The Ballestero Blog

They Read You Like A Book!

2 Corinthians 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

• Our lives are read of all men.
• Everyone can see what we really are.

Psalms 90:9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.

• What story does your life tell?
• Will your story have a happy ending?

God is The Writer And You Are His Poem!

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

• Workmanship – poiēma – (poem) His “masterpiece” (NLT), His “handiwork” (NAB), His “work of art” (NJB),
• We are His Poem! God is trying to write a masterpiece for the world to read using nothing but your life.
• Will your poem be a disappointment or a blessing?
• Does it have any rhyme or reason?
• Is the meter in your life poem awkward and difficult to read aloud, especially in public?
• Would God put your poem in His Book?
• Or, would you be one of His non-published works?

So, If Your Life Is A Poem, What Kind Of Poem Are You?

• There are many different types of poems.
• The difference between each type is based on the format, rhyme scheme and subject matter.
• A Poet attempts to express himself in his poem.
• I wonder, is the Writer happy with how your poem turned out?
• Did you take the pen from His hand and try to write your own verses?

A Poem Tells A Story. It Is Meant To Be A Thing Of Grace And Beauty.

• Is yours a love poem?
• Is it a sonnet of sorrow?
• Maybe it’s an ode to a bitter regret?
• Would it so wonderfully describe a place you’ve known in Christ, that every reader would desire to go there?
• Or, would your poem be one of shipwreck?
• Would it only tell of earthly pursuits and carnal fulfillments?
• Would it be about a magnificent obsession for heaven and living for Jesus?
• Does your poem condone compromise and mock the teachings of the Bible and your spiritual forefathers?
• Does it make light of standards and holiness living?
• Does it direct young people down a worldly path?
• Does it tell everyone to question authority?
• What kind of poem are you writing with your life?
• Maybe your poem is about recovery, like the prodigal son’s?

Will yours be written the same way Judas, Balaam, Achan, Cain, Esau and Korah wrote theirs? (Remember, the beginning of your poem can’t be unwritten, but you can change the ending with God’s help.)

Do You Believe Your Poem Will Inspire Others?

• Will it encourage?
• Will it be a life example for someone?
• Will it be a beacon of hope?
• Will it describe the Joy and Grandeur you’ve found in serving the Lord?
• Will your readers feel the desire to reach higher, draw closer and believe for more?
• Could your poem be put to music and become a song glorifying Jesus Christ?
• Will it be written in sweetness?
• Will your poem be about self-denial and decreasing so that He may increase?
• Will your poem make its readers want to live the same kind of life you did?
• Will God smile approval as He peruses your pages?
• Will God publish your poem?
• Will He put yours on His bookshelf?

They Read You Like A Book

 Have You Ever Read Any Of These Poems?

• James Kilgore
• G.T. Haywood
• M. E. Burr
• Ike Terry
• Billy Cole
• H. B. Morgan
• Lonnie Marcus
• Clyde Haney
• David Gray

What Happened To Your Heart When You Read These Poems?

• Content Faith Ballestero
• June Starr Davis
• Nona Freeman
• Emilie O’Brien
• Agnes Holmes
• Willie Johnson
• Lena Spillman

What Did You Feel When You Read These?

• Dorcas
• Hannah
• Ruth
• Rahab
• Jochebed
• Rizpah

Did You Fall In Love With Jesus Christ Anew When You Read Any Of These?

• Carl J. Ballestero
• W.R. Starr
• Verbal Bean
• A.D. Urshan
• Wendell Gleason
• J.B. Lambeth
• G.A. Mangun
• J.T. Pugh
• Cleveland Becton
• Bill Bowman
• Robert Cavaness Sr
• William Garrett
• J. Frank Wilson
• Patrick Wilson
• Stanley R. Hanby
• J.L. Pipkin
• Charles Grisham
• Juan Alvear
• Don Johnson
• A.O. Holmes
• Hebert Starr
• Paul Leaman
• James Springer

(Warning! You Will Soon Become A Product Of What You Read! Choose Your Reading Material Carefully!)

When Your Children Read Your Life’s Poem…

• Will they be enthralled with the sweetness of your story?
• Will they hold their heads up high and say, “My dad wrote that!” or “My mom wrote that!”?
• Will they be repulsed by church standards?
• Will they hate church and preachers because of your poem?
• Will they look at all Christians as hypocrites because of your poem?
• Will they treasure the opportunity to live for God because they read your poem?
• Will they rise up and call you blessed?

Here’s Some Advice From Me, An Old Man, Whose Poem Is About Finished.

If we are to be His poem (or handiwork) then we should let Him do all the writing. Why not put the pen back in His hands? You will never regret letting Him order your life. If you let Him be the Author and the Finisher of your poem, everyone will love reading it. Never let anyone, not used of God, make changes or edit your poem!

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

God wrote a poem

Just using you!

Remember, The World Can Read You Like A Book!