When I was a child and had an anxious thought,
A loving parent’s presence was the first thing I sought.
When they took me into their arms, I found the very best place to snuggle;
Their loving embrace would relieve me completely of my struggle.

There’s still a child within today that sometimes is unsure;
And turning to our heavenly Father is what makes us be secure.
His arms are open wide for us–He says to cast our cares
Upon Himself, and that’s because great love is what He shares.

Many are the words of faithfulness and comfort He provides;
In His arms of shelter, we find the place where lifelong love abides.
Though I can’t see Him face to face, He says He’ll make my ears
To hear His voice, which will always bear a message to relieve my fears.

Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you
with My righteous right hand.”

And if I have a day where it seems like I’m just drifting about,
Perhaps I need to stop and ask the Lord to help me sort things out.
What should I do each moment–each day that would be best?
I know if I stop and listen, I’ll hear a nudge towards the path most blessed.

P. A. Oltrogge

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me….”
John 10:27 (NASV)

(Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV))

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

At God’s appointed time, I’ll be saying goodbye.
That time is getting close, and I’ve tried to explain why.
I love you so much–please come along;
Don’t neglect Jesus for that would be wrong.
He’s preparing a party, and it will be grand.
Please don’t miss out because you don’t understand.
He’s made it so plain in the true Gospel story–
He, the Christ, is our way to Glory.
One thing’s for sure–all lives draw to a close,
So it’s best to put faith in the One who arose.
But we could see Jesus more quickly than we think
For the Bible speaks prophetically of what’s on the brink.
“In the twinkling of an eye…we shall be changed.”
Take Jesus and your place in Glory that He has arranged.

P. A. Oltrogge

“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and the mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.'” 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
Revelation 22:16 (New King James)

Lights-R-Us, that’s who we are,
Disciples of Jesus, the Bright and Morning Star.
The world is dark, yet here we are,
Giving off light, both near and far.
Like fireflies on a summer’s eve,
From this world’s darkness, we can give reprieve.
Guarding our hearts, so that we remain bright,
We can pierce the darkness to give men light.
As lights, we can make a difference that’s deep–
Through prayers of intercession, from hell we can keep
The souls of those who are otherwise blinded–
And telling those we meet that they should be reminded
Of redeeming love through a life lived right,
By Christ, our Lord, this world’s great Light.
Lights-R-Us, we’re following Him,
As we seek first His kingdom, our lights won’t dim.

P. A. Oltrogge

“Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.'” John 8:12

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

“Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Matthew 9:38 (New King James Version)

“To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” Acts 26:18 (words of the Lord to Saul (Paul) on the road to Damascus)

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
Proverbs 4:23 (New Living Translation)

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

“Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” Exodus 13:20-22

____________________________________________________

Moses, a Hebrew by birth, was called by God to lead His Hebrew people out
From the ancient land of Egypt to a prayed-for promised land route.
Through his obedience and God’s powerful hand, their burdened lives as slaves
Came to be changed forever because the good Lord hears and saves.

God had heard their desperate cries–and had seen the severe oppression;
After many God-sent plagues, Pharaoh finally made his concession.
So hardhearted had he been, that it had taken a very mighty blow
To his own and all Egyptian families before he would let God’s people go.

Many pestilences had been tried–including frogs and boils on man and beast–
Hail, insects, darkness, and finally, death of firstborns of the greatest man’s home
to the least. That was the deciding plague, which caused the barrier to the Hebrews’
freedom to be broken– while they, in Goshen, were spared, for blood on their doorposts had “spoken.”

Yes, blood from an unblemished lamb on each lintel and doorpost was spread–
This proclaimed that their lives should be preserved because of a lamb that had bled.
They had shared the first Passover meal–a feast remembered to this day,
Which points to God’s sacrificial lamb in Christ–now the Good Shepherd
who leads our way.

After the Passover, God guided His people with a pillar of cloud in their sight;
And for gains through night-time travel, He led by a pillar of fire for needed light.
Quick to regret, Pharaoh pursued the former captives to the brink of the great Red Sea;
But the angel of God and God’s pillar of cloud kept the Hebrews secure and free.

This protection and time were needed, for Moses to stretch forth his hand;
The Lord swept back the sea with a wind all night, creating for the Hebrews dry land.
God’s people then made their way safely, with walls of water on each side–
They followed the leadership of Moses, casting any fears they might have had aside.

