"Profile"

Cowboys have the reputation,

Of being wild and free,

Uncurried and some prone to buck,

And hard to tame, you see.

That’s why old Willie sang that song,

‘Bout babies growin’ up to be,

But Mamas cannot stop ‘em,

And that’s a guarantee.

And I don’t doubt the profile,

‘Cause time and time again,

I’ve seen ‘em do some crazy things,

From my early days back when.

At church they said behave yourself,

Or you might go to hell,

But my heroes all were cowboys,

And down deep truth to tell,

I was pulled in two directions,

One calm and quiet in the pew,

The other loud and horseback,

So I’ll say what they knew,

And that’s I chose the latter,

And cowboyed up full out,

And never knew till later,

What the Lord was all about.

He let me know that I could be,

A man who loves the Lord,

And serve Him as a cowboy,

A-following God’s word.

It was a darned wide circle,

To get to that fair place,

But I was always guided,

By the smile on Jesus’ face.

And now I find the answers,

Were always within reach,

If I let the Holy Spirit,

Speak to me and teach.

Now I know lots of cowboys,

Who are men of God and prayer,

And the Good Lord uses them,

To show folks that He’s there.

So next time you see a cowboy,

He might not be the type,

Of hoodlum that you’ve heard about,

So don’t accept the hype.

Let him show you who he is,

A man who knows the way,

One whose faith in Jesus,

Is what he lives each day.

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.” (1 Peter 2:12, NIV)

No matter what we are doing for work or leisure, God has called us to lead exemplary lives. The only way this is possible is if the Holy Spirit leads and empowers us. When we are filled with the Spirit, the life of Jesus flows through. The witness is not about us trying to talk someone into following Jesus, but is more about the influence of Jesus silencing our critics and using our words and behavior to win them over. This scripture says they will glorify God on the day He visits us. That’s strong stuff, and it’s true!

Lord, help us show others the power of who You are, in Jesus’ name.

Personal photo of our good friends, John and Carmen Babb. John is a true cowboy who loves the Lord. John and Carmen are a great blessing.