The Message of The Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18

There is a message we all should heed.
It’s not about cars or money or deed.
It’s a message that points to the Savior’s cross;
A message of hope, not a message of loss.

Competing voices in the world today
Each one seeking to have his say.
One voice is God speaking through His Word,
The other my flesh speaking things absurd.

“O Come for salvation, My Word shows you how.”
“No! Live for the present, live for the now!”

“O Come to the truth, kneel at the cross.”
“If I have to do that, I’d rather stay lost!”

The Word speaks out, but the flesh answers back,
“I will not hear a message like that.”

So we come to the end of our life so short;
We sift through our deeds, our values we sort
We bought all the cars and the house with the pool,
But our soul is lost, and we’ve played the fool!

Each sinner some day will stand before God
Where heads will all turn, and then they will nod...
Their knees will bend, their tongues confess
That Jesus the Lord, they chose to reject.

The way of salvation comes through Christ’s tree,
Not by our talent or things we may be;
Nor by our deeds, for they are but dross.
Our hope of salvation comes through the cross.

1 Corinthians 1:18
“… the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (NIV)

© Copyright George M. Cuff, All Rights Reserved

Two Men at the Temple

Two Men at the Temple
Luke 18:10-14

Two men went to the temple. Both were there to pray.
One was a man composed, the other in disarray.
The first was a man blinded by pride, his prayer revealing how he felt inside.
The second man was shamed by sin, expressing deep sorrow for what he had been.
Jesus listened to each man’s prayer, looked in his heart and saw what was there.

The first man felt quite impressive; his religious deeds were aggressive.
He always placed the tithe in the treasure and fasted weekly just for good measure.
He looked all around, considered the men; felt fairly sure he was better than them.
There before him were thieves and molesters. He especially despised that tax collector.

The Pharisee stood up (so all could hear) and cried to the Lord in front of his peers,
“O Lord, I’m glad I’m not like them,” (then named every sin he could condemn.)
The Pharisee felt he should be adored, but he brought no joy to the heart of the Lord.
His self-righteous prayer was ignorant and cruel. The sad truth is this: he was a fool.

The other man fixed his eyes on the ground. He didn’t look up or look around.
“Forgive me O God. Lord, I implore thee; my sinful deeds are ever before me.”
He beat his chest as he poured out his plea. A more repentant sinner one could not see.
Jesus was impressed by the sinner sincere, his contrition authentic; his confession clear.

Here are some thoughts that come from this story: Humble yourself, give God the glory.
Since we see that God hates pride, take control of your life; don’t let it preside.
God loves those whose heart is contrite, broken vessels who want to get right.
“O Lord My God, this I pray, remove sinful pride and cleanse me today. “

Luke 18:10-14
10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”(NIV)

© Copyright George M. Cuff, All Rights Reserved

Dress for Success

Dress for Success
Ephesians 6:13-18

Did you know we believers are in a war? Our enemy is vicious, not one to ignore.
In order to triumph in this test, let’s check out the manual to dress for success.

We buckle on the belt of truth. Works best if we wear it from our youth.
The Breastplate of Righteousness does its part giving protection to the heart.

Fitted with peace, our feet are ready to move forward in battle or to stand steady.
The shield of faith provides protection when arrows are fired from every direction.

Our minds we protect from evil temptation by wearing the helmet of salvation.
We pick up the fearsome sword of the spirit so lethal to demons they won’t come near it.

This is how we dress each day, but before we head out, we stop to pray.
We exalt our God with prayers and praises trusting His guidance in all its phases.

There’s coming a day when we’ll battle no more, but until then we fight in this war.
The armor, the weapons and giving of thanks help us prevail oer the enemy’s ranks.

So get up tomorrow; be ready to fight, put on the armor; go forth in God’s might.
Soon our Lord will call us up higher, but the devil will land in the Lake of Fire.

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Eph 6:13-18 (NIV)

© Copyright George M. Cuff, All Rights Reserved

What does it mean to be Born Again?

I’m surprised so few truly understand the plan of salvation from God to man.
Take Nicodemus for example. His account is a typical sample.

Nicodemus came to Christ in the night. He well understood man’s sinful plight.
He had no doubt that Jesus was Lord whose wisdom and power He adored.

Jesus told him “be born again,” a phrase he struggled to comprehend.
He said, “This can’t happen, I’m a full-grown man.” But Jesus said, “Oh yes it can.”

May I share what the new birth means? It refers to a truth not easily seen.
The Bible declares salvation was planned even before the creation of man.

Since we are marked by sin’s dark stain, there is no way that man can attain
The righteous condition that he needs through practicing religion or doing good deeds.

God is able to grant salvation by transforming our lives into a new creation.
We believe the promise the gospel gave, that Jesus died our souls to save.

This you will learn in a Bible search: Salvation is not in the name of your church.
Salvation can’t come from minister or priest, nor is it found in a Jewish feast.

My friend, as you read the scripture through, you find there’s nothing humans can do
To reverse the effect of sin’s great flood except to thank Christ for His cleansing blood.

We kneel before the Lord in prayer; admit our faults, our souls lay bare. Then
Through the Spirit, He enters our life. His presence is real. We live in the light.

Somehow deep in the depths of our soul, we know we’re forgiven, cleansed; made whole.
This is how Jesus becomes our friend. This is how we’re born again.

