"Not a Cowboy"

He said I’m not a cowboy,

It did surprise me some,

‘Cause I knew he was a horseman,

A cow tendin’ son of a gun.

But what he really meant by that,

Was what some people think,

‘Bout what it means to cowboy,

And so I tried to link,

What he said about it,

To really make some sense,

Lord knows he was no poser,

But pointed out the fence,

‘Tween those with only talk and look,

And those who go and do,

It’s all about experience,

What we live out through and through.

The whole thing got me thinkin’,

‘Bout the Good Book’s words so true,

That if we only hear the Word,

But never go and do,

We can’t say we are the real thing,

‘Cause faith that doesn’t act,

Really is no faith at all,

And that’s a well-known fact.

So many people pose and pray,

Jesus said they would,

But God will not reward them,

Though they all think He should.

The bottom line is what Is real,

Is God’s grace in our heart,

And then to let it flow on out,

By faith to do my part.

And, no, the grace He gives to us,

Is something we can’t earn,

But if we will cooperate,

And seek His face and learn,

Who we are will soon be seen,

In work that’s done in love,

And people get to see it’s real,

What God’s grace is made of.

That old cowboy said he wasn’t,

It gave me some surprise,

But I will tell you this, old son,

He’s a top hand in my eyes.

“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” (James 2:17, NLT)

Over and over again the Scriptures speak of the value of good works. Jesus said we should let our lights shine so that people will see our good works and glorify God. But the Scriptures also teach us that we are only saved by grace through faith. This means we cannot earn our salvation by any good thing we do. Salvation is a gift from God that we receive by faith. But this is the point. When we have received this grace it will always produce good works, without exception. The good we do shows that our faith in Jesus is the real thing, particularly in the love department. God’s love will flow through us to others. It always happens when faith is authentic.

Lord, help us to show our faith in You by our actions, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Herman Walker, hermanwalker.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Herman, and God bless you.