Romans
Saints – that’s who we are. Sinners revised and edited.
Don’t be ashamed at the power pulsing through that truth. I’m not.
My longstanding affection for you compels me to say
I fear you are making of the kindness of God a slight thing.
It is not. Be very careful not to believe you’re better-than.
There is no us and them. There is only us and
we’re all liars with blood soaked hands and minds.
Then He walked in, the one Man, Jesus Christ, and said,
“Trust me.” He died this cosmic death so we might
live alive in the depths of the riches of the mercies of God.
Don’t dredge up past offenses. The record’s clean.
We’re free. But be very careful not to walk naive.
Darkness dies hard, and its easy to get carried away. But when
we fall now we fall into Jesus and in Him there is only love.
The sum of all things seen and unseen cannot evict us from our home
in Him. So live sober, conquering with good. God be with us all.
*Again, an attempt to capture the essence of a book in as many lines as chapters in that book. This is still in rough draft form…
It’s ALL amazing, but the “Darkness dies hard” part is stellar!
I agree – that is distilling at its best. Love this!
I love this stuff. Do Colossians next!
“The sum of all things seen and unseen cannot evict us from our home.” That’s it. This knowing and the trusting of it is how we disspell our own personal darkness. It (darkness) knows not how to bear down on one who knows who and Whose they are. Thanks for this!!!
“The sum of all things seen and unseen cannot evict us from our home.” In Him….
It may be a draft, but you have certainly captured the tension between our sinful selves and our absolutely forgiven and accepted status before God. Pardon me while I go back and re-read this three or four more times.
John, this is inspiring and powerful. My favorite lines “We’re free but be very careful not to walk naive.”
I’m in rough draft form too. Thanks John. = )
SO GOOD. I love, “darkness dies hard,” and “but when we fall now we fall into Jesus.” Thank you!
whew… Just like the book itself, my heart can barely handle everything in this poem.
LOVE this though: “this cosmic death”
Every line envelopes each chapter in wisdom and truth, then unwraps it again in love and simplicity. Brilliant.
John,
Thank you, so much, for the message today. It helps me to read and re-read one particular part.
He died this cosmic death so we might live alive in the depths of the riches of the mercies of God. Don’t dredge up past offenses. The record’s clean. We’re free. But be very careful not to walk naive. Darkness dies hard, and its easy to get carried away. ““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““` A question: In the art (picture of a house in a grove of trees, near darkness outside, snow on the ground, with a light on in the window) is that your house or just some wonderful art you found? I think you have used this photo more than once. Fabulous!!!
Be safe,
Lindsay Lindsay Terry 169 Lions Gate Drive St. Augustine, FL 32080 Phone 904-461-9113 http://www.lindsayandmarilynterry.com lindsay976@earthlink.net
This is just spectacular, John. KEEP IT UP. This is a book, right here (or part of a longer collection, I hope, I hope!)
wow. If not for the title and the explanation, I was sure this was about the recent debate surrounding whether or not it was appropriate for the President to mention the crusades last week.
These lines are especially powerful:
We’re free. But be very careful not to walk naive.
Darkness dies hard, and its easy to get carried away. But when
we fall now we fall into Jesus and in Him there is only love.