God brought Pharaoh’s army into confusion; then the Lord gave Moses the instruction
To stretch forth his hand again, which made way for the pursuers’ destruction.
From out of the pillar of cloud, God caused the Egyptian’s chariot wheels to sway–
The waters turned back and drowned them all, giving the Hebrews victory that day.

Protection and guidance were provided back then through God’s pillar of cloud and fire; Therefore, let’s seek the same Lord of those ancient days who calls us to a life that’s higher. Today a “promised land” is yours through the leading of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, God’s Son–Abundant life now and an eternal home with God is freely offered to everyone.

P. A. Oltrogge

(Based on the Old Testament account in the book of Exodus)

New Testament references:

“And Peter said to them ‘Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'” Acts 2:38

Words of Jesus:

“…I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” John 10:10

We read in the Bible that Ruth, of Moab, had a loyal and loving heart.
So upon the death of her Hebrew husband, she felt that she couldn’t part
From Naomi, her beloved mother-in-law, who had urged her to make her way
Back to Ruth’s own parent’s home; but, instead, Ruth begged to stay.

She shared her heart, stating that where Naomi went, so, in fact, would she;
Where she lodged and the God she worshiped–these would also be
What she desired for her own particular life, even to her day of dying.
To stay with her late husband’s “family” was the future on which she was relying.

Naomi allowed Ruth, then, to go with her on her Bethlehem-Judah return;
There Ruth would find a special blessing that only God could have discerned.
For there was a kinsman-redeemer through Naomi’s husband’s line,
Whom Ruth would meet, while gleaning in his fields, by God-ordained design.

Related by blood, willing and able to redeem this woman, Boaz entered her life;
A prominent free man, total provision was hers, when she later became his wife.
One can easily see an analogy here to the Bible’s New Testament account that we read
Of God becoming Man, through Jesus Christ–the Kinsman-Redeemer
He knew we would need.

Like Ruth, leave the “god” you once were told about; find shelter under the
true God’s wings.
Look to the Way, the Truth, and the Life–and experience the peace that Christ brings.
Don’t try to make it on your own with God, through acts of service, however kind;
There’s provision for us as “the bride of Christ,” which He, the Bridegroom,
wants us to find.

P. A. Oltrogge

“But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.'”
Ruth 1:16-17

“May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”
Ruth 2:12

“You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John 3:28-30 (words of John the Baptist regarding Christ, the Bridegroom)
Other references:
Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19,20

Turn your confidence around;
Let it now in God be found.
There are thoughts that seek to deceive,
But just let God those fears relieve.
Turn your confidence around;
Jesus’ Words are sure and sound.
Cast down any thought that things can’t change–
With God, anything can rearrange.
Turn your confidence around,
For every victory in Him is found.

P. A. Oltrogge

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:57

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
1 John 5:4,5

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”
2 Corinthians 2:14

“But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.'”
1 Corinthians 15:54

“

Joseph, a son of David, took Mary for his wife,
Believing she was carrying God’s very sacred life.
Joseph stood by her when others may have condemned.
Joseph believed God when they didn’t comprehend.
He was chosen by God, and it was to him that Mary and the Child were sent.
He became the protector of God’s great intent.
Joseph was quick to recognize that in dreams God often spoke,
With messages from His angel, and he obeyed when he awoke.
Joseph named the baby, Jesus, just as he’d been told,
For He would save His people from sins as said by the prophet of old.
In obedience, Joseph went to Egypt–“Out of Egypt did I call My Son.”
Joseph had them stay until God said their time there was done.
We see him obeying God in Bible scene after scene;
Being warned of God, he went to Nazareth, so Jesus would be called a Nazarene.
His part was that of an earthly father, and he obeyed God in that role.
His heart to obey Him was needed to accomplish God’s great goal.
Joseph’s life seems an example of the importance of hearing and obeying God’s voice.
Dear God, may I seek to do that in each and every choice.

P. A. Oltrogge

“…behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’ And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” Matthew 1:20-25

(Further references in Matthew 2)

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Jesus…

It’s a funny thing, but I never saw
Why You might have been laid in a bed of straw.
That’s where the animals came to feed,
And that was representative of our daily need
Of the Bread of Life, which, Jesus, You are.
We’re drawn to Your Word like wise men to a star.
To all people the angels proclaimed tidings of great joy,
By pointing to the birth of that God-indwelt boy,
Who lay down in the manger where the animals were fed.
Jesus–the Word was God–You’re our daily bread.

P. A. Oltrogge

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. And it came about that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her first-born son, and she wrapped him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:4-7