Amazing Grace

 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.    John Newton....."....but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign in righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."   Romans 5:20-21

John Newton was a man of the lowest character. He reveled in his evil ways and amused himself by seeking to come up with new and greater ways to blaspheme the name of God. He was heavily involved in the slave trade and very much enjoyed the life. Though raised by a mother of deep faith, he completely abandoned all pretense of following Christ. Then, through a series of crisis moments in his life, culminating in the near loss of his life in a heavy storm at sea, he came before the Lord, knowing the dirt of his sin and the depth of his need. Eventually, as the Lord worked in his heart, he saw the brutality of the slave trade and left it. He became heavily influenced by the teachings of John and Charles Wesley, and eventually became an Anglican minister and outspoken opponent of slavery. All of the working of God through His love, mercy, and grace as shown through Christ, led to Newton's writing of the most famous of all hymns, "Amazing Grace." Newton knew the depths of his personal sin, and he also knew the limitless depths of God's grace in forgiving his sin. Amazing grace indeed. So, how is it that most of us have little idea of just how amazing His grace is? How can we take it so for granted?

Most believers can mouth a definition of grace, that it's His unmerited kindness, goodness, and mercy towards us, but so few of us ever seem to realize how desperate our need of His grace is. We are pursued by His grace, saved by His grace, and kept by His grace. He is not just a God of grace, He is grace Himself. John Newton could look at his life and recognize how evil and lost he was. Grace opened his eyes to see that. Has it ever opened ours.....yours and mine? 

We've managed to convince ourselves that we're really not all that bad. Certainly not when we compare ourselves to the likes of Hitler, Stalen, Pol Pot, and many other infamous figures in history. We know they were lost, but we don't seem to believe that we're just as lost as them. Sin is sin, and all of us are under its death sentence. Only His grace, shown through His only Son's death on a cross and resurrection can set us free from its penalty. Too few of us realize why we need His salvation and how desperate our situation is without Him. We've so cheapened His grace that we've reduced it to a nodding of our heads in response to an invitation, coming to a Jesus we have no real understanding of and why we need Him. That's it's a matter of life and death....ours.

"Grace makes the King of kings your Father and His Savior Son your brother. Now that really is beyond amazing. Pray for eyes to see it and a heart to embrace it, and then, let your soul soar."  Paul Tripp.... Someone wrote a book titled, "What's So Amazing About Grace?" Can you answer that? If not, you need to pray the very prayer that Tripp invited you to. Then, may your soul soar.

Blessings,
Pastor O