A Study On Faith
by Michael Doyle

Listening in on a deep conversation
I was maybe a little disturbed by my fascination
Speaking on Paul's mission
It's interesting how grace and peace breed compassion

Here as we sit and openly think
Paul's reasoning brings us to the brink
Of understanding how hopeless life is without grace
Knowing we live best within God's embrace

The struggle we have returns us to His love
Like a flourishing Eden under God above
Life-giving and life-affirming, we return
After all life's lessons that we learn

Jesus is a calming influence over us
We know that it is because
The beauty of the Lord is wonderful
His blessings are always bountiful

Grace takes away our desire for control
That is what is best for our damaged souls
Giving God His way is from the inside out
This clear path removes our clouds of doubt

God's peace still has conflicts for navigation
We best approach this with grace and circumspection
Peace isn't always what is most comfortable
But what makes us grow into being most capable

All the good in the world cannot close the gap
It's an impossibility; mankind isn't even on the map
Even if we have a religion of utmost intention
Only God's grace merits us any of God's attention

The attention that it is that we need
It cannot be obtained with ritualized words or deeds
After all, churches are not simply schools
Instead, churches help us to navigate what we pass as rules

Fundamental to our growth is the necessary change
We look around and connect as life continues to rearrange
All of us live our lives conditioned by and under sin
All the love and mistakes challenge us again and again

Healing the wounds is only a correct half-step
Still, there is so much more that is left
It goes far beyond being merely skin-deep
If it is God's peace we intend to keep

God's love is not only about religious worship
God's love is about developing right relationship
There is a rawness in this perspective and light
It makes us transparent even in the night

The night that revolves to bring us darkness
It so often clothes us in its harshness
But comes down to surrender and acceptance
God's grace and love is what leads us to repentance

Let us not be among those remaining deceived
Instead, let God's grace be duly received
Taking a look at our legalistic conceptions
And instead, returning to the Garden's perceptions

Functioning with the right relationship
With our creator as more than symbolic worship
The remedy for our wrongs is to learn the right
We must focus on what pulls us into the light

This is not a matter to escape our note
That love of God is not grasped through rote
A wrecking ball is needed for ceremony and ritual
Coming close to God is heartfelt and becomes habitual

Through this choosing to keep God's heart
Closer to ours walks in kindness from the start
All this is possible because of the cross
It was our gain and every bit of Satan's loss

When we become motivated to obey
By this love, there can be no better day
When we move beyond managing our sins
And through forgiveness, we come to living freely again

There, in this garden, grows peace and grace
It waits for us to lovingly embrace
Knowing that all of us fall short of God's glory
This return to love is the fullness of the story

Living justified is as if it was just as if you and I
Had ever sinned, covered by Christ, and that is why
What's wanted isn't ritual but trueness of connection
It's only this that turns us in the right direction

Dunking these nuggets for all their godly wisdom
Leads us to the keys of our Father's holy kingdom
We know and feel this with great gratitude
Ready to face our coming weeks with our best attitudes

(c) February 9, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved