"Good Boy"

Always be a good boy,

That’s what the old folks said,

And I guess I tried to be,

Their words stayed in my head.

But truthfully, a side of me,

Rebelled against what’s right,

I flirted with disaster,

And ran far from the light.

I tried to be a cowboy,

Those years, my only plan,

Was horseback tend to cattle,

To be a real top hand.

But there were always others,

With better skills than me,

I kept on working harder,

But had some jealousy.

Later as a husband,

My goal, to get it right,

But I’ll admit my failings,

And sometimes lost sight,

That the Good Lord called me,

To take the leader’s role,

I didn’t always do it,

If all the truth is told.

God gave the gift of children,

And I promised I would be,

The very best of fathers,

You bet I tried, you see,

But looking back so many things,

That I now wish I did,

At least they know I love them,

And now all grown us kids.

But best of all I’m learning,

There’s grace for every sin,

My past I have surrendered,

And all that could have been.

And today the Spirit,

Gives me constant peace,

Jesus’ yoke is easy,

He gives us sweet release.

And He does not compare us,

To those who do it better,

In fact because of Jesus,

We are no longer debtors.

‘Cause every debt is cancelled,

And all the price is paid,

By the grace of Jesus,

When on Him sins were laid.

Enjoy the grace, my brother,

And stop looking back,

Jesus is our future,

He takes up all the slack.

“If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31, NAS)

God really is for us, not against us. Amazing, don’t you think? He has shown us His grace by sending Jesus, and there is nothing we can do wrong to diminish His grace or do anything right to increase it. He loves us based upon His goodness, not our performance. The issue is not whether He favors us, but if we say yes to Him. Are we cooperating with the grace or resisting it? It’s time to say yes to the One who is saying yes to us.

Lord, help us cooperate with Your grace, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.