Author: Jamie Francis

No Greater Gift

Jamie Francis Jesus Christ, Poetry
God, Religion, Cross, Christianity, Religious

No greater gift, The Father gave His Son,
A precious gift which cannot be replaced.
The Lamb’s victory at the cross was won,
Christ in our place, yes, completely disgraced.

The Christ, not us, suffering God’s great wrath,
Why did Jesus die, and not us who sinned?
Why is such mean cruelty His chosen path,
The One who healed, who loved, who calmed the wind?

In our place, yes, His blood for us was shed,
He drank the dreaded cup, He drank it all.
The Son of Man, of God, life-giving Bread,
The Father’s cup….. full! Oh the bitter gall!

Go look and see, go look at Calvary!
That cross, what love! Go now! Do not tarry!

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Thank you so much for reading my blog! Your likes or comments are always appreciated. I will do my best to respond to each one. And if you enjoy my posts, I wouldn’t mind an extra subscriber either. (-:  God bless you, and have a great day!   — Jamie

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God is in Control of 2021

Jamie Francis Fear, Poetry
New Year, New Year'S Eve, Fireworks

Christian, do not fear 2021; never, ever fear what the future will hold,
Whatever may come, good or bad, is in the palm of God’s mighty hand.
May we look to Him for our strength and hope, knowing He is with us,
Yes, this is enough! Have courage, child of God, be not afraid to take a stand!

You know that 2021 will come and go, just as it does for every single year,
And our great God will still be on His throne, seated in glory, just as always.
So let’s remember His infinite power and wisdom, and how much He cares for us,
Even in the midst of disease and death; He rules over these turbulent days.

So, look to the Heavens, and remember God’s faithfulness and love to you,
He bled and died for us, He calls us His own, and yes, Jesus is coming soon.
So do not fear what may happen in 2021; remember that God hasn’t changed,
He is still the same One who spoke and it was done; the stars, sun, and moon.

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Thank you so much for reading my blog! Your likes or comments are always appreciated. I will do my best to respond to each one. And if you enjoy my posts, I wouldn’t mind an extra subscriber either. (-:  God bless you, and have a great day!   — Jamie

Reflecting on the World to Come

Jamie Francis Heaven, Hell, Jesus Christ, Poetry
Heaven, Clouds, Sunset, Cloudscape, Atmosphere, Sunrise

Reflecting on a world………

With no bitterness, no hatred, no envy, no anger, no violence and no strife,
No racism, no lust or evil desires, all of it absent in this most blessed afterlife.
Where we perfectly love and honor one another, with perfect peace in our midst,
Where reckless suspicions and false assumptions cannot, and will not, ever exist.

A world where everyone will honor each other with perfect kindness and love,
A love undiluted, untainted, no deception or pretense; all sin completely disposed of.
A love propelled forth by the Holy Spirit, with all affection centered on Jesus Christ,
The God-man, who reigns forever; He has earned Heaven for us, by His infinite sacrifice.

A world we do not deserve because of our great sin, and the evils of our own heart,
But Jesus Christ has finished the race for us, a race that we could never even start.
So, dear Christian, reflect often on the heavenly world to come, every day you awaken,
The promise of eternal life is all through the Word of God, and He is never mistaken.

A world with no desire to hurt or punish, or to even see another person suffer in pain,
With no Satan to tempt us, with no evil from within or without, nothing at all profane.
Where the glory of God will dominate the scene, with praises forevermore shouting,
As our faith will then become sight; we will see His shining face, the end of all doubting.

A glorious world where the unbelieving will not be, where the unrepentant sinner has no place, for this is a glorious place, where only Christians will dwell.

But…..

There is another world, a place of God’s eternal wrath, a place of judgment for those who reject the gospel, an indescribably horrific place the Bible calls hell.

So, if you are reading this and wonder…..

How do I escape God’s wrath and enter this glorious world? This world of no pain or suffering, full of love, joy, and peace, the place where God dwells, this perfect place of righteousness you speak of, this glorious world where there is no sin or vice?!

My dear friend, you escape God’s wrath only one way……..

Repent and believe in Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords! The One who shed His blood on the cross for sinners, who died and was buried, and who rose again on the third day! Then, and only then, will you be forgiven, and be assured of paradise!!

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Thank you so much for reading my blog! Your likes or comments are always appreciated. I will do my best to respond to each one. And if you enjoy my posts, I wouldn’t mind an extra subscriber either. (-:  God bless you, and have a great day!   — Jamie

Prayer Devotional, John 15:1-17

Jamie Francis Devotionals, Prayer

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Dear brothers and sisters,

Let’s look at a passage of Scripture that gives us two amazing promises that God will answer our prayers! And not only does God promise to answer us, but He is so kind and gracious that He tells us exactly how this is going to happen. With such great promises from God, we ought to pay close attention to this glorious and familiar passage of Scripture.

