This poem, I think, is themed rather well. I wrote it towards the end of my final college semester in 2009; while contemplating the path(s) lying beyond graduation, God spoke to me saying “Daniel, one part is over, but another is just beginning; it’s all part of the same journey we began years ago.” I continue to pray this as I continue moving forward in my walk with God, and I pray that you are blessed as you read.

“The Continuing Journey”

Lord, I now stand at the crossroads again,
Wondering which way to go.
I pray, Holy Spirit, that my Guide and Helper You will be,
Showing me what I need to know.
I trust in Your plans for me, O God,
Even if right now I don’t see
What lies just ahead around the next bend
Of what life will now be.
May my life give You glory as I go on the way,
Growing closer to You as together we go.
Lord Jesus, forge me into an instrument of peace,
One that will bear abundant fruit as You sow.
Life is a journey; only You know where it ends,
And how the path will rise, fall, twist, and turn.
I thank You that You are with me always;
May my soul for You forever yearn.

In this poem, I reflected on how callous or apathetic we can become to the Gospel and its eternal implications.

“No Tears for Jesus”

Who lifted up their voices and wept when Jesus Christ was condemned to die?
Who takes the time anymore to contemplate what He did to save you and I?
So often, we think concealing emotions is good, that somehow, doing so makes us strong.
But the truth is, to deny the hurt and hide the pain was and always is wrong.
On the cross, Jesus took on all sins from all time; He bore the punishment for humanity’s every crime.
Jesus came to free us from our sins, and a way to new, everlasting life make.
We are bound as prisoners by our nature and choices, and those chains only He can break.
Yet do we consider how much He hurts when against Him we choose to rebel,
Forsaking Him for our own desires and for pleasure our lives sell?
If not for Jesus, then weep for yourself, for having rejected His grace for the world’s scraps.
The life it promises is but a fleeting mist, a field in which souls are ensnared in baited traps.

“A Prisoner of Passion”

In my mind, I find myself asking “What kind of life do I truly desire?”
Jesus is the rightful ruler of my existence, yet I long for sensations that fill my veins with fire.
I am called to a life of purity and service to my Lord, yet in sin’s pleasures do I bask.
I am bound and enslaved, a prisoner of passion, and so for strength and deliverance I do ask.
I cry out “Father, free me from the garbage in my life that keeps me from being the man You desire;
Give me the strength to turn away from sin, and quench its passion-filled fire!
Break the endless cycle of failing battle that consumes and cripples me with strife,
And bring Your glorious victory over sin and death into my life.
When You enter in and cleanse my heart, evil and sin disappear like a mist.
Your Word is bread and living water for my spirit; only through You I truly live and exist.
Give me a heart that is willing to learn how to follow all of Your ways;
Change my mind and heart to reflect Your own, so that nothing of sin stays.
Teach me how to properly obey Your commands as I follow You, away from my captivity.
May I praise You for all the things You have done, and in my life to You be all the glory.
May You, Lord Jesus, always be my first love and passion,
Because You showed me, a sinner, Your love and compassion.”

“The Promise”

My children, look at the choices before you and consider them with care;
Keep in mind the results at the end that await you there.
The path I call you to walk is difficult, but eternal life and My blessing are yours
If you follow Me faithfully; take a step of faith, go forward as I open the doors.
The world offers pleasures for a time, but, in the end, it never satisfies.
Everyone who chooses to follow that road sooner or later twice dies.
The world’s pleasures blind you to all, even yourself, robbing you of your potential and ability to truly live.
Follow Me, and have no fear of what may come, for with My presence in you, strength I will give.
Choose this day what you will do, which path your feet will follow.
Always remember that in life, every choice matters- you will surely reap what you sow.