I Want to Love You to Life
By David L. Owen
I'd been lost for many years.
shed a lot of hard, hot tears.
My heart was barren. I didn't know how to love.
Saved by Jesus in 0-seven,
received inheritance to Heaven.
Testimony I want to share from up above.
At the chapel, while in prison,
long after making that decision.
The man of God stood up and said inspired words,
"Arise from your demise, sleeper! See Jesus through new eyes."
There was power in everything I heard.
He paused, he smiled, he said,
words that stuck inside my head.
I couldn't shake it and I sure didn't want to try.
As I listened to him preach,
And my heart began to reach.
I felt a joyful teardrop falling from my eye
when he said....
"I don't want to love you to death.
I want to love you to life!
Every time you take a breath,
when you go through trials and strife,
With the good times and the bad,
Christ's the best love you ever had.
Now that's good preachin'! I want to love you to life."
It's been a few years back today,
and I'm well on my way.
Down the path of Christ-like living, Praise the Lord!
I've changed a lot, it's true.
See, He's making all things new.
I'm so very glad because of God's own Word.
He's answered all my prayers.
Taken to Him all my cares.
His love for us is always next to none.
I've submitted and I've won.
I rest, assured in all He's done.
Another prayer was answered, I got a visit from my son.
I looked into his eyes,
and it came as no surprise.
He had missed me; his hug was mighty tight.
We laughed and talked for hours,
I spoke of God's grace and awesome powers.
A day that was amazingly just right.
It came time for him to go,
When he stood up kind of slow.
I could see, to him, all of this was very strange.
As we shared a last goodbye,
and he turned back and with a sigh
he said, "Dad, I love you to death. I know you've changed."
I said....
"I don't want to love you to death.
I want to love you to life!
Every time you take a breath,
When you go through trials and strife,
with the good times and the bad,
Christ's the best love you ever had.
Listen when I say, I want to love you to life."
With the trip home down the road,
his mind carried such a load,
but it lifted as the long miles drifted by.
"For our sins, we've been redeemed."
He understood my words, it seemed.
"It took a man named Jesus, on the cross to die.
When he walked into his place,
he saw his sweet wife's lovely face.
When she kissed him, she asked, "How did it go?"
He smiled and laughed a bit.
He said, "Hon, you better sit.
There's much I have to say that you should know."
As the two sat in their chairs,
both his sons charged down the stairs
yelling, "Daddy! Daddy!" they sounded out of breath.
Mom said, "Let's calm down, okay?
Dad's got things he wants to say.
First, give dad some hugs and love him to death."
My son said...
"I don't want to love you to death.
I want to love you to life!
Every time you take a breath.
When you go through trials and strife,
With the good times and the bad,
Christ's the best love we've ever had.
Darlings, I mean it. I want to love you to life."