First, the passage………….

 JOHN 15:1-17

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, or the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

What a beautiful metaphor Jesus gives us of our union with Him! Jesus Christ is represented as the True Vine who gives us (his branches, i.e. Christians) life and sustenance. As we abide in Jesus, we are sustained, strengthened, and remain in covenant relationship with Him. As Christians, we have a life-giving connection with the Creator of the universe. Let that sink in for a while. And let us never forget the vital, and daily, significance of abiding in Christ. While it is God who keeps us in the faith through our union with Christ, by virtue of His indwelling Holy Spirit, He uses means for us to abide in Him. Things such as: reading and meditating on His Word and being obedient to what we read, drawing strength from prayer, being sharpened by fellowship with the saints, the preaching of the Word, and the Lord’s Supper.

There would be no salvation, no progress, in fact no answered prayer, apart from union with Christ. Union with Christ is vital, as we are continually dependent upon Him for everything, and can do nothing ‘apart from Him’ (v. 5). And speaking of answered prayer, take a close look at verses 7 and 16 in context. We see a direct correlation between our abiding in Christ, and receiving answers to prayer. John 15:7 reads, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” No doubt…..this involves a sanctifying growth process, and these kinds of prayers don’t just happen overnight. They involve a daily growing in the knowledge of our Savior and His character. The more we know Him, the more we will love Him. And the more we know and love Him, the more we will pray for those things that grip His heart.

Let’s remember a couple more important things here. God’s choosing to give us what we pray for doesn’t happen because He is ever obligated to answer us, or because of anything we do. Every answer to prayer is a gift from Him to us. But what we see in this passage is that, by remaining in Christ, our prayers become more God-centered, and less me-centered. The conclusion we see in John 15 is that, as we grow in our dependence upon God and in our knowledge of Him, more of our prayers will reflect God’s own desires and purposes, and will be answered! (see also 1 John 5:14, John 14:13-14)

All true Christians will abide in Christ, and none will ever be lost. It is not for reason of  our own strength or doing that we abide, but it is His work in us. But we can experience greater degrees of joy, fruitfulness, and answered prayers, as Christ teaches us here. Let us grow in our knowledge of Christ and His will, and have our prayers shaped by such knowledge. May God bless you as you seek His face in prayer!

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Thank you so much for reading my blog! Your likes or comments are always appreciated! I will do my best to respond to each one. And if you enjoy my posts, I wouldn’t mind an extra subscriber either. (-:  God bless you, and have a great day!   — Jamie

 

 

 

Christ Over and Above All

Jamie Francis Jesus Christ, Poetry

Jesus Christ is over and above all kings, nations, angels, rulers and powers,
He is above Satan and all of his demons; in fear of Christ they quickly cower.
And while many false gods claim to be His equal, He will never share His glory,
He is transcendent over all, nothing like us; He’s in a totally different category.

Jesus Christ is LORD, seated on His throne, governing every moment that passes,
Sovereign over every molecule, every particle; all liquids, solids, and gases.
Nothing catches Him off guard, and nothing will ever thwart His perfect plans,
No happening can take Him by surprise, for the world is completely is His hands.

Christ upholds all the galaxies, is governed by none, and seeks no one’s advice,
He is the God-man, and those who reject His claims will pay the ultimate price.
Seek His wisdom daily, for He never doubts, never fails, and never second guesses,
If you are in Christ, He has taken away your shame and sin; your life He truly blesses.

None should occupy our hearts the way that Jesus does, for He alone is worthy over all,
And this One who is altogether worthy, He came down to earth to rescue us from the fall.
Our KING, all-powerful, worthy of our trust, infinite in holiness, wisdom, love, and every other attribute,
He came and bled and died on the cross; the One to Whom all knees will bow, and whose rule is absolute.

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Thank you so much for reading my blog! Your likes or comments are always appreciated! I will do my best to respond to each one. And if you enjoy my posts, I wouldn’t mind an extra subscriber either. (-:  God bless you, and have a great day!   — Jamie

COVID-19 Not Supreme

Jamie Francis Poetry, Tragedy and Suffering

No, not at all, not even a tiny bit, and not in any manner,
Coronavirus is not in control, it has no sovereign banner.
It may be disruptive, causing so much unspeakable pain,
Making us all to feel as though we’ve truly gone insane.

But the virus has its limits; it doesn’t have final control,
Jesus Christ is sovereign over COVID, and Him we should extol.
The Bible has no loopholes, this matter is crystal clear,
Nothing surprises our God, not even 2020, this most crazy year.

