"Jesus Man"

If there’s a way to miss it,

I guess that I have found,

Lots of ways to fall short,

Of what is safe and sound.

I don’t have to try to,

It seems down deep to be,

The way my head will wander,

If it’s left up to me.

I constant ask for mercy,

I frequently confess,

That I have sinned against Him,

And made another mess.

So I won’t make excuses,

Or blame someone, not me,

I hate to admit it,

It’s not them, honestly.

And I know if I sin less,

It will be because,

I make a good decision,

About all of God’s laws.

The fact that I have broken,

All of the Big Ten,

Just shows I need the Savior,

And not just now and then.

And Jesus said He came for,

Sinners who are sick,

The grace to be forgiven,

Applied so life will click.

But living by the Spirit,

To help me die to self,

Empowered to obey Him,

And not left on the shelf.

Is all that I aspire to,

And by His strength will be,

No more an old lawbreaker,

But a Jesus man, that’s me.

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me…” (John 14:21, NLT)

What we say we believe is important, but the proof comes in only one authentic way, according to Jesus. It’s a question of doing what Jesus commands. Notice it is not “suggests.” The Christian life is certainly about receiving God’s grace, but it is also about surrendering to God’s leadership. When we confess Jesus as Lord, we are pledging our devotion and commitment to Him. We are saying that no matter the cost, we will follow Him. We are surrendering control and asking Him to take charge. We are showing our love for Him by obeying Him. Do we always get this right? Hardly. But the Holy Spirit will use our failures to teach us, and nothing is wasted when walking with the Lord. Ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who empowers our obedience, and He has promised to energize every effort to do God’s will. That’s what the “Kingdom” that Jesus preached is all about, Jesus reigns and we obey!

Lord, give us a heart of undivided loyalty to You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mary Ross Buccholz, maryrossbuccholz.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mary, and God bless you.