Reputations slave, petulant diligence
Showing no weakness, frailty despised
Slave of money, that theft of time
In the heat of the day, cold sweats in the night
Slave of comfort, subject to circumstance,
Joy and kindness, victims of want
Lord, I am tired of being my own slave
My life, my purpose, its you I crave
My reputation, fulfilled in your delight
Counterfeit outside your design
My security, safest in your hands
My comfort, Lord, who do I think I am?
Thankfully Lord, I give you my all
Gratefully climbing off my throne
Bowing, postured before my Lord
Your purposes, they are higher than mine
Fulfilling your plans, the meaning of life

My family, my marriage, my reputation,
my comfort, my control, my life’s dedication,
my stuff. Lord, it is yours.
To carry your image,
to serve you and to know you,
Privileged in life

The week I wrote this poem our DTS lectures were on the cost of discipleship. It is also called Lordship Week in some DTS’s and sometimes All In Week. It is a week intended to search out those areas were we have not allowed Jesus be Lord of our life. This poem is a meditation on the truth that in not allowing Jesus to be Lord, we end up choosing slavery to something else. If we find meaning in life from anything other than God’s purposes, fulfillment will be a distant dream. For short times we can find meaning in work or family, reputation or comfort, but at some point we are crushed when we discover that those pursuits are not structural enough to build a life on. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said “ salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life.” If we want to follow Jesus, we are going to have to die to ourselves, and give him every area of our lives.