The New Testament resounds with the good news--WE ARE SAVED. There is forgiveness found in our Lord through His ultimate sacrifice. That is the message in another song entitled, "Sinner Saved By Grace". It, too, is in the choir's Easter cantata.
Last night during practice, I couldn't help but raise my hands in praise as I sang those words. It was such a truth to my heart. I am very aware of my humanness and short falls. I am NOT perfect, nor do I feel that I am even close to it. I know that I make mistakes, but I also know that I can improve upon them with God's help. I'm just a sinner saved by grace (as the song said).
I do not place myself in the position to judge anyone. Those who have wronged me are afforded the same forgiveness form God as I am. So, why should I not forgive them as well? If we all held the Lord's Prayer in our hearts on a daily basis, it could literally transform us.
Who are we not to offer forgiveness or judge each other? How can we hold others' short comings against them and turn to God and expect forgiveness for ourselves? We can, but how hypocritical of us, right?! The words we pray are "...forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." We are no different than our neighbor. We are all just sinners saved by grace. That should be a very humbling concept for all of us.
I know that I need to work on forgiving. i have a very difficult time moving past the hurt that I felt, and in some cases, still feel. But, Jesus did not hold anything against us when He went to the cross. He simply stood in our place before God. If we ask God for forgiveness, and truly change our behavior, it is given. Why should we not do the same for each other? There is NO reason not to if we are truly honest with ourselves!
We are all humbled before God through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. We all stand forgiven only by the grace of God. We did nothing to deserve it, yet it was freely given to all who would receive it. We all stand the same before our God--sinners saved by grace. Praise God for the gift of grace. Praise God that He forgives!
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Ephesians 1:7
If you could see
What I once was
If you could go with me
Back to where I started from
Then, I know you would see
A miracle of Love that put me
In its sweet embrace
and made me what I am today
Just an old sinner
Saved by grace
CHORUS:
I'm just a sinner
Saved by grace
When I stood
Condemned to death
He took my place
Now I live and breathe in freedom
With each breath of life I take
Loved and forgiven
Back with the living
I'm just a sinner
Saved by grace
How could I boast on anything
I've ever seen or done
How could I dare to claim as mine
The victories GOD has won
where would I be
Had GOD not brought me
Gently to this place
I'm here to say I'm nothing but
A sinner
Saved by grace
I'm just a sinner
Saved by grace
When I stood
Condemned to death
He took my place
Now I live and breathe in freedom
With each breath of life I take
Loved and forgiven
Back with the living
I'm just a sinner
Saved by grace
Now I grow and breathe in freedom
With each breath of life I take
I'm loved and forgiven
Back with the living
I'm just a sinner
Saved by grace
Saved by grace
Can you say, "AMEN!"? I can...AMEN!!
Monday, February 7, 2011
"Broken Into Beautiful"
That's the title of the latest song to make its way into my heart. I had never heard the song before my choir began its Easter cantata. During a rehearsal as I sang the solo, I found myself fighting back tears. Read those words written by Gwen Smith--
She's smiling on the outside
But she's hurting on the inside
It's getting hard just living anymore
And the shadows she has clung to
Painful things she has been through
Have left her feeling worthless, Lord...but
You change worthless into precious
Guilty to forgiven
Hungry into satisfied
Empty into full
All the lies are shattered
And we believe we matter
When You change broken into beautiful
We live with accusations
Sometimes heavy expectations
That tell us we can never measure up
and yet You repeat with mercy
That in Your eyes we are worthy
At last we see how much we're loved cause
You Chance worthless into precious
Guilty to forgiven
Hungry into satisfied
Empty into full
All the lies are shattered
And we believe we matter
When You change broken into beautiful
Though we can't wee how we can stand before You Lord
And feel valued, priceless and adored
So many times, this past year especially, I have stood before my Lord feeling very broken. I have been there before...feeling worthless, like I can't life up to those heavy expectations. But oh the joy that filled my soul when I finally took my burdens to my Lord's feet. When I laid them there, I left them saying that I could no longer bare them on my own. When I rose from His feet, I was renewed and found strength to make it through the storm.
yes, that was a huge challenge, having to admit I needed help. But, the bigger challenge is facing the fact that I need to admit it on a daily basis. I need to remind myself to daily visit with my Lord.
