March 2010 By Rick Godley
Recently I was made aware of the full poem ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ written February 1 1862 by Julia Ward Howe. I’m going to pen it in full for you below. After you read it, I’d be curious to see your thoughts on what book do you think influenced her to write such and epic. Compare her words with the modern praise and worship songs.
‘Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He has loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His Truth is marching on.
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
As ye deal with my contemnors, so with you my grace shall deal’;
Let the hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heal,
Since God is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be Jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea;
With a glory in him bosom that transfigures you and me:
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.”
Julia Ward Howe was paid five dollars by the Atlantic Monthly Magazine for this inspirational classic.
Do you feel like this song has even more relevance for our generation? Weep now softly as the tears will be well spent.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
‘Who Dat say de’ gonna march in where? Who Dat?’ Rick Godley Feb 2010
With the recent focus on the New Orleans Saints football frenzy and ‘Who Dat Nation’, I began to reflect about their theme song, ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’. My mind began to do some ‘Holy Who Dat’s’. As if The One who Created everything was talking to me. He first did that in Genesis 3, when He asked Adam, ‘Where y’at’ (v.9), and ‘Who Dat told you were naked” Who dat?’ (v. 11).
So in the Spirit of Truth, understanding that football is just football purely entertainment and nothing eternal, I began to seek Truth in a ‘Who Dat?’ way. If we don’t stop and think about what we think about, we’ll have a tendency to think things are true when they may not be. For example we don’t know for sure that it was 3 Kings that came to see the Messiah. They surely didn’t get there when He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Right? If I’m wrong, ‘who dat’ told you otherwise?
Where in Scripture do the Saints go? And do they go marching? If so; when do they do that? What qualifies one to actually be a Saint, according to The Scripture? Open questions that I’d like to hear your responses when you get a chance. I’ll do a couple of verses for you myself. Bible verses, not song verses.
Psalm 24, ‘Who Dat, who goes up to the
Psalm 94, ‘Who Dat, who will rise up for me against evil doers? Who dat, who will stand up for Me against workers of wickedness?
Let’s look at some Saints verses that Joel Osteen probably never tells the masses in
Psalm 79 ‘The dead bodies of your servants have the been given to be meat to the fowls of the air, and the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth.’
Psalm 116, ‘Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.’
Dan. 7:21, ‘I beheld and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them. Later on in the same chapter, ‘and he shall speak great words against the most High and shall wear out the saints of the most High.’
Rev. 13, ‘and it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.’
Rev. 16, ‘for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets’
Now where do ‘dese saints enter as we see now ‘dey don’t really march in. Isaiah 26, ‘Open you the gates, that the righteous nation (not
Other verses on ‘entering in’, Not everyone that says to me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; be he that DOES the will of my Father which is in heaven. Notice you gotta do something, not just believe. ‘But if you want to enter into LIFE, KEEP the commandments!’ And we gotta strive to enter in at the straight gate. Strive means to struggle, agonize, and wrestle. This ain’t no King Cake Walk. Cause it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, that for a rich man to enter into the
How did our example get in? ‘Ought not The Messiah to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? What’s our game plan? Acts 14:22 ‘continue in the faith, because we must go through much tribulation to enter into the
And finally; ‘Blessed are they that DO His commandments that they may have right to the tree of Life and may enter in through the gates into the city’.
So Who dat you think? E mail me your thoughts, Rick@godleyworks.com
So test yourselves to see Dat’ You are in the Faith! Go on and examine yourselves, now! Or don’t you know ‘dis about yourself, dat’ da Messiah is in you? Cause if you don’t then it’ll be you dat fail dat test! (2 Cor 13:5)
Jesus will ask us one day since we will ALL appear before him to give an account and He will say this: ‘You said I said….WHAT?’
For more GodleyWorks audio material go to http://godleyworks.mypodcast.com/
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
What did Paul say when he spoke?
A quick perusal thru the book of Acts in the life of Paul; I can find no less than 12 different times he was either invited to speak or just spoke out in different cities, places and synagogues. Many times on the Sabbath (not SUN-day).
This is the same Paul whose resume of following Torah; the teachings and instructions of The Creator, were nonpareil. He spoke of himself in Philippians 3, as if to compare his ‘Jewish spirituality with anyone else’. This guy was circumcised on the 8th day, born of the seed of Jacob of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, according to the Law, a Pharisee. Zealous? He persecuted and killed followers of The Way. Blameless according to The Law!
