"Better"

I want to be a better man,

To those who count on me,

I’m praying that the Spirit,

Will help me, don’t you see.

For years I’ve carried burdens,

That I need to release,

Of worry, doubt, and unbelief,

Exchange them for His peace.

I need to die more deeply,

To the selfishness within,

And learn to love more freely,

Than the way that I have been.

I want to speak a witness,

And back it with behavior,

To point the world to Jesus,

To know Him as their Savior.

And when time comes to cowboy,

I’ll humbly be the one,

To saddle up and do my job,

And never shirk or run.

But show up when I say I will,

And work for honest wage,

Ask the Lord for wisdom,

Add value to my age.

There are things I’d like to do,

Before my race is run,

Enlarge my territory,

Get art and writing done.

But above all things to glorify,

The One who died for me,

So that I will have His smile,

And know that He is pleased.

“If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work…” (2 Timothy 2:21, NLT)

Keeping oneself pure is a matter of staying available and committed to God. He will then be able to use us as He sees fit. Sometimes I think we’re hoping for the “big opportunity” when God just wants us to do what is in our hands to do. Having a vision is important and goals useful for making progress. But nothing beats giving today to the Lord. Another way to say it is learning to be undistracted. Beware that we pay out so much attention to other things that when the Lord asks for it, our attention check bounces ‘cause we’re overdrawn! What divides your heart and seduces you to go the wrong direction? It’s something to seriously think about. The big thing God wants you to do may only come if you do the little things now.

Lord, help us to keep ourselves pure, focused and available to You, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by Kirstie Lambert, used by permission. Thanks, Kirstie, and God bless you.