My new favorite poem -Anna Grace Gay
At first glance, Truth by Geoffrey Chaucer completely overwhelmed me because I could not understand it. But then, like several of you guys, realized I had been given an actual English version across the page and I figured it wasn't such a daunting task after all. The amount of utter goodness in this poem is amazing. I have so many favorite lines so prepare yourself:
"Flee from the crowd, and dwell with fidelity." We should not follow the crowd. The crowd in this world right now is not going the direction that is honoring to God. Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." It may not always be easy to go against the crowd, but following Christ through the narrow road is what leads to God's glory and to eternal life.
"Trouble not yourself to correct all crookedness." We need to have concern and compassion for the people not following God because that compassion will prayerfully lead to conviction to share the gospel so that they can be shown the correct path to take. We need to share the gospel because that is what God has commanded us to do in Matthew. But we can not fix everything. As my pastor has said before, "We are fallen people, in a fallen world, surrounded by lots of fallen people." We can not fix everything. Honestly we can not fix anything without Christ. He is the one that has the power to save!
"And truth shall deliver you; have no dread." The truth, which is God, will deliver you. We don't have to worry because God will never fail us! Psalm 145:18 "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." Call on the name of the Lord and He will answer. The second part of this quotation says have no dread. When I think of dread I think of worrying, of being anxious. Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." I love this quotation because of the biblical truth I feel it has behind it. God will deliver us and we don't have to worry about it. I know it doesn't always seem this simple, but it is.
"Here is no home, here is but a wilderness." This was my favorite quotation from this passage!
This world is not our home. We are just passing through. The trials we face here on earth are only temporary things we must face until we spend eternity in heaven with our Lord and Savior. Hebrews 13:14 "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." I love this quotation from Billy Graham because it is actually perfect, "My home is in heaven, I am just traveling through this world." With Christ, the one and only truth, we can get through this world. Continue to have a kingdom vision to carry you through all life will throw at you. Let it be known, this may be the first poem I have actually loved.
I commented on Moriah's and AnnaKate's posts!
"Flee from the crowd, and dwell with fidelity." We should not follow the crowd. The crowd in this world right now is not going the direction that is honoring to God. Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." It may not always be easy to go against the crowd, but following Christ through the narrow road is what leads to God's glory and to eternal life.
"Trouble not yourself to correct all crookedness." We need to have concern and compassion for the people not following God because that compassion will prayerfully lead to conviction to share the gospel so that they can be shown the correct path to take. We need to share the gospel because that is what God has commanded us to do in Matthew. But we can not fix everything. As my pastor has said before, "We are fallen people, in a fallen world, surrounded by lots of fallen people." We can not fix everything. Honestly we can not fix anything without Christ. He is the one that has the power to save!
"And truth shall deliver you; have no dread." The truth, which is God, will deliver you. We don't have to worry because God will never fail us! Psalm 145:18 "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." Call on the name of the Lord and He will answer. The second part of this quotation says have no dread. When I think of dread I think of worrying, of being anxious. Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." I love this quotation because of the biblical truth I feel it has behind it. God will deliver us and we don't have to worry about it. I know it doesn't always seem this simple, but it is.
"Here is no home, here is but a wilderness." This was my favorite quotation from this passage!
This world is not our home. We are just passing through. The trials we face here on earth are only temporary things we must face until we spend eternity in heaven with our Lord and Savior. Hebrews 13:14 "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." I love this quotation from Billy Graham because it is actually perfect, "My home is in heaven, I am just traveling through this world." With Christ, the one and only truth, we can get through this world. Continue to have a kingdom vision to carry you through all life will throw at you. Let it be known, this may be the first poem I have actually loved.
I commented on Moriah's and AnnaKate's posts!
It's crazy how something that was written so long ago can still have such an impact. That line about not fixing everything was one of my favorites too. I was reminded of what the speaker said in chapel last Wednesday. He said that our job isn't to save the world, that's Jesus' job. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to help people and fix things, but it does take away the unnecessary weight that we tend to put on ourselves. We can't "correct all crookedness" and God doesn't expect us to. What a freeing thought!
ReplyDeleteChaucer’s poem was by far my favorite. I really love the life lessons he gives in his work. He tells us be set apart from the crowd and how we don’t have to fix everything. I think I try to hard to fix everything so I related to that. My favorite part of he poem was when it says “Draw unto him, and pray in general.” That says so much about how a Christian’s walk shoild consist of growing close to God and continuously praying.
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