More meditation poems from 1 John.

 

*The World’s Seductive Solutions*

From 1 John 2:15-17

 

The world seems to offer

Beautiful solutions

To all our longings and desires –

Gleaming in their allure.

 

Sex, stuff, and self –

All of these consume our culture,

And they claim they will

Make you exceedingly happy.

 

All the pretty things that line the shelves,

All the pretty faces that beckon our hearts,

All the pretty “self-love” that fills social media –

All temporarily satisfying –

All eternally damning.

 

John says to beware of these lies

Because they are deadly in their deceit

And insidious in their creeping clutches,

Luring us in with fine-sounding promises.

 

The more one cultivates a love for the world,

The more one falls prey to its “wisdom,”

And the farther away from God he moves –

Away from truth and eternal justice.

 

Rather, let us instead cultivate love for Christ –

Dwelling on his Word, lingering in prayer,

Allowing the Holy Spirit to open our eyes

To lies and deception and false hopes.

 

The more we do, the more we’ll abide

In the safe, secure, satisfying rest

Promised in part here on earth

And forevermore in heaven with Christ.

 

*I Identify as a Child of God*

From 1 John 3:1-3

 

When doubts assail me,

Of one thing I can be certain –

My identity is secure.

I am a child of God.

 

It is written on my heart.

It’s the oxygen that fills my lungs.

It runs deeper than my DNA.

It has the power to transform me.

 

This kind of love –

That cradles me like

A parent soothing a frightened child,

And wraps me with the security

Of strong, everlasting arms –

This love overwhelms me

With its beauty and lavishness.

 

When the world rejects and hates me,

It is a sign that I’m a child

Of the One whom they

Mocked and cruelly crucified.

 

And the weight of the world’s rejection

Can bear down heavy

Until I remember the day of promise

For which I am living.

 

The day when my Savior appears

And everything makes sense

And I become like him

And the struggle of this world is over.

 

This hope – this glorious hope –

Gives me strength on dark days.

Realigns my priorities.

Helps me fight my battles.

Purifies me from the sin that entangles.

 

So let me abide with my Father,

Let me embrace my status

As his beloved child

And let me trust in his promises.

 

Come, Lord Jesus, come.

 

Photo by Alfonso Scarpa on Unsplash.