give me dust and danger
i don’t want to be a stranger to the least
of these
because i was too caught up in me
who i’m supposed to be
strip away the roads and the comforts of home
if it means stripping back the veil
that keeps me from
seeing Grace in the midst of an accommodating place
where the gospel of self-reliance
is the anthem preached and the declaration of belief
doesn’t require any sacrifice at all
i’d rather risk losing what i’ve known
than risk falling from Grace
because i failed to live out the Word i claimed to obey
choosing instead my own, selfish way
then succumbing to hypocrisy
as i held the Book above my head
deceiving myself and the world into agreeing
that the way we have chosen to live
the consumerism faith which takes rather than give
was the Gospel preached by the Man i love
who bled and died, bore the wrath from Above
enough
no more fantasies
no more justification
no more lessening the price of our costly salvation
i refuse to buy into this westernized faith
which lives a gospel contrary to the Gospel it claims
believing we are the center, the reason for His crucifixion
yes, He died so we could live
but that wasn’t the sole intention
see, we are creatures of glory
when we are creatures of the King
and it is not our own glory that we should boast in gladly
for He says we were captives
slaves to sin, death, and greed
yet the chains have been broken –
for FREEDOM we’re free
so why would a free man choose slavery again?
we were enslaved and then ransomed
but still we give in
to the idols that chain us and keep us from flight
may the scales fall from our eyes
we need more than physical sight
because why would a free man not boast in the One
who bought his freedom through the death of His
only Son
why do we pretend like salvation is something
we’ve achieved
we act like all it takes is
confess and believe
like an action we take makes the Grace alive
but see
you and I weren’t the ones who bore God’s wrath
and then died
and then laid in a grave for 3 days before reviving to life
so why do we attend self-righteous meetings
separate the light from the dark
to listen to preaching
then go home to our comfort where we
rely on ourselves
when Christ died so we could put self-reliance
on the shelf
and He gave us His light so we could run to the dark
where the created await
where the captives are
where a message of Hope
of the freedom we’ve known
could transform a life, redeem dead souls
we’re always talking about
the cure to cancer
but we walk around with the power to raise dead to life
Jesus’ blood is the answer
so who are we telling about the cure to death?
we just bottle our Truth
don’t share any with the rest
of the hurting, the broken, the ones who haven’t tasted and seen
the salvation we’ve known
don’t you get it?
we’re FREE
not free to live as we please or build up our own fame
we bear Christ’s cross now, we live for His name
avoiding those on the margins who don’t
know Christ’s worth
is living opposite of how Jesus exampled on earth
Jesus dined with thieves
the prostitutes washed his feet
he called a murderer to be a missionary
overturned tables when people sold goods in His sanctuary
so tell me
what is this Christianity we claim?
because it doesn’t resemble the radical
Jesus way
He came into the flesh, bore our bullying, endured death
not so we could stay silent
or adhere to a feel-good faith
but so we could
abandon ourselves
until all that remains
is the Christ who loves us as His own
and whose glory will forever be known
throughout the nations
when we obey His command and deny our desires
and live as if His ways
really are Higher.
