Paying for His Sin

Not that he could do it
not what he preached
yet driven, like a madman
to heal, to reach,
to send a different message
the opposite of what he was taught
bringing Christ’s holy message
so none of us would be lost

Watching, reading,
the words of Paul, of his life
the things he did for Jesus
in the walk of his faith
going to the ends of the earth
walking into trials
converting human hearts
as if trying to pay for his sin
the work of his hands
needing to remember God’s grace
healing the lives of man

August 20, 2011
see footnote to poem,
“Freeing Truth”,
and see poem,
“A Change of Careers”
---------------
Freeing Truth

Like Abraham, like Paul
saved by faith, by God’s grace
freed from the law alone
living, growing in faith
under Christ’s covenant
saved not by works,
for I will fall short;
saved by the love of God
given to me because I am
accepted by my faith
my belief in him
Turning from that struggle
the not measuring up
finding peace instead
in your everlasting love
February 1, 2009
Galatians 3:1-14
Ephesians 2:8-9
and Upper Room devotional
http://www.upperroom.org/Devotional/default.asp?month=2&day=8&year=2009&x=107&y=1
-------------------------------------
A Change of Careers

To understand his present
the future he hoped for
needing to remember
where he had come from before

An elite, a zealot
in the vanguard of his faith
orthodox to the hilt
until he saw the light

Changed forever
utterly reversing directions
going the way of the Christ
led by the spirit,
going to the ends of the earth

March 19, 2010
Philippians 3:4b-11
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/description.asp?item_id=645177&whichBarItem=excerpt&category=&sub_category=
Upper Room Disciplines for 2010
for March 15, 2010 to March 21, 2010,
“To Restore the Fortunes of Zion”,
by Louise Stowe-Johns
for March 19, 2010

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage.
See all 13,110+ of my poems at Poetry Where You Live.