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

Fulfilled in the Mystery

I’ve traveled to the edge of fear

Where hope seems lost

Joy turns to sorrow

And life seems like death…

 

The tug to step over was so strong

But a hand reached out,

Pulling my soul out from these depths

The hand of the Father

Who found me

And saved me

Long ago

 

He walked each step down this path

Hurting with every single one

Wishing I would just look around

And see Him standing there

With a lamp lighting the way home

Where supper was ready

Warm clothes were set out

A cozy fire to curl up by

And a pillow to lay my weary head on

 

“Lord, I’m sorry I have brought you this far

For your glory deserves holiness

Not this stain you have received

But you oh Lord find something in me

A relationship to be had.

Why you continue to pursue me,

An imperfect being,

I will never know.

Why you would give up your own,

I cannot fathom.

Why you suffered,

I cannot understand.

Why you took on shame,

I cannot grasp.

Why you took my stain,

Is a mystery.

Yet you have done it all

Out of your love for me.

 

When the darkness was all around

You were there

Lighting my every way

I can see it now

You never left my side,

I just never looked to see your presence

 

You take me on journeys,

Both joyful and hard,

My life is not about me,

Only you:

For your love to shine like the brightest star

For your hope to break through every cloud

For your joy to cover all sadness

For your glory to shake all around

 

You are God and I am not

You are good,

Both in the light and in the gray

 

Whatever brings you glory,

Lord, I will do it

Whether joy or pain, I will walk in it

I can say this now,

But Lord…

Give me strength to live this out”

 

“You don’t belong there”

A voice comes from the shadows

“Don’t listen to that other man

He does not know you

He does not want you

And in the time of need,

He will be gone.

Come on back…”

 

“My child,

He seeks to deceive you,”

The Father cries out

“For my love for you continues on

I will walk this journey with you

I will connect your broken pieces

And make you new

Believe in me.”

 

Here I stand

At the edge of faith and fear

The choice is mine

To step out upon the water of faith

Or return to the land of fear once more

 

With a single step I’m gone

Into the water away from the shore,

The foundation I’ve known

Where shackles lined the way

 

The water is daunting

So long and so wide

I have no vest

I have no boat

To save me now

Faith is my guide

Faith has overcome the fear

I cannot deny the call of the Father

Calling me on

Away from that foundation I have known far too long

I will die following this call

Yet I choose this path

Because He is enough now

 

I’ve found my end

And His beginning.