"Ramblin Man"

They said he was a ramblin’ man,

And dangerous to boot,

Long before the open door,

When God’s word took root.

They said in a card game,

He wagered up his soul,

Threw an ace, and got a taste,

Of winning on a roll.

Lucky when he cast his twine,

Trying to catch a cow,

Neatly done and on the run,

He’d get ‘em caught somehow.

If he bet on a horse to win,

Don’t ever bet against,

Knew how to pick, his easy trick,

And winners ever since,

Someone could remember,

When he first loped into town,

Quick with his gun, and, yes, old son,

He’d put you on the ground.

So everyone was so surprised,

When after months away,

He came in, a preachin’ then,

Folks gathered heard him say,

That he had gotten really sick,

And knew his luck ran out,

The priest came by, last rites to try,

And pray for him, no doubt.

And then as he lay there,

Someone else walked through the door,

He couldn’t see who it could be,

Or know what was in store.

The stranger sat beside the bed,

Removed his cowboy hat,

Said this might surprise, but in God’s eyes,

It’s time to have this chat.

You’ve been quite an outlaw,

With a steady run of luck,

But here’s the thing, there’s no more string,

And death’s about to buck,

And you will land so far away,

Where all lost sinners go,

But He wants to save, that’s why He gave,

His Son so you could know,

That your sins are forgiven,

And heaven’s range is real,

Jesus died to free us,

And God alone can heal.

So pray right now and ask Him,

And He will give to you,

Just what you need, then you’ll be freed,

To do what He says do.

I prayed the prayer and asked the Lord,

To come into my heart,

My soul was saved, His healing gave,

Me strength to do my part.

The man who came to pray with me,

I could no longer see,

An angel sent, but then he went,

Don’t know where he might be.

And now I’m here to tell you,

That when you’re outa luck,

Turn to Him, the Friend of friends,

And you won’t fear death’s buck.

The gambler and the ramblin’ man,

The tough one with a gun,

A new man now, by grace somehow,

And preachin’ Christ, the Son.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT)

Jesus died to give us a new life here and eternal life hereafter. Actually it’s the experience of life eternal that begins on this side and lasts forever. No matter how consumed some of us have been with the world’s games, Jesus can make the needed change in our lives, and it’s not too late until death takes us. At that point it will be too late to accept His grace. But if you’re reading these words, that’s just the point. It’s not too late for you to get the grace you need. Often he gives both salvation and physical healing. That’s up to Him. But in the final analysis what really matters is that we have received the free gift of salvation that makes us a new creation.

Lord, help us to receive and share the new life You died to give us, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Brett Flory, used by permission. Thanks, Brent, and God bless you.