"Stories"

I’m ridin’ with the stories told,

Of cowboys long since gone,

And all to me they’re solid gold,

And have been for so long.

I see ‘em horseback alongside,

Pointin’ out to me the way,

How they looked on every ride,

And right down to this day,

I remember things like cricket’s roll,

In old gray Badger’s bit,

Rowels tapping cowboy soul,

Deep in my thought are writ.

Swingin’ loops tied hard and fast,

Chasin’ wild ones through the brush,

Funny how the stories last,

When we roped ‘em in a rush.

Long, hot summers makin’ hay,

Feedin’ bales out in the sleet,

Out to a jackpot pay to play,

Those times were hard to beat.

And older stories farther back,

Also fill my mind,

Bible heroes fighting flack,

You’ve heard about the kind,

People just like you and me,

Who rose to do great things,

With God’s power wild and free,

Prophets, priests and kings.

The Lord Himself above the rest,

The way, the truth, the life,

Strengthening through every test,

And saving us from strife.

And now the story onward goes,

His grace has set us free,

Through all the highs and, yes, the lows,

His love eternally.

“And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And. they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.” (Revelation 12:11, NLT)

There is great power in the story God has given us. When accused by satan, the believers overcome him by the blood of Christ, the word of their testimony, and they were not afraid to die. The anointing of the Holy Spirit falls upon our witness of what Christ had done. And that is precisely the story people need to hear from us. They may have heard about Jesus. But hearing what Jesus did for us personally makes a huge difference. Yes, we must walk the walk but that is so that we may effectively talk the talk. Talk it.

Lord, help us tell the story of Your grace in our lives, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bruce Greene, used by permission. Thanks, Bruce, and God bless you.