In the first part, it seems he is saying we should not self-produce what we think God wants. And he is criticizing however preachers demand we get ourselves to make an effort. I agree that God's word does not mean for us to try and struggle to make ourselves do what we can understand that God wants >
"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)
God in us works us to will and to do what He pleases. So, we live in sharing with God. And I would say, then, we always are discovering what He brings us to do
But it can seem like a number of preachers are putting demands on us. And this can have us isolated with ourselves, trying to get our own selves to do what we think is required of us.
But Paul says how he labors >
"striving according to His working which works in me mightily" > in Colossians 1:29 > again, it seems the word of God is saying we labor and live in sharing with God, how God in us has us laboring. And Jesus says that if we take His yoke upon us, and learn from Jesus >
"you will find rest for your souls." (in Matthew 11:28-30). And this includes living in submission to how our Heavenly Father rules us
"in one body" in His own peace >
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
So, yes we do labor and make an effort, but this is in sharing with God who has us willing and doing. What we do, then, is rest in how God's grace takes us along. So, yes this is required; God's word commands this. But God in us has us succeeding in all He expects. We trust Him to do all He desires with us; if we have any failure or concerns about this, we cast this on Him, trusting Him to take care of us becoming and doing all He pleases >
"casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
But the poem seems to say there should not be much required of us. But I offer that God requires more and better than what a number of preachers might be demanding.
And he seems to say, in his poem, that preachers point to Jesus on the cross, but then make the cross mean major requirements of us . . . instead of mainly claiming how Jesus on the cross did it all for us.
I don't think it is all the way one way or the other. Jesus on the cross finished all we need for salvation, but Jesus on the cross is our example, required of us > Ephesians 5:2.
Yes, Jesus suffered and died for us, finishing the work of our redemption so we may be forgiven and reconciled with God and adopted to become His own children. And Jesus in prayer has claimed that our Father loves us as He has loved Jesus > this is in the Lord's prayer in John chapter seventeen. And now
"Christ makes intercession for us," we have in Romans 8:34)
Jesus is praying for us according to His own faith. So, because of Jesus praying, we are gaining all which is possible with God to do in us and our lives. And this is better, indeed, than all which preachers could require of us humans; we can do more than humans require of us. So we need to feed on the example of Christ on the cross.
God's word does say Jesus is our example, required of us >
"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)
So, there is requirement, a
love standard. However, this is not what we try and struggle to get ourselves to to. But God's grace is almighty in us to change our nature so we become more and more maturely like Jesus. And with this we become sacrificed to loving like Jesus on the cross, and so also we are sweet-smelling living sacrifices to love, so pleasing our Father > but this in sharing with Jesus in us who makes us sweetly and tenderly pleasing and sharing and caring as His family >
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)
So, I would say his poem is too focused on criticizing certain preachers who can make it look like God has demands that are all on you. Meanwhile, others can make it seem like God does not expect anything from us; ones say Jesus has done it all, on the cross, which is correct; but they also add on that we will go to Heaven no matter what we do or don't do. Ones say God's love is
"unconditional" and so He doesn't condemn us and does not correct us.
But God's unconditional love is our example, required also of us. But this is because God knows He is able by His grace almighty of love, to change us to become like Him and love and share as His family > and this comes because of His correction > Hebrews 12:4-14 guarantees that because God loves us His children, He does not leave us in our wrong stuff, but deeply corrects us, curing our character in His love >
"Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)
Grace is God's favor, yes; but God's favor includes how He succeeds in correcting us to become and love like Jesus His own Son; because God so favors how Jesus is!!! Romans 8:29
He in us changes us so we share with Him in how His love is > so now we can forgive,
"even as God" (Ephesians 4:31-32) > meaning in sharing with Him in us, sharing with God in how He lovingly forgives with hope for any person, at all > like how Jesus so suffered and died with love and hope for any person > love
"hopes all things" (in 1 Corinthians 13:7).
God favors forgiveness, and in us His grace shares with us so we forgive lovingly,
"even as God" > and our Apostle Paul clearly commands this . . . requirement
. . . this confirmation commandment of how greatly and wonderfully our Father pleases for us to live as His family and this in sharing with Him in us.
So, yes as I think this poem means, we need to not allow anyone to load us down with requirements which we are supposed to get ourselves to do. But, also, we do not have much time to be criticizing and debating people who push us to get ourselves to do what they dictate. Because God does require what is so better, and we need for our attention to be to God > to be submissive to Him, so we discover all He pleases to share with us.