In Defense of Righteous Love: A Sonnet on Hating Evil, Clinging to Good, and the Truth That Tolerance Is Not of the Spirit by Debbie Harris

08 Wednesday Oct 2025

Posted by Debbie Harris in Bible Centered Poetry, Christ Centered Devotionals, Christ-centered poetry, Christian Poetry, Exalting Jesus Christ, Holy Bible, Inspirational, Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Royally Redeemed

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The Petrarchan sonnet, titled “In Defense of Righteous Love: A Sonnet on Hating Evil, Clinging to Good, and the Truth That Tolerance Is Not of the Spirit”, draws from Romans 12:9 (“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good”) and the idea that tolerance is not a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The octave establishes the call to sincere love, which rejects evil and embraces righteousness, explicitly noting that tolerance, as passive acceptance of sin, is not among the Spirit’s fruits (love, joy, peace, etc.). The sestet shifts (volta) to the struggle against evil’s temptations, affirming that true love hates sin while loving sinners, and emphasizes steadfast devotion to goodness and truth. The poem concludes with a resolve to uphold righteous love and walk in God’s light, where evil is overcome.

O love sincere, no guile within thy flame,
Thou hatest evil, spurning sin’s dark call.
Cling fast to good, where righteousness stands tall,
And shun the lie that bears a hollow name.
No fruit of Spirit bids us sin acclaim—
Tolerance falters where the shadows fall.
With holy zeal, we rise to heed the call,
To guard the heart with truth’s unyielding aim.

For evil’s wiles would tempt the soul to stray,
Yet Spirit’s fruits—love, joy, and peace—endure.
We hate the wrong, yet love the lost alway,
With goodness firm, our path remains secure.
So let us hold the good in fervent trust,
And walk in light, where sin returns to dust.

Reconciled Through His Cross to Stand Holy, Unblameable, and Unreproveable by Debbie Harris

08 Wednesday Oct 2025

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The poem, inspired by Colossians 1:21-22 (KJV), summarizes the transformation of humanity from alienation to reconciliation with God through Christ’s sacrifice. It describes how people, once lost in sin and enmity, are redeemed by the cross, where Christ’s death paid their debt. This act of love restores them, making them holy, unblameable, and unreproveable in God’s sight. The poem emphasizes grace, purity, and eternal peace, highlighting the shift from wrath to righteousness through divine mercy.

Colossians 1:21-22 (KJV)
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Once lost in shadows, hearts astray,
Enemies of light, in sin’s dark sway.
Yet through His cross, the debt was paid,
In love’s embrace, our guilt did fade.

Now holy called, by grace made whole,
Unblameable, pure within the soul.
Unreproveable, in His sight we stand,
Redeemed, restored, by His mighty hand.

From wrath to peace, His mercy flows,
In Christ, our righteousness forever grows.

Can We Even Fathom The Heights Of Our Savior’s Name by Debbie Harris

08 Wednesday Oct 2025

Posted by Debbie Harris in Bible Centered Poetry, Christ Centered Devotionals, Christ-centered poetry, Christian Poetry, Exalting Jesus Christ, Holy Bible, Inspirational, Jesus Christ, King of Kings

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The poem, inspired by Psalm 8:9 (KJV), celebrates the boundless greatness of God’s name and attributes, depicted through nature’s grandeur and divine titles like Creator and Redeemer. The revised line, “O LORD, our Lord, in Your strength we arise,” conveys victory and hope, emphasizing God’s name as a source of triumph and guidance. His glory surpasses human understanding, yet remains a constant source of awe and refuge across the earth.

Psalm 8:9 (KJV):
O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Can we even fathom the heights of His name,
The boundless excellencies no heart can contain?
O LORD, our Lord, Your glory unfolds,
In stars that burn fierce, in stories untold.

Your name is a whisper in the morning’s first light,
A thunder that roars through the tempests of night.
Each mountain, each valley, each wave that does sing,
Proclaims the vast splendor of our holy King.

Immeasurable titles, too grand to define,
Creator, Redeemer, Eternal, Divine.
From the sparrow’s soft fall to the galaxies’ span,
Your name holds the cosmos in the palm of Your hand.

Can we grasp the depths of Your mercy and might?
Or trace the full brilliance of Your sacred light?
O LORD, our Lord, in Your strength we arise,
Your name is our triumph, our hope in the skies.

How excellent, how holy, in all earth Your fame,
Forever we’ll marvel at Your matchless name.

Summary of Change:
The line “O LORD, our Lord, though we falter and roam” was revised to “O LORD, our Lord, in Your strength we arise,” shifting from a tone of struggle to one of victory and hope, emphasizing reliance on God’s strength and the uplifting power of His name.