Remember This

Remember this

We will all stand before the Throne one day

Whether in fulfillment of our hope

or in shock of its reality

Nothing will cover us

but the Cross

Which we spat on

or clung to

 

You may say,

“Look what I have done

Look at how I have kept the laws,

the creed

God will accept me now”

 

NO!

 

Remember this

Your works are like quicksand,

the appearance of solid ground,

with a hollowness at its core

Works done in the flesh will stand in opposition to your salvation

works to wipe off the guilty stain,

a mirage that the destination lies within our own grasp,

an infinite pit from which you will never climb out

These acts will return void

a dead heart cannot bring itself to life

Yet the work of broken man will bring glory to Lord

for it was the Spirit that stirred,

the heart of the already righteous,

the Spirit shaping the clay

 

Remember this

Grace cannot be earned

but received,

from the one who declares guilty or free

 

Remember this

Receive now the very presence of God

the power to mold the clay

and to awaken our dead lives

 

Remember this

We will serve a lord one way or another

One who provides freedom

Or one who brings slavery,

clothed as freedom

 

Remember this

Forgiveness is powerful

Joy is contagious

Hope is sharper than a knife

Peace comes from the grace we were given

 

Remember this

The enemy prowls around,

looking to pounce on the weak

Stand firm in the One who awoke your soul

Stand in the freedom you have received

Don’t fall for the seductiveness of bondage

Watch out for those who would call you into bondage

to earn righteousness apart from the Gift

Resist the urge of those who would place themselves as the gate keepers

Embrace now the One who carries your burdens,

in whom the yoke is easy

 

Remember this

Freedom is found on your knees

with palms raised to the sky

and control surrendered

Freedom found in death

Salvation in the Savior

My Prayer

Dear Lord,

 

Here is my soul

With its dreams

And doubts

Here is my present

And my future

I lay my life in surrender

At your feet

 

My old life died

And was buried with You

Yet in the same way

I arose with you

And was given new life

For which fear no longer has reign over

 

Because of this I can now say

You are in control

Nothing is wasted on you

Nothing I do is outside of your strength

Or your sovereignty

Your flock won’t escape your gaze

 

I step in assurance

That you, oh Lord, care for me

 

Fear will come knocking

Yet I know the winds of doubt will not topple me

For my anchor is in you

My rock and fortress

Though suffering may have a temporary hold

Its days are numbered

And its fate has been sealed

The future will unfold under Your sovereignty

Not a pebble is out of place

For you see my every step

Sustaining me through the valley

And smiling with me at the top

 

You see my dreams

And promise something far better

A part in Your story

That all will know Christ

And Him crucified

 

Here I am

My life is yours

My Savior

My Lord

I Bow

Here I bow

As the rain pours

With my knees to the ground

Calling on your name

 

Here I bow

With my dreams on the floor

With fears on my sleeve

With the joys you have given

With the mountain I just climbed

 

Here I bow

In full surrender

With my allegiance yours

My King and Lord

 

In your hands all else passes away

Let the Tender Hands

Darkness.

Hurt.

Pain.

Some will be forgotten

Some will be buried,

Buried down in the cavern of the soul

They seem lost somewhere down there

As if they will never see the light of day

Where they will fester

And pester the soul

And eat a hole

Right to the core

Now laid bare

For a soul to come and care

 

So along comes a lion,

A wolf in sheep’s clothing

Preaching hope and freedom

From the pain piled deep down inside

He plants a thought

Mistaking gashes for mending

And fancying a blade

As the aid,

The tool of his healing

 

I bought this thought

For freedom is what I sought

To carry me away

From the burden I carry

I grabbed the blade

By now the damage has been done

The marks do not fade

It’s hard to look away

 

Back comes the lion

Now taunting his prey

Who bought his hope

And his lies

Now they just fade to

Fear.

Guilt.

Shame.

 

A voice calls out

“Where are you going?”

“I’m hiding

For I am afraid of what you may say

Just look at my scars

Oh, how I stained your masterpiece.”

 

“Who told you that?

Child of mine, I see no stain

I still see my masterpiece

Whom I breathed into life.”

 

“But I lost

The crafty one has won,

Just look what I have done!”

 

“Don’t you see

That from his mouth

Comes the words of judgment

Whose chains were broken long ago

He did not win because you are in need of grace

I have won,

For by grace I made the way.”

 

“Won’t others see my scars?”

 

“They may, but I don’t.”

 

“Won’t they see me differently?”

 

“They may, but I don’t.”

 

“Have you heard my mouth and what it has said?

Have you seen my eyes and what they have seen?

Have you seen my hands and what they have done?

If you did you wouldn’t want this soul!”

 

“I love you,

Don’t ever forget this

I love you,

Scars and all.”

 

“You may, but I can’t.”

 

We all find ourselves with scars of our own

Some large

Some small

Some out in the open

And still some hidden far from the light

 

We run, run, and run some more

To go far away from the pain we bear

But farther down this hole we go

There, guilt and shame will swallow us whole

 

Turn and open up those wounds

To let the light of grace come in

As the arms of hope wrap around

Let the tender hands cleanse you now

And hold you now,

And forevermore.

