"Solution"

There is only one solution,

And some folks won’t admit,

It’s accepting God’s salvation,

And by His grace to quit,

A life of sin and selfishness,

They leave that all behind,

Put their hand upon the plow,

And don’t look back to find,

Another day of pleasure,

With the devil and his kids,

But turn away from evil,

Just like the first ones did,

Who followed Christ the Savior,

Even to the death,

Counted up the cost and then,

The old life up and left.

So many want the blessing,

The joy and love and peace,

But want it on their own terms,

And will not sin release.

But John the Baptist said it,

Jesus, Peter, Paul,

And John who told us God is love,

Said repent, both one and all.

‘Cause it’s about a change of mind,

That brings a change of way,

A dose of godly sorrow,

It’s what the Scriptures say.

And faith without good works that show,

That inside faith is real,

Tell us there’s no faith at all,

And that’s the biggest deal.

A drinkin’, cussin’ cowboy,

Who’s a hound dog with the girls,

May tell you he believes in God,

And charm with moustache curls.

But ‘less his life has really changed,

Don’t buy his line a bit,

Believing means we turn to God,

And then our sins we quit.

And, no, nobody’s perfect,

We still have far to go,

But God has said be holy,

And all who know God know,

We’d better not excuse a thing,

That caused our Lord to die,

‘Cause bottom line there’s no excuse,

And old pard, that’s no lie.

“And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures… (Titus 2:12, NLT)

Jesus came to give us super-abundant life. But we do not experience this life on our own terms. Instead, God clearly calls us to turn from our sinful and selfish living to find the new life He has planned. Some want to have it both ways. They believe the right things, desire God’s blessing, but still want to control their lives and keep the door open to their old pleasures and addictions. The Holy Spirit both convicts us and empowers us to live differently. That’s when grace makes its most powerful impact. Not just when we receive forgiveness but when we are set free from bondage to sin. Grace saves, then delivers, and we cooperate.

Lord, help us turn from godless living, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by J.L. Grief, jlgrief.com. Used by permission. Thanks, J.L, and God bless you.