Human nature is to tend to decrease the amount of time spent in prayer until the going gets tough. Then we suddenly feel so vulnerable and find ourselves panic-stricken. We run to the Lord with our messes and broken pieces. And guess what?! He loves us anyway. He fixes us, cleans the messes, puts the pieces back together. And He will always be there for us. However, don't you think that He would much rather us come daily for our minor repairs than wait for a total break-down?
We need daily renewal. We need to seek His face always. We need to lay at His feet regularly. His presence in our lives and in our hearts will give us the strength to make it through. But for those times when we don't...
Remember that He can always take the bad and turn it around. He can take the worst situation and make something broken into something beautiful!
She's smiling on the outside
But she's hurting on the inside
It's getting hard just living anymore
And the shadows she has clung to
Painful things she has been through
Have left her feeling worthless, Lord...but
You change worthless into precious
Guilty to forgiven
Hungry into satisfied
Empty into full
All the lies are shattered
And we believe we matter
When You change broken into beautiful
We live with accusations
Sometimes heavy expectations
That tell us we can never measure up
and yet You repeat with mercy
That in Your eyes we are worthy
At last we see how much we're loved cause
You Chance worthless into precious
Guilty to forgiven
Hungry into satisfied
Empty into full
All the lies are shattered
And we believe we matter
When You change broken into beautiful
Though we can't wee how we can stand before You Lord
And feel valued, priceless and adored
So many times, this past year especially, I have stood before my Lord feeling very broken. I have been there before...feeling worthless, like I can't life up to those heavy expectations. But oh the joy that filled my soul when I finally took my burdens to my Lord's feet. When I laid them there, I left them saying that I could no longer bare them on my own. When I rose from His feet, I was renewed and found strength to make it through the storm.
yes, that was a huge challenge, having to admit I needed help. But, the bigger challenge is facing the fact that I need to admit it on a daily basis. I need to remind myself to daily visit with my Lord.
Human nature is to tend to decrease the amount of time spent in prayer until the going gets tough. Then we suddenly feel so vulnerable and find ourselves panic-stricken. We run to the Lord with our messes and broken pieces. And guess what?! He loves us anyway. He fixes us, cleans the messes, puts the pieces back together. And He will always be there for us. However, don't you think that He would much rather us come daily for our minor repairs than wait for a total break-down?
We need daily renewal. We need to seek His face always. We need to lay at His feet regularly. His presence in our lives and in our hearts will give us the strength to make it through. But for those times when we don't...
Remember that He can always take the bad and turn it around. He can take the worst situation and make something broken into something beautiful!
Unshakable, Indescribable, Everlasting Hope
There are many times that I don't feel so unshakable. There are many moments that I do not feel so strong, much less hopeful. While I may feel broken, down-trodden, or shaken to the core, God's promise of hope is still there. It is untouched by the rough events of life. It certainly is unshakable.
There are moments in life when we wonder where God is in all of our hurt. Some may even question if there even is a God. After all, how can a loving God, as He is described, allow such horrible thing to happen to His children. How and why are questions that ring loudly for all of us at certain times in our lives. God's HOPE for us is totally indescribable because it is there for us no matter what. We cannot fully explain it or adequately describe the power of it, but it is there AND it is ours to have.
There is no expiration date on God's hope. It is abundant and always available. It has no end. It is eternal, EVERLASTING. And, it's near to all of us.
My recent thoughts of hope have been prompted by a recent viewing of a Louie Giglio DVD. I watched that first part of his message entitled "Hope When Life Hurts Most". His message addressed "real" hurt...hurt that rocks your world, makes you question your faith, wonder if there really is a God. Have you ever felt hurt that deeply? I know I have had experience with hurt that rocked my faith. I asked the infamous question "Why?"
I felt my faith waiver when Layton, my nephew, was first diagnosed with cancer. I felt it begin to crumble as I saw so many other children losing their battles with cancer. How could God let these innocent children suffer so? I forgot most of my doubts and questions as Layton recovered and entered remission. it was not until Erynn, our niece, died that those questions resurfaced with a vengeance. The hurt, the doubt, the anger...they were real, deep, and tested my faith in the hope God has for His children.
But from Louie Giglio, I was able to also see that there is a purpose in our hurt. God can make good from our bad and provide us with the hope He so longs for His children to has. The hope is there. Sometimes the hurt can overshadow it. But remember, it is, after all, unshakable, indescribable, and everlasting. in both of my situations, the hurt greatly impacted me, but the hope I found...WOW!!
