"Line"

The Good Lord gives us “thou shalt nots,”

That draw the boundary lines,

Between the right and wrong of things,

And to make clear His signs,

Of what He says will hurt us,

And hurt all those we know,

Will make us sick and tired,

And finally to go,

Where no man should be destined,

For a hell not meant for him,

But the devil and his angels,

An eternity so dim.

Jesus died for our forgiveness,

And to set the captive free,

From all of our transgressions,

And to restore identity.

To live within the boundaries,

The Spirit gives us power,

To love the Lord and others,

Every day and every hour.

“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.’” (Matthew 22:37, NLT)

God has set forth a moral code of right and wrong that is powerful and clear. The first and most important commandment tells us to love God with all our hearts. Jesus said the second is equally important, to love your neighbor as yourself. If we were to do those two things everything else would fall into place. Of course we’ve broken these two laws and need forgiveness. Jesus died to provide this pardon, and also to empower us to then do both. This is the essence of grace- to forgiven and to empower.

Lord forgive us and empower us, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bill Anton, used by permission. Thanks, Bill, and God bless you.