"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3)

“There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24b)

© Copyright George M. Cuff, All Rights Reserved

Have You Trained for War?

From the beginning it was God’s plan to give Israel the Promised Land.
He sovereignly led Abraham there. The land was for him and all of his heirs.

Israel prospered through trials stout until the land was burdened by drought.
That is how Jacob landed in Egypt. It was easy to go there but hard to leave it.

They were enslaved four hundred years til God called Moses to deliver his peers.
Moses led Israel by God’s mighty hand. Then it was Joshua who led the strange band.

God brought them to the promised border, said “be of good courage” and gave the order.
With him was Caleb, an old man of might, who helped teach the young folks how to fight.

The prize wasn’t won by the diplomat corps; the land had to be taken by force in war.
Joshua led his troops into battle seizing the land, the homes and the cattle.

This story repeats for each generation, for the battle continues without cessation.
So learn now this truth unwise to ignore: It’s time to man up and train for war.

Judges 3:1-41 These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan 2(he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 4 They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD's commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses. (NIV)

What are you doing to train your fam? Do you teach God’s ways; not just man’s?
The end is near; it’s time to pray for our kids to serve God and walk in His way.

© Copyright George M. Cuff, All Rights Reserved

If My People will Humble Themselves and Pray

Do you sense that God is withholding the rain? Does it seem like locusts devour your grain?
Does the hot sun rise high in the sky baking your fields impossibly dry?
Could it be you left your first love, been focusing on earth instead of above?
When we’ve been running in the wrong race, God brings reminders to seek His face.

God calls for the people known by His name to humble themselves and fan the flame
By seeking His face, from sin turn away, trusting His grace as they kneel to pray.
Then He will hear them, forgive their sin; restore their joy and peace again.
Perhaps he will move by His mighty hand to bring a new spirit into our land.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14
13 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV)

A Thought to Think About…

The best way to stop America’s lurch is to experience revival in the church.
Preaching is needed for spiritual renewal, but humility and prayer are the crown jewels.

A Culture of Confusion

I remember when the Bible was truth, its virtues taught from the days of our youth.
Scripture was honored at home and school, its principles used to form habit and rule.
It became clear America was blessed; immigrants streamed from east and west.
It didn’t matter what their station; they longed to live in this Christian nation.

Our parent’s worked hard by toil and sweat. No worry about the national debt.
Everyone knew their friendly neighbor. Our streets were safe for play and labor.
Life was good in this dear land where preachers proclaimed God’s glorious plan.
Our Christian heritage is no aberration; the Bible provided our moral foundation.

What couldn’t be done by attack from without, the devil accomplished by those not devout.
We prevailed in war against evil oppressors but succumbed to the lies of college professors
Who expelled the Bible from our schools, twisted its teaching; created new rules.
We’re swimming now in a sea of confusion, ill-equipped to discern truth from delusion.

Once it was wrong to cohabit in sin, but now it’s considered the way to begin.
In previous times John married Ann, but now we have weddings where John marries Stan.
Our homes once featured a father and mother, but now we have one plus a significant other.
The children have suffered a terrible cost. Their lives have been shattered and all hope lost.

Do you feel emptiness in your soul? Are you ready for God to make you whole?
An Eastern religion you must not embrace even if touted by Hollywood’s face.
Abandon all thoughts of ascended masters; you need a Bible-teaching pastor.
Here’s the best way to begin your search: open the Bible, return to church.

The Bible alone is the Word of God. Why you don’t read it seems so odd.
You stare at TV while worries increase, but only God can bring relief.
If you will place your trust in Him, He will forgive, grant peace within.
You get all this and heaven too. It’s the reason our Savior died for you.


2 Timothy 3:16-17
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NIV)

© Copyright George M. Cuff, All Rights Reserved

God Will Bless You Through Your Trials

Jacob had a gifted son. The Bible calls him Joe.
He experienced special blessing wherever he would go.
There were eleven others, sons of Jacob too,
But as for serving Jacob’s God, they didn’t have a clue

Joe was blessed with natural gifts that gave him center stage;
His father’s obvious favor inflamed the other’s rage.
Jacob gave his favored son a many-colored coat,
But when it all was said and done, it really got their goat.

One day Joseph told his brothers about his special dream.
When he told how they would serve him, his brothers nearly screamed.
They decided to do away with Joe and tell their dad, “That’s it,”
So they sold him into slavery after confining him to the pit.

Joseph was hauled to Egypt and sold in the public square,
But God had everything under control, for Potiphar was there.
Potiphar bought the bright young slave; he could see he was a winner.
God so blessed his house under Joe, he had no worries but dinner.

Potiphar’s young wife was attracted to Joe; she chased him relentlessly.
She caught him one day in the hallway and Joseph had to flee.
Joseph landed in prison for an offense that was not true.
There he faithfully trusted God though at times I’m sure he was blue.

You all know the story from there; God made him ruler in the land.
With the exception of Pharaoh himself, all bowed to Joseph’s hand.
The famine brought conditions like those we see today;
Brought Abraham’s descendents to Egypt for Joseph to save.

God reminded Joseph how the pain that he endured
Had come to him by providence; Israel was secured.
And so the same is true for you in these dark moments of your pain.
The day will come when all will see “these things happened for your gain.”

Genesis 50:20-21
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. (NKJV)