I am not a good singer by any means. I took voice lessons as a kid, but was told NEVER to sing with the radio, as it messes up your pitch. Well, thirty some years later, and lots of radio singing, and my voice isn't that great. I sing at church, I sing in the choir, but would never sing a solo. But on the way home that day, I sang a solo for God. Amazing grace. Over and over again. LOUDLY. And I really started listening to the words I was singing. I have sang it hundreds of times, but I guess I never really, REALLY listened to the words. Or maybe I never applied the thoughts of the words to my life.
- Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
I never knew what grace was before I was saved. I sure didn't extend it to anyone, as I was a major grudge holder. I didn't know what forgiveness was, so how did I know I needed it? I thought I was saved as a kid, so I was "okay", but in all actuality, I was lost as could be, and living a terrible life. I was a true wretch, who deserved nothing, but God still chose me. He found me in the pile of muck I was living, and cleaned me off, and saved me.
- ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed. - I had been in and out of churches most of my life, never staying in one more than a year or two before quitting.I had never felt conviction like I felt when I started at Solid Rock. I guess maybe I had small pangs of it, but then it became Hard and Loud. I would sit through church services and then go to my car and cry before I went home. But at the moment that I accepted Christ, the feeling of love and acceptance that flowed through me was like nothing I had ever felt before.
- Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home..
Once He made me His, I could see back through my life, all the things He had done, the ways He had worked. He had kept me safe several times. There are stories I could tell that I know were divine interventions. Times when I got out of scary and dangerous situations in ways that were almost miraculous. When I was in Chicago, I could feel His presence and knew He was keeping me safe. As long as I keep my eyes on Him, I don't sink.
- The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
God takes care of me. He always has, but I see it more since He saved me. I have always struggled with my bills, but it seems like things always work out that I can afford whatever comes along. When I was planning my first vacation last fall, I suddenly was given a lot of extra hours at work, and other opportunities that helped me earn the money needed. He has put opportunities in my path now that are taking me places I had only dreamed of. Doing things I always wanted but never dared to try. Like writing. God had put it in my heart awhile back to write, to use my words to bring glory to Him. And because I do, He has brought me more opportunities to write. My hope is in Him, and He never lets me down.
- Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
I used to be so afraid of death. But now I am not. I think the verse that talks about being absent from the body but present with the Lord now has new meaning to me. I will close my eyes here, and wake up in Heaven. I fear for my kids and family if I die, but I do not fear death itself. And I know that nothing on earth can take God away from me, and that everything here is just temporary.
- The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine. - Everyone keeps saying the time is short, that we don't have a lot of time left before the end. I have read enough of the book of Revelation to know that those days are going to be ugly. But I also know that the God who saved me, will take me home. Nothing will stop Him from loving me, from wanting me to be His. I never knew unconditional love until God showed it to me.
- When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun. - My favorite verse of all. Time seems forever here, but sometimes fleeting at the same time. I have been on this earth for 46 years. That sounds like a long time. I have been a Christian 3.5 years. But when I get to heaven, and see Jesus face to face, and stand in the presence of God, and there is no end, that is going to be the best feeling ever. I cry every time I sing that verse. Because that is the verse that drives it all home. If you are His, then you will be there forever! I keep thinking that when I get there, I want to do this, and this, and this. I want to ask Jesus questions. I want to hang out with Jonah, since he is the Bible character I am most like. There are so many people from the Bible that I want to talk to, to ask more about their stories than the Bible tells. (must be the writer in me). But I know that when I get there, nothing will be more important than worshiping at the feet of God. And I will never run out of time to do it.
I am so thankful for God's grace and forgiveness. I am thankful that He loved me enough to save me. I am thankful for the writing ability that He gave me, to use to bring glory to Him, and to bring enjoyment to myself and to others. I have spent more than enough time beating myself up for the mistakes of the past. God has forgiven me and given me His grace to cover those mistakes. I am learning to extend that same grace and forgiveness to myself. God is good. And I am so thankful for His Amazing Grace.
No comments:
Post a Comment