The LORD is doing so much, many things we don’t even know,
But one thing Christians can say is this: He is causing us to grow,
To grow in ways like never before, stripping us of our idols,
Showing us our great need for Him, bringing inward revival.

Make no mistake, COVID-19 is a horrific thing, causing many thousands to succumb,
Families have lost their precious loved ones, while some are left without their income.
We should never diminish the hardship and pain of others, or the evil consequences of Adam’s Fall,
But let’s remember, God uses all things for a believer’s good, to show us that He is our all in all.

Satan may think he’s in control of COVID-19, but he would be seriously deluded,
God is the One who rules over all things, as studied theologians have rightly concluded.
So when you’re tempted to think God has lost His grip, or that He is pacing anxiously around the throne,
Go to the Word, meditate on Who He is, that He is the Ruler over all, and this world belongs to Him alone.
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Your likes or comments are always appreciated! I will do my best to respond to each one. And if you enjoy my posts, I wouldn’t mind an extra subscriber either. (-:  God bless you, and thanks for stopping by!   — Jamie

15 Things We Shouldn’t Neglect in Evangelism

Jamie Francis Evangelism

Hello everyone, I am beginning a new series on evangelism. And while most of it will apply more to “street evangelism”, I am hoping and praying these tips will help you no matter what type of evangelism you are engaged in. By God’s grace, I hope that these tips will bring to your attention ways to improve your attempts at sharing the gospel. The longer I am a Christian, the more I realize that I need to keep learning how to evangelize. Always a student, always learning something new. That’s the attitude we need to have! It is a God-given privilege to be Christ’s ambassadors, and it is God who gives the strength for us to engage people with the gospel. God is the One who receives all the glory for anything we accomplish, and for any fruit that comes from our proclamation of Jesus Christ.

But I believe that God works His sovereignty through means, and He desires that we try to be as faithful ambassadors as we can possibly be. We certainly can never be perfect, and all of us are far from it. But that is no excuse for us to stop learning. Yes, God is sovereign in saving sinners, but He calls us to proclaim the Good News to others. He works specifically through the preaching of the gospel to save sinners. Since that is the case, doesn’t it make sense that we should try to better ourselves and please the Lord in the way we evangelize? God calls us to be diligent, humble, and faithful in all things. He calls us to show love to our neighbor. He calls us to present the gospel clearly for all to understand.In short, He wants us to grow in our efforts. God wants us to make progress, just like in every other area of our Christian life.

The simplicity of the list may surprise you. It isn’t going to be rocket science by any means. But in my observation, I’m convinced that all too often we fail to do the simplest things when we evangelize. Things that are so obvious that we just simply overlook them. Things that truly work, but we just don’t try them because we’ve heard negative stories, or we may have a false impression about a specific method. Perhaps we judge certain methods too harshly because of what other people think. Let’s be open minded here. I am no expert, and I have failed over and over in my evangelism. But by God’s grace, I have observed some things I believe will help you………if you give them a try. Weigh everything I say with Scripture, and see where this goes. May God strengthen you to be an effective witness for the glory of Christ!

So with that in mind, here are 15 tips that I will be writing about in great detail over the next several months, one by one. But the list itself should be enough to get you to start thinking on these matters. They are listed in no particular order. Some are obviously more important than others, and some of them come logically before others. But don’t get too hung up on the order. The point is to incorporate these things into your arsenal.

So with all that in mind…………when evangelizing, never neglect to………….

1) Notice people’s faces

2) Look in their eyes

3) Smile at them

4) Say “Hello” or “How are y’all tonight?” or any other kind of “welcome statement”

5) Give them space

6) Have gospel tracts in your hands

7) Hand them a tract

8) Be extremely friendly and joyful

9) Open a conversation by asking them a thought-provoking, spiritual question

10) Speak the truth in love

11) Pray before and after

12) Be clear and articulate

13) Persevere in conversation

14) Tell them about your church

15) Tell them about Jesus!

 

Next time I will begin to speak in detail about the importance of noticing people’s faces. Come back and visit! Goodbye for now and God bless!

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Your likes or comments are always appreciated! I will do my best to respond to each one. And if you enjoy my posts, I wouldn’t mind an extra subscriber either. (-:  God bless you, and thanks for stopping by!   — Jamie

What Cancer Can’t Take From You

Jamie Francis Family, Poetry, Tragedy and Suffering

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This is written for my beautiful sister Stephanie, who is loving Jesus while battling cancer. This is also written for anyone else who is battling this disease, or has a friend or family member who is fighting it with everything they have.

On your worst days, and even on your best days, always remember the truths below to remind you that God is always with you, He has cancer on a leash, and no illness can take any of these things from you ……… ever.