So what happens to this Paul’s after his encounter with Jesus on that
So I’m just wondering why this Pharisee of Pharisee, ardent Torah Observer never once mentioned any of this to the brethren in the book of Acts.
Why didn’t he take the time to say any of these things! He was given ample opportunity time and time again.
Even the proverbial letter to the Gentiles; Acts 15, (that’s us) listed the 3 baby steps instructions’ for those who believe in Messiah; Pure (Holy) Worship, Pure Food and Pure (holy) Living. After that, they were to meet on the Sabbath to hear Moses read and grow from there!
Before anyone responds, hear me clear, Salvation is NOT based on works!!!! Faith in what Jesus did and why He did what He did! Again, I am not saying observation of the instructions saves ANYONE! It’s about love for Him! Do we Love Him and Show Him by wanting to obey His instructions?
If you need the specific chapter and verses e mail me and I’ll get them to you!
Thank you for your time and understanding.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
1st Corinthians 13 Revisited and Amplified in a Godley Way. December 2009
Science without the Scriptures is we called magic. Definitions without the Scriptures are called opinions. Get a lot of opinions together and agree on a few of those and you’ll get a denomination and maybe another flavor of Christianity. Get counseling without the Scriptures and you’ll get a monthly invoice.
So if you would; indulge me this month, and correct me if I’m way off base by e mailing me or calling me. While out jogging recently my mind thought of the ‘Love’ chapter that Paul wrote to the people in
Maybe it’s our definition of love without the Scriptures! (Read Matt: 22 34:40) When Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment in the Law, notice that Jesus didn’t say; ‘Oh don’t worry about this Law stuff, it’s all going to be over soon anyway, so let’s get a pork chop.’ No, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, I notice that Jesus quotes a lot of that Old Testament stuff, especially ‘The Law’, then for the 2nds greatest commandment He quotes from Leviticus. These 2 ‘commandment’s are the summation of ‘Love according to Jesus’ in priority. Love God and then Love your Neighbor as yourself. Jesus goes on to say, on these 2 commandments hangs/hinges the Whole Law and the Prophets. Look at the door in the room you are in now. Notice the 2 hinges on which the door hangs? What are they attached to? The Whole frame! How can we have just the 2 love commandment and all the others done away with? No wonder many today don’t have a religious clue as to what house they walked in cause they’ve torn down the door frame all in Jesus name! When the Master Carpenter Himself didn’t even do nor teach that!
Is it too much for me to get you to agree that Jesus defined Love with these 2 commandments and the Rest of the The Law as well? Based on what Jesus said? Indulge me, and say Yes! Let’s substitute the Word Love with Law and see if 1st Corinthians 13 makes a bit more sense.
‘If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not obey the Law, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy, and know all the mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains but do not obey the Law, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to the poor and if I surrender my body to be burned but do not obey the Law, it profits me nothing. The Law teaches me patience, the teaches me kindness, how not to be jealous, The Law teaches me not to brag and not be arrogant, it teaches me not to act unbecomingly, not to seek my own, it also teaches me how not to be provoked and it teaches me how not take into account a wrong suffered. Likewise the Law, or the teachings an instructions of The Creator/Our Father teaches me not to rejoice in unrighteousness rather rejoices with the Truth! It also teaches me how to bear all things, how to believe in the things Our Father wants us to believe in and hope and how and why to endure because The Law Never fails. But now faith, hope and The Law abide in these 3; but the greatest of these is The Law!’ (A Godley Amplification of 1 Cor. 13)
How far fetched is what I just wrote? If you think its way out there and not worth exploring, testing and living, just go on doing what you’ve been taught to do and watch more families, communities, nations and people get messed up, all in Jesus name of course. If you’re sick and tired of man’s way getting us to where we are, then throw it away and lets’ do it The Way Our Father says! He clearly tells us!
I and we are here to help, let us know how, call or e mail. Because we are all on a Path and we all need help.
One last note, Keeping The Law is NOT a requirement for Salvation, never has been, never will be and I’m not saying it is! But since we just agreed that The Law is LOVE, why wouldn’t you want to be In Love all the time?
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