Author: attycortes

Filipino lawyer, preacher, composer.

Children of God

(Basis of devotional given to the Men’s Group of Ikthus East, Bacolod City; August 17, 2019)

1 John 3:1-3 ESV

[1] See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. [2] Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. [3] And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Continue reading “Children of God”

Abridger

My God has gracious plans for me
spanning all eternity,
without beginning, without end:
forever servant, son, and friend,

I am in his omniscient sight.
Reborn with destiny too bright,
I cast my sinful past aside,
and in his holy word abide.

And at the core of everything
is Christ my shepherd, Lord, and King:
The pattern of my future self,
Abridger of the yawning gulf

dividing holy God from man
(but by his death he has made one),
Fulfiller of the ‘ternal plan,
All glory to the glorious Son!

Of Future Worlds and Harmless Moths

I’d love to write my future down –
a future full of joy;
one free at last from tears and fears;
one moths cannot destroy.

This bloody world will soon explode
and fill deep space with red,
but I will soar towards the void
to where my heart is led.

The night will be a thing that’s past,
I’ll miss the stars for sure;
the prospect tho’ of Light’s embrace
makes up for all things lost.

Oh soar, oh soul, towards the void;
fear not the emptiness!
The tunnel’s end reveals a glimpse
of worlds all new and fresh.

(Photo by Jake weirick on Unsplash)

The Dream

The dream
made of airy reality
will fade away, though faded now,
and faded all the more shall be
when – I – the dreamer’s gone.

Oh say, oh say, what’s in your heart;
let not the dream just die unborn.
Oh pray, reveal what’s in your heart
and let your gift behold the morn.

The dream,
a blessing to the world of man,
must put on flesh and walk this earth.
When it has donned solidity
then is your duty done.

(Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash)

Remaining in the Truth

(Outline of devotional given to the Men’s Group of Ikthus East – Bacolod City last July 6, 2019)

1 John 2:24-27 ESV

[24] Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. [25] And this is the promise that he made to us-eternal life. [26] I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. [27] But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie-just as it has taught you, abide in him. Continue reading “Remaining in the Truth”

What does God seek?

light sunset people water
Photo by Negative Space on Pexels.com

“Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.” (Malachi 2:13-14) Continue reading “What does God seek?”

Anointed by the Holy One

(A devotional given to the Men’s group of Ikthus East Bacolod.)

TEXT: 1 John 2:18-26

INTRODUCTION:

The apostle John wants us to distinguish between those who are truly God’s children and those who aren’t. At the same time he wants to protect us from false teachers. God’s children have received an anointing from the Holy Spirit: spiritual discernment. They are able to taste and see spiritual truth. Continue reading “Anointed by the Holy One”

Life’s Last Pages

I want to read Life’s last pages,
the conclusion to all things.
Maybe insight into death will save me
from the folly of the present.

But terrors from afar are unimpressive,
thin strips of light too dim
to matter in deep darkness.
The Present’s too overwhelming.

And if Life ends, and if Death comes,
and I am unprepared – what then?
I fall asleep as all men do,
I close my eyes and bid, “Adieu!”