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  • Writer's pictureTaryn D

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"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate." Bonhoeffer



(Written as spoken word)


Repentance is a dirty word

that makes us squirm

if we don't know the depth

of the grace given to us

completely unearned

through Jesus

It's for his love that

we were designed

to yearn


Cast aside religion

that left us with burns

and the lies about God

that our hardened hearts

may have learned

because we cannot discern

who he really is

if we don't ever bother

to read his Word


Repenting simply means

to turn to Christ

from the things

of which we thought

we were sure


Its never been about

what we do

but about what Christ

did to unite us with God

for the purpose of

making us new


Works keep us in chains

and they keep us from rest

because darkness nips

at our heels

to keep us in wreck


Posing in our hearts

is the master of disguise

who pretends to help

with elegant lies

and twists of the truth

-- poisonous virtues

that tell us what the world

needs is the best “you”


Our best attempts to redeem

ourselves come up thin

because without Christ

at the center

our efforts are sin


And neutrality is Satan's

greatest deception

We're either with Jesus

or with evil

There are no exceptions


With a perfect holy God

there's no middle ground

Only in surrender

is redemption found


Our souls were made

to feel this

which is why when we lie

down at night

we dose with distraction

to prevent us from dealing

with the fear that we feel

because all of the work

that we're doing

without Christ

for "good" is not real


It's just prideful rebellions

keeping us busy

And we feel the truth

that we don't measure up

and it makes us hide our hearts

and curl around them

in spiritual fetal position

which is exactly where

the enemy of our souls

keeps them from our Physician


We can rest

We can stop spinning

and spinning and spinning

our wheels against obedience

to the Spirit of Truth

and turn to God

His Word

and his joy-bringing fruit


Our weakness, to God

is no imposition.

Our imperfection is

in fact

part of our qualification


That's love

and sweet mercy

from God's open hand

through Jesus who

paid the debt for our sin

against a perfect and holy God

so we could be invited

into his promised land

united forever with Him

when when believe

that he paid our toll

not in part or in half

but the entire whole


Some preach about

the love of God

without preaching his justice

speaking gospel half-truths

in hopes of gaining it acceptance


But a half-truth

is no truth at all

and I'm here to say

as a saved sinner

and stumbling saint

that ignorance or avoidance

of turning from sins

of all size is layering

scale by scale by scale

over our eyes

And if we can just realize

that real eyes

cast each veil aside

when we see with God's eyes

what happened

when his perfect son died

Punished on the cross

where we should be slain

Behold, now, the wonder

that Christ took our place

rose, and invited with him

this dying human race!


Awaken from fear

and from lies

that reject the gift

of obedience and joy

and salvation from sin

which is no harmless toy

because it blackens the heart

and the soul, it destroys


Its good news

that we don't need

to slavishly strive

because that Jesus

who died for us

today, is alive!

And he's knocking

at our doors to rescue us

from the death in our cores

and the fire of judgment

that this world

is blindly and proudly

walking toward


He's telling us now

"Turn around and follow me,

before it's too late!

I died for you, sinners,

to make you my saints"


Upon this reflection

of our sinful nature

I pray that you

recognize the difference

between believing in God

and needing a savior


Jesus' death has given

us the way out to life

It's not easy and it's narrow

but with it comes the light

and great news for tomorrow.


Believe with your heart

Confess with your lips

that in Christ you believe

and invite the Holy Spirit

to water this seed

Crack open your bible

raise a shout, because

YOU ARE CLEAN

You're redeemed!


Open your deadbolts

and take up your title

as a forgiven heir

with the sword of the Bible

Say yes to adoption

as a daughter or son

of the merciful God

who has already won


Know, my dear one

that there is

no condemnation

for those in Christ

and his inherited his joy in a

surrendered-to-him life




Romans 10:19 "Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

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