"Tally Book"

I relax here in the saddle,

The last ones counted in,

Not missing any cattle,

Now the sorting can begin.

And I think of all the bovine,

That were counted through this gate,

The scattered, wild and hard to find,

But never time to wait.

‘Cause Dad was in a hurry,

Until the day he died,

Never one to worry,

Hard-working, yes, he tried.

And sittin’ here a-horseback,

Now on the way to when,

Layin’ with a heart attack,

What finally did Dad in.

And it’s over twenty years ago,

But the tally count goes on,

Keeping careful track you know,

And get those cattle gone.

Someday all of humankind,

Will come before God’s Son,

Tally book their names to find,

And judged for what we’ve done.

By grace through faith He saves us,

Our Advocate will say,

That He long past forgave us,

Made us ready for this day.

Those who’ve trusted Jesus,

Names written there in red,

No doubt He always sees us,

Both living and the dead.

I relax here in the saddle,

The tally book in hand

Countin’ all the gathered cattle,

Saved by grace in which to stand.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8, NAS)

Grace is defined as God’s unmerited favor. Unmerited indeed! We cannot earn our salvation or make ourselves right with God. But God provided a way to get there, and that’s through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus satisfied God’s judgment and made a way for all of us to be pardoned of sin. He became our Advocate, and our names are written in what the Bible calls “the Lamb’s Book of Life.” The names of the saved are recorded there, written in the blood of Jesus. If we have received this grace through faith, we have no fear of God’s judgment.

Lord, help us be certain we have received the grace that saves, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Don Weller, used by permission. Thanks, Don, and God bless you.