"Saved"
He rode cross lots of country,
And never once was lost,
Knew the times outlived him,
But thought it worth the cost.
To him his horse and saddle,
Were treasure to a king,
And if they’d leave him to it,
He had most everything.
The sky above for beauty,
The land beneath for art,
God’s nature all around him,
And music in his heart.
He never went to church much,
He rarely came to town,
And it was only once a month,
The preacher came around.
And then one day it happened,
While searching high for strays,
His cowboy partner with him,
For them that got away.
They’d roped a big old wild one,
One thousand pounds or more,
And on the prod and fightin’,
And mad down to the core.
His partner’s horse went pitchin’,
When gored by that steer’s horn,
And there was nothing he could do,
From the saddle he was torn.
His partner fell to rocks below,
And instantly he died,
Happened there so quickly,
The end of his life’s ride.
He had to bring the body down,
And tell the so sad tale,
Of what had happened to them,
On that old outlaw’s trail.
And he could not get over it,
Night-mared his sleep away,
No matter how he turned it,
He could not get okay.
And for the first time in his life,
He felt a desperate need,
To find a closer walk with God,
The trauma had him treed.
So saddled up his pony,
Rode twenty miles to town,
On the Sunday that the preacher,
Made close his monthly round.
And after that church service,
They sat and talked all day,
The cowboy turned to Jesus,
God saved his soul that day.
He still rides the country,
He’s mostly off the grid,
But now his heart has found God’s grace,
Because of what Christ did.
The sky above for beauty,
The land beneath for art,
God’s nature all around him,
And Jesus in his heart.
“God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God…” (Ephesians 2:8, NLT)
Grace is something people find difficult to understand. To many people, being right with God is something you earn by living a good life. They believe if they have a strong enough track record, God will give them a heavenly slot because they deserve it. The Bible teaches a different view. It says that we can never do enough to earn salvation, and our sins have disqualified us so thoroughly that something else is needed. That something else is God’s grace- first accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and then offered as the way of making us right with God. When we receive it by faith, He gives it to us freely. Then, as a result of receiving the grace, our lives change and we do things to help others. That’s how grace actually works. Grace saves, then empowers a virtuous life. In that order. What a relief!
Lord, give us the grace that both saves and empowers us, in Jesus’ name.
Art by R.S. Riddick, used by permission. Thanks, Mr. Riddick, and God bless you.