I Will...But...

"But He said to him, 'Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.' Another also said, 'I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.'" (Luke 9:60-61)

I once heard author and lecturer, Ed Cole talk about, The Three T's (Time, Talent, and Tithes). As a Christian man, I've come to recognize that I can easily struggle in one (or all) of these areas when it comes to giving myself to Christ and having my focus elsewhere. When I lose my focus, I forget:

1. Who Christ is, and
2. What Christ means to me

The other night, I woke up with this thought on my mind and decided to write a poem on the topic. It is loosely based on the man who chose to follow Jesus Christ but then qualified his commitment by stipulating that he needed to first "say good-bye to those at home." (Luke 9:61)

The poem is titled, I Will...But...

I will     give my life, to You Lord But     its gonna take some time I     have so much to do, Lord The     choices made are mine It     takes a willing heart to say I     need salvation now But     with these other, priorities I     can't decide just how Not     only How, but also When I     give my life to You Surrender     all, my choices made I'll     live a life that's true I've     put You off, so many times It     never seemed to matter Things     I spoke, and promised You Were     idle words of chatter And     now, when I need You most I     have no words to say I     constantly remind myself To     wait, for one more day The     waiting isn't hard You see I     didn't, count the cost I     lived as if, life didn't end No     journey to the cross Today     The Lord, calls out to me Come     closer, draw ye near But     I ignore Him As,     I often have His     voice, I just don't hear. It     won't be long When     I will see My     journey at its end You'll     ask me one last question then You     put Me off til when?

Lord Jesus,

How often have I said, "Not Now", maybe I haven't spoken the words, but I've thought them. Putting off my time, my talent, and my tithes; I've been guilty of holding back. Lord, I want to be passionate for You! I've been passionate towards others, and for things, but they all pale in comparison to You. Because of You Jesus, I have a gift which I could never earn. I have been saved by grace, the gift of God.

What does it mean to be passionate? To express intense feelings about someone or something.

What does it mean to be passionate for Christ? Lord, You said, "... AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH."

Lord, I'm discovering that this is being passionate for You. I want to be consistent in my life by how I live, and what I say; my expression of love for You. I also want to love my neighbor as I love myself. May I never ask, "Who is my neighor?" or "Who is my brother?" May I never forget the price You paid at Calvary for me. May my life serve as a witness to others of the power of God's saving grace. Amen.

Note: This post is linked to Spiritual Sundays (hosted by Charlotte and Ginger).