What cancer can’t take is the glorious freedom you have in Christ,
The freedom bought by His precious blood, by His infinite sacrifice.
It can’t take away any heavenly blessings, which are forever thine,
God will never leave or forsake you; you are connected to the Vine.

What cancer can’t take is the complete forgiveness of your sins,
It can’t take away your justification, when eternal life truly begins.
Nor can it take away God’s grace, strength, and loving-kindness,
Nor that past moment, when He removed your spiritual blindness.

What cancer can’t take is the joy of being loved by your awesome Lord,
It can’t take your future hope of seeing Jesus, by far your greatest reward.
It may cause you temporal pain, and will sometimes make you very afraid,
But do not fear; death has been conquered, your penalty has been paid.

What cancer can’t take away is the genuine love the body of Christ has for you,
It can’t take away the prayers offered, on behalf of all you are going through.
Nor can it can’t take away the comfort……of knowing that God is always in control,
That He works all things for good…… for you His child; it is well with your soul.

What cancer can’t take is the promise of the glorified body you will receive,
And all the riches God has in store for you, of which you cannot even conceive,
It can’t take away the bloody cross, when Jesus atoned for your transgressions,
Nor can it take away his rising from the grave, securing your own resurrection.

What cancer can’t take away is the indwelling peace of the Holy Spirit,
You have boldness in the day of judgment! And death? Don’t even fear it!
So the next time you go for chemo, and you’re feeling like total despair,
Remember, everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to you! You’re His co-heir.

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Your likes or comments are always appreciated! I will do my best to respond to each one. And if you enjoy my posts, I wouldn’t mind an extra subscriber either. (-:  God bless you, and thanks for stopping by!   — Jamie

What God Brings from Suffering

Jamie Francis Heaven, Poetry, Tragedy and Suffering

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What God brings from suffering, a process far beyond what we can imagine,
It’s never the way we would desire, never our wish for such things to happen.
But God knows what He is doing, having great purpose in what He brings,
It may always be great mystery to us, how the King is glorified in all things.

We are not called to figure it out, as though we must know the how and why,
Better to open the Word, reading every glorious promise, even while you cry.
God is always with you, dear Christian, to give comfort when you are weary,
What a wonderful and precious promise, that your Father loves you so dearly.

He is able to comfort you in your pain, as He Himself has gone through great distress,
On the cross Jesus absorbed God’s wrath for sinners, so that we would be forever blessed.
But how can this be? That He, who is eternally blissful, would choose such bitter anguish,
So that we would not be judged, having our sins forgiven, the power of death vanquished.

And as if all that were not enough, the Lord is also doing a great work inside of us,
Using our pain to draw us closer to Him, sanctifying us, while increasing our feeble trust.
Suffering turns our hearts away from the things of this world, as God removes our remaining dross,
Which is the very reason our Master commands us to deny ourselves, while taking up our cross.

So when in the midst of inexpressible pain, and you feel like you can’t go on any longer,
Remember your Great High Priest who suffered, the One who is worthy of infinite honor.
He will never leave you nor forsake you, His Holy Spirit will be with you to the very end,
Then your pain will be no more, in Heaven you will be, with Christ an eternity to spend!
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Your likes or comments are always appreciated! I will do my best to respond to each one. And if you enjoy my posts, I wouldn’t mind an extra subscriber either. (-:  God bless you, and thanks for stopping by!   — Jamie

God Won’t Look the Other Way

Jamie Francis Abortion, Hell, Poetry

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God hates the sin of abortion; His holiness demands nothing less,
A woman’s right to choose? No! It’s a demand over which you obsess.
Precious babies are being destroyed, life given by their Creator,
Stop giving in to this wicked mindset; don’t be a ruthless God-hater.

The murder of innocent blood! How can you look the other way?
God knows each aborted baby by name; there will be justice to pay.
You only support a woman’s right to murder? And you think He doesn’t care?
Indeed He does! He will punish every evil thought, as Scripture boldly declares.

But you foolishly say…..

“God doesn’t care what I do. Surely He will look the other way.”
“Besides, this baby is a nuisance. I want to live my fullest today.”

But God says…….

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed.”
Heed what God says! If not, you will one day look on Him with dread.

But you still foolishly say………

“God will look the other way. He will understand. Who needs Jesus? Surely there will be no punishment for this.”

To which I say……….

“Repent and trust in Christ today! What will you do after you die, when it’ll be too late? Will you offer Him Judas’ kiss?
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Your likes or comments are always appreciated! I will do my best to respond to each one. And if you enjoy my posts, I wouldn’t mind an extra subscriber either. (-:  God bless you, and thanks for stopping by!   — Jamie