Scandalous Graceful Messiah

Scandalous Graceful Messiah

Throughout the centuries
promises were prophesied
about a Saviour, Messiah

He will redeem His people 
our sins forgiven, washed clean

A sinless perfect Saviour
we imagine his family
to be sinless and perfect too
How scandalous and shocking to find then
the social outcast, pagans, gentiles, 
tainted sinners, prostitutes and murderers. 
How did God allow these people
to be in the royal family line?

And yet these chosen sinners
did not in any way
taint the perfect sinless Saviour

It only points to more of His grace
and how now centuries later
He is still in the business of
adding to His family line
the social outcasts, pagans, gentiles,
and all kinds of tainted sinners
In His family line we are all
washed clean and pure

How scandalous, we think, 
as only perfect people go to heaven
(in our tainted mindset)
Reality being there is only ONE perfect person
and He died to cleanse us, and make us into His perfection. 

Grace



Riana Odendaal
December 2014

Our one deep desire Psalm 27:4

Psalm 27:4. One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. 


Questions, questions all around.
always seeking, wanting desiring
One. More. Thing.
But what is it that you
deep down
deeply, truely, really really desire?

May our deepest heart's desires be
the same as David's
One thing I asked of the Lord
that I will seek after, pursue mightily
to dwelling in His house
all the days of our lives
forever and ever
to gaze upon his infinite wondrous beauty
and to inquire in His temple -
He is the temple (Rev21:22)

are we content with Him, just Him?



Riana Odendaal
December 2014

Faith

Faith....

It's a gift of grace
and it's all you need for life

It will take you with all your sin and shame
to the Father's grace-filled throne
Faith will  give you new life, new ways, new perspective

and yet

Faith will take you
through trials and perils abound
passing through the valley of the shadow of death
Danger may abound
care and love may not be around
but by faith you will be
where God in His grace needs you to be

Carefully manicured feet
will become cracked, dry and tired
as they walk so many miles to the middle of nowhere
sunburnt you will be, as you sit in the sun
sharing your faith
and silently deep inside cry,
Cry out the Saviour
for one more soul, so lost
to understand, to receive the gift of grace
the faith, the faith that will lead them home

Faith may sound so neat and tidy
a word so meek and tame
and yet it's a wild journey
to places unknown
except to Thy Great Author of Life

Faith has brought you
out of the slimy pit of sin
to the river of grace
took you safely passed death valley
and led you to peace
It has brought you thus far
and will carry you home
the Home that is not on this earth.


Riana Odendaal - December 2014.