Though I Walk Through the Valley

Lord, do you see me here?

Am I left to die in this place?

Please hear my cry

 

Will I see a day

When I don’t look back

Or sink back to the bottom?

The lows are so low

And the highs?

Well they are merely not the lows

 

Will I finish this race?

I can barely make it a day,

A week

A month

How will I ever make it to the end?

The descent has been unbearable

What is next?

The painful decline from unbearable to…

 

The heart is restless

And clenches for what is to come

With dread for what may vary well arise

Doubt engulfs every thought

 

The heart screams

Yet not even a whisper can be heard

The temptation of the blade

Comes knocking

Thumbs finger the gate towards shame

With fate resting on the sharp edge

 

Will I see tomorrow?

Will I wake to these scars

And hide them from foreign eyes

Only to wish I could unsee them?

 

Lord do you see me here

I am far too weak

And about to break

Can you stop me from myself

And what I am about to do

 

Will the sun shine again?

Will you grace me with your presence again, oh Lord?

Will you carry me to your still waters?

Will you guide this lost and wayward heart?

 

Light has withdrawn

And left the soul to cave

To every thought and scheme

A false hope in death

A fake relief through a bloody release

 

An endless pit

Downward, downward, downward

With each breath, the next one fails

Stuck in this daze

A nightmare with a powerful grip

 

Please forgive me

For I have sinned

I have left your steady hand

To dwell in the darkness

 

I call upon the Cross

The beautiful, wonderful Cross

The pure and holy blood of the Lamb

 

Oh Lord

In this time of need

Please save me

 

I am…

…

…

…

Lost

 

I try and only further push you away

I’m in quicksand

Sinking far too fast

 

Oh Lord, my rock

Please save me.

What If

A world of broken dreams

And hopeful ones

Of a road long gone

Or a brighter future

A sorrow filled sigh

Or a joyful thought

A trap from the past

Or a place of broken shackles

 

Worlds are created

In this fictional space

We regret

We dream

And we wonder

A world painted in bright colors

Or permanent blots

Marking our every move

 

What if

Two simple words

Yet two sharp edges

 

What if I had just said hello

What if I had just said no

What if I had just walked away sooner

What if I had just taken that chance

 

What if I stopped the second guessing

What if I stopped this charade

Because the regret of yesterday

Saps the joy from tomorrow

 

And you know what?

What if the best is yet to come.

The Hazy Eyes of Faith

I walk,

I fall

I walk,

I fall

I walk,

I fall

 

Are these even eyes at all?

I stare into the distance

Which just looks the same

A wall of mist,

A fog,

A haze

 

“I will trust you…

This is too much,

I can’t do this”

 

“I will trust you now…

This is still too much,

I don’t think I can do this”

 

“Okay, I will trust you…

This is too difficult

I can’t continue on”

 

These are the hazy eyes of faith

 

The pain that clogs the memory

The rejection that hardens the soul

The death that pushes you to the edge

The failure that is the last straw

 

These are the hazy eyes of faith

 

What if this ends up like the last time?

What if I can’t keep going?

What if this is a mistake?

It is too dangerous

I don’t know if I can do this

 

These are the hazy eyes of faith

 

“Look at how good I have been

I have done all this good stuff

I’m good enough now”

Can control be retained

While living a life of faith?

I’ve looked

And I’ve tried

I kick

And I scream

Is there any other way?

This path of control

Is crystal clear

Every step seen

 

Yet the path of faith and grace

Challenges the eyes

For there is fog down that path

A hazy mist we can’t see through

 

These are the hazy eyes of faith

 

I walk,

I fall

I walk,

I stumble

I walk

These are the eyes of faith

That stare into the distance

A wall of mist,

Of fog,

Of haze

And step with assurance

In the One walking amidst the haze

Just a Cup of Water

“Son, I need you to watch after our one little lamb today

I must go attend to my business”

The son, just a small child, does what his father asks

The next day is the same,

As is the next

And the next

With each day, the child is told to take care of the work,

While his father goes off into another room,

One he is not allowed to enter

Why?

He does not know

 

One day the child asks his father, “Daddy, can I go with you today?”

But the father replies with a simple no

For he says the child is not quite ready

And so the child continues on with the same old thing

 

The son, now a young man, comes to his father

“I am ready to join you in your work”

But the answer is still the same

“No, you aren’t ready”

Instead he must fill up water buckets,

All while his friends join his father in the other room

Confusion abounds,

Why does everyone else get to join him?

What is wrong with him?

Is he a failure?

Oh how he longs to be in that other room

Where a celebration has broken out

A wedding

And a feast

Oh to work with his father

 

Each day the answer is the same

“Not today,

I have other work for you”

Each day, year after year

Each bringing another small little task

Something a small child could achieve

Let alone a grown man

Oh how mundane it has become

 

One night, the father emerges from his room

“Son, our celebration inside has run out of refreshments

Fill these six jars with water”

Everything inside this son told him not to

To give up on this charade

Yet, somewhere deep inside a voice beckons him

“Be faithful

No matter how mundane”

The jars are now filled to the brim,

Not a drop less

 

“Now take a cup of it and go give it to our guests,” the father replied

“Come join the celebration

I have work for you in here.”