"Code"

What happened to what we once knew,

About what’s right and wrong,

There was a time, God’s word defined,

It hasn’t been that long.

But we’ve cut loose, and made excuse,

For all we want to do,

The chaos grows, and the Good Lord knows,

What those seeds will produce.

Heartlessness and worse, I guess,

Rules in the city streets,

The blue at risk, their honor dissed,

But there is no retreat.

The hunger great and long the wait,

For a better way to live,

With gender war, sick to the core,

This culture cannot give.

And those who stand and wear the brand,

Of Jesus who is truth,

Are ostracized and, yes, despised,

Though longer in the tooth.

Dark times come, and fools who run,

The Book says the last days,

Though hard to be, on fire you see,

Bright lights will show God’s ways.

The cowboy folk still bear the yoke,

Of God’s behavior code,

And still made strong to fight the wrong,

By grace to bear the load.

Look up, friend, from all the sin,

And know that Jesus reigns,

Until He’s done, all battles won,

And all confess His name.

“For Christ must reign until He humbles all His enemies beneath His feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:25-26, NLT)

We live between the times. The season of grace in this world’s history began when Jesus died and was raised from the dead. It will end when Jesus returns. In the meantime He reigns, and though the war is won there are battles with evil that still are happening. Ultimately every enemy will be destroyed, the last being death itself. Many believe we are living in the last days before Jesus returns, which the Bible describes as very dark times when the culture reflects a total loss of morality’s compass. People will call evil, good, and good, evil. The deception will be very strong, and it will take grace to live for God. But, remember this: Jesus reigns!

Lord, help us to live the right way, no matter the cost, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Robert “Shoofly” Shufelt, used by permission. Thanks, Robert, and God bless you.