful, loving, and caring

In all we think, and say, and do

For any path without honesty leaves Jesus behind

And no one can walk the path of dishonesty

And carry the gospel

At the same time

For the one with a foot in each boat

Falls between them and is lost

It is fatal to walk without Jesus

Or with unforgiveness or unholiness

So choose the path of Jesus

For the choice we make now

Shapes the life to come

And what awaits us when we die

Amen

When Body and Mind Wander

Self control is hard to get,

And even harder to maintain.

Sometimes our body and mind

Go off the grid

And lose connection

To ourselves

And to God.

When we do not exercise self control,

We say things we should not say

And do things we know are wrong.

Sometimes this is deliberate,

And sometimes it is not.

Self control means regulating our bodies

When the mind shuts down

Into snake mind,

When the body moves

Where we cannot guide it.

But if you are a follower of Christ,

You will want to control it.

You will want to control your temper,

Even when what you want

Is not what you get.

Every true believer

Wants self control,

For it is a fruit of the Spirit.

And like any fruit,

It takes time to grow.

So if you do not have it fully now,

Remember that fruit takes time,

And do your best

With what you have

To control yourself.

Amen.

The Third Gate of Obedience

The third gate is not easy at all.

It is the hardest gate to pass through,

For it requires surrender

And submission,

Words we do not like to hear

But need to hear.

Help us put our way aside, Lord,

And lay our understanding

On the altar of our God.

Going on our own understanding

Makes this path difficult

And dangerous.

For the third gate,

At the heart of the seven gates,

Is obedience.

And obedience is more than compliance.

It must be sincere, honest,

From the heart.

We can comply outwardly

Yet not obey inwardly.

We can check every box

Of every good deed,

While our hearts remain far from you.

We may honor you with our lips

And with our actions,

But our heart may wander.

We want to build you a temple,

We want to go on pilgrimage,

But is there a temple in our hearts?

Are we pilgrims inwardly?

The church may bear your glory,

But is our heart living for your glory?

Are we living for your glory?

Or only complying outwardly,

Without placing our will

On your holy altar?

Amen

The Seven Gates to Christ

Love, honesty, obedience, kindness, compassion, gentleness, and truth

These are the seven gates our souls must pass through

To understand God more.

The more we understand God,

The closer we become to Christ.

For knowledge can be good or bad

Good if it leads us to Christ,

Bad if it leads us away.

So let our knowledge become truth,

Shaped by You, O God.

Teach us to be a light to the nations,

To those we meet each day.

Christ, help us walk Your path

Through each gate of Your holy will,

For each gate must be entered to be passed,

And each one leads to the next.

These seven gates of knowing Christ

Draw us closer to God

In all we think, say, and do.

And every intention of the heart

Is shaped by the God who made us

In His image and likeness.

Because we seek God’s understanding, not our own,

We walk the path to holiness.

For His understanding is greater,

His wisdom is higher than ours.

If we rely on ourselves,

We risk doing the wrong thing,

For lack of knowledge destroys.

But not all knowledge is good knowledge

There is knowledge from God

Through revelation,

Through Scripture and its meaning.

And there is knowledge from the world,

Anything or anyone opposed

To the Creator of the universe.

Amen.

Your Heart Belongs to Him

Remember, whatever draws you deeper into the mind of Christ

Is truly from God: good, pure, and forever holy.

Let nothing hold you back from His mind,

For anything that hinders you becomes a stumbling block

Keeping you from His heart.

We do not need stumbling blocks in our path,

For our steps should lead us closer to Jesus.

Anything that pulls you from the mind of Christ

Leads you away from His teachings and His gospel.

Whatever brings you deeper into Christ is good,

For your mind and heart belong to Him.

If you desire Him as Savior, He will be your Savior.

If you desire Him as Messiah, He will be your Messiah.

But those who do not desire Him

Will not find Him.

For though He is near,

He will not violate our free will.

So if you belong to Him,

Let your heart become worthy day by day

Through all you think, say, and do

For His glory.

For He will not ask where you worshiped Him,

But whether your heart was worthy of His glory.

And you cannot make your heart worthy alone

You need Christ,

For Christ is Teacher, Healer, Lord, and Savior.

Amen

Blasphemy Is Not a Slip of the Tongue

Yes, we should try and control what we say,

And think about our words before we speak.

But blasphemy is not a slip‑up.

It is done on purpose.

When we say something that sounds blasphemous

Because we have a speech impairment,

That is probably not blasphemous,

For the fault is in the impairment, not the intention.

We must try to control our tongues,

And not let our tongues speak filthy language

As much as we are able.

But still, real blasphemy is done on purpose,

Not by accident,

Not by speech impairment,

Not by mental illnesses.

In other words,

True blasphemy is deliberate.

It requires thinking about it

Before it is said.

It requires planning

To say the Lord’s name in vain

Not just an accidental slip‑up

Or a speech impairment

But thinking about saying the Lord’s name in vain,

Then saying it.

Amen 

Flowers That Wilt, Glory That Lasts

Many use their talents to gain glory and fame,

But the only glory you should be chasing

Is the glory of Jesus.

For in the end, our glory disappears

Like flowers—fresh, when picked,

Beautiful to look at,

Beautiful to smell,

But they wilt in the sun

And their look and smell vanish.

So use your talent well,

Whether singing or writing,

Whether you know how to play

A piano or a harp

Not to glorify yourself,

But to glorify Christ.

If you are good at painting,

Then use that

To glorify Christ.

Amen