Scarlet Robe Creations

I do not deserve the grace You pour out on me. I do not deserve the light bringing me in from the shadows. I do not deserve the echo of Your whisper in my ear. I do not deserve a single splinter from the wood of Your cross. I do not deserve the thorns pressed into Your scalp. I do not deserve the bread You offer, or the wine. I do not deserve to be served at Your table. I do not deserve forgiveness for any weak addictions. I do not deserve Your peace or Your love. I do not deserve the blood You have washed me in. What do I deserve for cursing You, for turning my back on hope and celebrating vices? What do I deserve for striding through dark alleys, purposely staying out of the light, and pushing You away for the moment? Am I not Cain? Am I not the multitudes laughing at Noah? Am I not the chosen being led off into slavery? And still... You extend Your arms to embrace all that I have defiled. You have washed the mud from my face and...

Arms wide open, a face welcoming a child. The wanderer who returns from the briar patch, wounded but healed, by the embrace of the waiting arms. Arms wide open, a love without condition. The journey home is nearly complete. Filth is cleansed from soul and flesh by the embrace of the waiting arms. Arms wide open, a white robe of forgiveness. The scarlet blood of iniquities is washed away. The sinner is welcomed into the embrace of the waiting arms. Arms wide open, despite pride and venomous tongues. The sheep cornered by shadows of life, clinging to the last ember of hope, crawling from the depths into the embrace of waiting arms. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

No one knows about that day or hour,  not even the angels in heaven,  nor the Son,  but only the Father. Matthew 24:36  Raise Your hand, Lord to calm the winds and the torrential rains. Still the turbulent earth and quench its fire. Are we in those days, Lord? You said I was not to know, yet prophets speak of Your wrath without knowing Your name. There are soldiers mounted for war and dark clouds on the horizon. I hear You say "not today," and remind me that only fools predict the moment. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

I am the lone sheep, wandering from the flock. I am the one unprotected, caught in the numbness of the world. I am the one frightened, but ashamed to commit to my protector. I walk through shadows, ensnared in the briars of sin. I am the lone sheep that the shepherd searches for. He celebrates my return, a sinner becomes a saint. He removes each thorn dug into my flesh and returns me to the flock healed of every wound I have inflicted on myself. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim, and on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, they came to the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai.  There in the desert they all complained to Moses and Aaron and said to them, “We wish that the Lord had killed us in Egypt. There we could at least sit down and eat meat and as much other food as we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death.” Exodus 16 1:3    God gives, we take and moan for more. We complain while walking through the desert of Sin about our own failings of faith. The burden of every struggle crushes us. We accuse our deliverer of abandoning our souls to the darkness. Manna and quail rain from the sky. In time we will explain the miracle, in human terms, and forget God's gift. He gives over and over as we give glory to ourselves for our daily bread. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,  as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 Gifts, God's design through us, words we see as insignificant, talents we see as insufficient. Gifts, God's daily grace in our lives, of His creation, not ours. Gifts, His prayer through us to a people in need, never ours through Him. Gifts, love that serves the servants, bringing no glory to the giver, but only to God. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr  

Why do I turn back to those places you saved me from? The pleasure is momentary, not eternal. The corners of darkness tempt, but offer nothing of comfort. Why do I walk among those who hide from the light? Pushing aside Your love, saving You for a day when I am overcome with despair. My God, why are you always there waiting for me? Why are You always eager to take me into Your embrace, love me and call me Your child? I deserve not one ounce of Your precious blood, and yet You shed every drop, over and over, that I might turn again toward the comfort of Your love. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./autho r  

Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Luke 9:58 I will follow, but am I willing to sleep in an open field with a stone for a pillow. The den is for the fox, the nest is for the birds, but the cold and barren ground is for the Son of Man. I will follow, but let me first bury the dead and say farewell to those who abide with me. He says, begin the journey without looking back at where you have been. Enter the pristine fields of holiness without the burden of your sins. copyright 2017 - Donald P James Jr