"God-Sent"

His clothes were dry and dusty,

He’d come a long, long way,

We gathered all around him,

To hear his news that day.

Lived way out on the sagebrush sea,

With travelers very few,

So when somebody rode in,

Every word they said was new.

But I had no idea,

As we gathered ‘round,

That this cowboy before us,

Was full of lost, then found.

After catching up on weather,

And some cattle prices, too,

He commenced to tell us,

How he’d been saved, it’s true.

Seems just like the most of us,

He liked to take a drink,

And while out on a bender,

He’d found new lows to sink.

He’d done things he was ashamed of,

He confessed them one and all,

His honest words surprised us,

And said, listen, y’all,

Told us how a preacher,

And cowboy through and through,

Was sent by God to help him,

And show him what to do.

He prayed and ask the Savior,

To come into his heart,

And the Lord above had answered,

And came and did His part.

And now he had to tell it,

How he was not the same,

Since the Lord had touched him,

Changed in Jesus’ name.

I listened with a hungry heart,

‘Cause I knew he’d been sent,

And after chuck was over,

His Bible to me lent.

There the words I saw in red,

For God so loved the world,

And I knew that meant me,

Love’s banner was unfurled.

He rode on the next day,

But now I had my start,

‘Cause just as he described it,

Jesus came into my heart.

And now I’ve gotten older,

They say well past my prime,

And though it’s been decades,

I’ll not forget that time.

When God sent a cowboy,

To clearly show the way,

And I’ve never doubted,

That I was saved that day.

“He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life…” (John 3:16, NLT)

The Good News of Jesus Christ is simple, yet profound. It boils down to the truth that God is a loving God who sent His Son to save us. Jesus’ death and resurrection creates the offer of a free gift that can never be earned. But if received in faith, everything changes. We are given eternal life if we believe, put our trust in Him, and allow Him to take control of our lives. This surrender can be done by a child or by someone with little or no church background. It does not require intellectual accomplishment, and transcends race, culture, gender, age, education, socioeconomic status and every other defining factor of the human condition. But if a person comes with simple faith, they will be given the gift. We are tempted to ask, “what’s the catch?” But, truth is, there isn’t one. God gave. We receive. He sends us so others can know. Amen.

Lord, send us to share Your Good News with others, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.