Do we choose to put God in a box,
His limit in our head, our doubt the locks?
Do we keep His Love high up on a shelf,
Not returning or sharing but hoarding for self?
Do we believe the promises He gave,
Concerning eternity, concerning the grave?
Do we put full trust in the Blood of His Son,
As there’s no other savior, nothing, not one?
Do we walk the path of Jesus the Christ,
Can others see Him in our day to day life?
Do we really love Him with heart, mind and soul,
Or do our minds wander far and our hearts frigid cold?
Do we listen to His Word as it moves hands and feet,
Or are we stuck to a pew, stuck in our seat?
Do we speak of His glory, His mercy and grace,
As two blind men did after seeing His face?
Do we bring shame on His wonderful Name,
When we live like the wicked, some things just the same?
Do we look unto heaven as we run the great race,
Or does our work for His Kingdom crawl at a snail pace?
Do we forgive others as He forgave us,
Or like the rest of the world our foes we do cuss?
Do we resist that old devil with chapter and verse,
Or let his foot in the door and become even worse?
Do we thank God and praise Him for all that He does?
We don’t get what we deserve, but we receive only Love.
Do we consider His scepter, consider His throne,
Or forget our adoption, forget we’re His own?
Do we look at ourselves and see the sinners we are,
Or consider ourselves better than most folk by far?
Do we think of His greatness and remember we’re frail,
Or exalt our own greatness while we lock God in jail?
The jail of the the mind corrupted by sin,
Let Him out for your freedom to truly begin.
And we will soon grow to do what we must,
He’s done all we need, we need simply to trust.
And faith will release His power in your life,
The power of the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Tertius
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Mark 6:4-6
A note about “Self-Check-Out”: 1 Corinthians 11:28 advises us to “examine ourselves” before partaking of the Lords supper. We make regular checks of our motor vehicles, examining our dip-stick to make sure our oil level is satisfactory, tire pressure, belts and hoses and for sure a quick glance at our fuel gauge. How much more important the condition of our soul, especially as representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ? The first two lines I put on a church sign hoping to make people think, “Can God really be put in a box?” I hope this poem makes people think, “can I really be guilty of all this?” I think to a certain extent we are all guilty of all, maybe every day. But we cannot improve until we see the problem.