My grandmothers name was Gwendolyn Ruth Kennedy...She passed away before my oldest son was born (17 years ago). Amazing Grace was the song I would sing to her (only the first verse). I had not an ounce of understanding about the song or the word "grace" for that matter. I just knew she loved it and the words spoke to me, I now know they were speaking to my soul...
Grace is a word I have not only come to know but, I have had revelation upon revelation that has opened up a deeper understanding and a freeing power.
As I have said many times in the past, my salvation experience was a radical one...a Jesus encounter!!
My husband and I were in a small office, on Cape Cod Ma., We had made plans to distract and freak out the "God Guy!" With every attempt at distracting him and saying things that, I thought would make him throw my husband and I out of his office....Well,it didn't work, it seemed that the more darkness we poured out, the more his eyes filled with tears and the gentler he became. Can you understand my frustration? The tattoos and piercings weren't working, the black makeup didn't phase him, the "gangsta" attire wasn't working either. Our intentions were to make his head spin, how in the world was he making "our" heads spin? Well I now know it was "grace!"
I don't have any deep "theology" on the subject. What I do have is revelation-A divine impartation from the Holy Spirit.
OK back to the story.....
That day my husband and I accepted Christ as our Savior our names were written in the Lambs book of Life...Thank you Jesus!!
That head spinning feeling from the God Guy was... The absence of judgement,sincerety and no fear of "our nonsense." It was a love that he too had obtained from God's grace bestowed upon him.
After leaving the office that day...My husband and I had nothing to talk about,it was a long, silent car ride back home.
This is my 10th year serving the Lord and the understanding of grace has not only become deeper for me but, has become the foundation of my ministry.
Check this out-It doesn't matter what you've done, what you were in the past, how educated you are, what gender you are. The grace of Jesus Christ says-You are loved, you are good enough! It says you were worth dying for!...
5 comments:
Amen, I remember those days - and the wedding too! Thanks for sharing.
We can all be greatfull that Jesus shows grace and compassion towards all of us no matter who, what, or how we are. Other wise I might be on the bad side of His judgement.
Very touching. Grace so simple. God bless
I believe stories such as these truly expose God's work in regeneration. I know a few folks like you explained yourself to be..."anti" Christ if you will. It is completely obvious without the work of God on their hearts they will always be hardened to His truths.
I think it is amazing to see someone who has never believed be changed by God.
"The grace of Jesus Christ says...you were worth dying for."
I am so glad that you came out and stated that Jesus deems us worthy enough to lay His life down for us. While growing up and even to this day, I hear people say they aren't worthy of the Lord. Upon hearing that, I think, if I don't deem something valuable or worthy of my time, I toss it out or give it no attention. Therefore, common sense tells me that I must have value and worth in Jesus' eyes for Him to leave His Godly position with the Heavenly Father, to wear earthly flesh and to take upon Himself the punishment I deserve.
Yet, God's thought are higher than mine, therefore, I cannot base my belief on common sense. So I search the scriptures and there it is in Matthew 13:44-46, the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. If read correctly, one will see that Lord is the merchant and we are the treasure and the costly pearl.
In each parable, the found treasure and the pearl were so expensive that the merchant sold everything he owned to purchase them. Isn't that the gospel in a nutshell? The living God, creator of heaven and earth, gives up His kingly rights, becoming flesh and is subject to the same temptations/restrictions as man, in order to purchase for us an eternity with Him, by His shed blood.
Am I deserving of this great mercy? Nope, I'm not but what amazes me so is the reaction of the merchant in the parable of the hidden treasure. He joyfully gives up all he owns to purchase the land on which the treasure is buried. Just think about that for a moment. Jesus found it sheer joy to give up His rights and life in order to reconcile us back to the Father.
God's unearned favor sees us as having worth. His unearned favor deems us valuable. His unearned favor...that is truly grace.
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