Poetry Devotion Truly Free

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
—I John 2:15-16

Grasping tightly is God's plan,
But only to His proffered hand,
Not to the car, the house, the ring,
Not to the bank account which pays for everything.

Then there's the little plastic card,
Which makes present living easy, the future hard.
Debt becomes a way of life,
Greed producing endless strife.

Selfish persons, selfish ends,
Compromise, escape the trend,
While honor and honesty but names,
In a vicious cycle of the game.

God's own people caught up as well,
Is there a difference, hard to tell!
Rationalizing all the way,
Hold fast to what's mine, the only play.

But He calls us to a higher aim,
Jesus who died, His hurting people to reclaim.
Conquered death and hell and sin
The choice is ours to ask Him
to take command within.

Can I tell He lives within?
Or do I keep His love locked in,
Never show His out-poured grace,
Because I cling to my social place.

Oh, Lord, I see what I have done,
In substituting possessions and status for your Son,
Let greed and pride possess my soul,
Never giving you the whole.

In repentance, I lay all at your feet,
The very things I thought so sweet,
Things that warped all I was meant to be,
Lord, I stand condemned before Thee.

Honor and honesty your plan,
Wide open in both heart and hand,
Forgive me, Lord, that I might stand,
Holding tightly to your hand.

With the other, I reach out,
So others might know what your love's all about.
As your unselfish love flows through me,
I thank you, Lord, that in you, I am truly free.

Lord, it's easy to let things take priority in my life. Help me, Lord, to put all on the altar for you. Amen.

(C) 2016 Carolyn R Scheidies
From Journey of Faith
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