A Thousand Poems

XCII

to my friends - my beloved brothers and sisters, i cherish you with all the love and affection that God has lavished on me. i am thankful for the company of friends, to grieve and mourn through difficult times together. a heavy burden divided among us becomes a burden light enough to carry. i appreciate your vulnerability and honesty in sharing. there is no moment more precious than to be comforted by loved ones during troubling times.

and to God, i pray fervently and desperately, for Him to guide us through our tribulations. i pray for discernment and wisdom, as we seek to understand the purpose behind His plans; and to keep the faith and remain hopeful in His Word. i beg You, my Father, to keep our minds safe from discouragement and fruitless wandering when we are anxious and uncertain. rather, may we reaffirm our love and affection for You and each other, that we may instead encourage one another in the faith, comforting each other's hearts, and reassuring weary spirits - stirring one another onwards to love and good deeds. let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. there is no mountain too great that He cannot overthrow, no valley too deep that He cannot overflow.

and to the curse of our sin, let us continue to be vigilant and diligent in our hearts, sparing no mercy for even a single second of rogue thoughts and insidious temptations. let us not entertain this wickedness, but purge these thoughts and temptations from our minds and hearts with the burning righteousness of His Word and His glory, holding fast to His promises and looking forward to the blessed eternity that awaits us; when someday we are fully sanctified as the Bride, we shall finally meet our savior Christ face-to-face in a blissful reunion. this is our fairy tale. this is our 'happily-ever-after'. and this priceless promise is worth more than anything this earthly world could offer.

but remember there is always grace when we fail, for the fallen are the very ones that Christ came to save. He died for the sinners, not the saints. and there is no saint among us for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. we will always need His grace as we continue to struggle and fight to be sanctified. the lost will stay lost until they are given direction, the dead will stay dead until they are given a second chance, and the evil will stay evil until they are exposed to better things, beautiful things - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. these virtues are the building blocks upon which His Kingdom is established, no harm comes to them for against such things there is no law to condemn them.

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my friends - my beloved brothers and sisters, i cherish you with all the love and affection that God has lavished on me. i am thankful for the company of friends, to fellowship and celebrate the good times together. a single moment of unity in festivity is a memory preserved for years to come. i appreciate your faithfulness and encouragement in tribulation. there is no moment more precious than to be surrounded by loved ones during joyful times.