Turn
"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."