In the situation with Layton, there were many revelations of hope. I became connected to other children through their Caring Bridge websites. Through the deepest dark moments of their children's lives, many of these parents became witnesses to the Word of God. They found hope in Christ at their weakest point in life. Through their grief and pain, they brought people to the hope given to us through Christ and His death on the cross.
One particular child comes to mind. I spoke of him in my last blog entry. Dax lost his battle with cancer at the young age of 2. His mom has continued to blog on his website since his death. She has shared her gut-wrenching emotions with all who read it. There has even been a person who said that a loved one had come to know Christ through the blog.
But she also shared her wish, her goal to raise enough money to run St. Jude Hospital for an entire day $1.6 million. She has had large support from her community. Here recently, Matthew West also held a concert in Dax's hometown all to raise awareness for his Mom's cause for St. Jude. How amazing the reach that Dax's story has had. That is HOPE! The hope is there in spite of the pain. The hope is there beyond the pain.
Erynn's short life was not in vain. Prior to her and her twin's very premature birth, their parents were not very active in church. As the girls became stronger, my sister-in-law began to regularly attend church. Shortly after she began regularly attending with their three children, her husband began to go with them. Finally, they as a family were building a life with God at the center of it!! The girls were dedicated in this church. The members of that church became extended family. This was the foundation they needed before facing the darkest days of their lives.
I firmly feel that the miracle of Erynn's and Reagan's lives brought their parents closer. I also believe that God's purpose for Erynn was to bring her parents back to Him. She taught so many of us how to love unconditionally and love every minute of life. The hope here was that the smallest of children brought her parents back to Christ. Think what a difference we as adults could make! What a profound change happened in this family's life--the HOPE of CHRIST through the CROSS!
Hope is real; hope is here; hope will never leave. All we have to do is lay our hurt at Jesus' feet. He will heal us. He will care for us. He will give us hope.
There are moments in life when we wonder where God is in all of our hurt. Some may even question if there even is a God. After all, how can a loving God, as He is described, allow such horrible thing to happen to His children. How and why are questions that ring loudly for all of us at certain times in our lives. God's HOPE for us is totally indescribable because it is there for us no matter what. We cannot fully explain it or adequately describe the power of it, but it is there AND it is ours to have.
There is no expiration date on God's hope. It is abundant and always available. It has no end. It is eternal, EVERLASTING. And, it's near to all of us.
My recent thoughts of hope have been prompted by a recent viewing of a Louie Giglio DVD. I watched that first part of his message entitled "Hope When Life Hurts Most". His message addressed "real" hurt...hurt that rocks your world, makes you question your faith, wonder if there really is a God. Have you ever felt hurt that deeply? I know I have had experience with hurt that rocked my faith. I asked the infamous question "Why?"
I felt my faith waiver when Layton, my nephew, was first diagnosed with cancer. I felt it begin to crumble as I saw so many other children losing their battles with cancer. How could God let these innocent children suffer so? I forgot most of my doubts and questions as Layton recovered and entered remission. it was not until Erynn, our niece, died that those questions resurfaced with a vengeance. The hurt, the doubt, the anger...they were real, deep, and tested my faith in the hope God has for His children.
But from Louie Giglio, I was able to also see that there is a purpose in our hurt. God can make good from our bad and provide us with the hope He so longs for His children to has. The hope is there. Sometimes the hurt can overshadow it. But remember, it is, after all, unshakable, indescribable, and everlasting. in both of my situations, the hurt greatly impacted me, but the hope I found...WOW!!
In the situation with Layton, there were many revelations of hope. I became connected to other children through their Caring Bridge websites. Through the deepest dark moments of their children's lives, many of these parents became witnesses to the Word of God. They found hope in Christ at their weakest point in life. Through their grief and pain, they brought people to the hope given to us through Christ and His death on the cross.
One particular child comes to mind. I spoke of him in my last blog entry. Dax lost his battle with cancer at the young age of 2. His mom has continued to blog on his website since his death. She has shared her gut-wrenching emotions with all who read it. There has even been a person who said that a loved one had come to know Christ through the blog.
But she also shared her wish, her goal to raise enough money to run St. Jude Hospital for an entire day $1.6 million. She has had large support from her community. Here recently, Matthew West also held a concert in Dax's hometown all to raise awareness for his Mom's cause for St. Jude. How amazing the reach that Dax's story has had. That is HOPE! The hope is there in spite of the pain. The hope is there beyond the pain.
Erynn's short life was not in vain. Prior to her and her twin's very premature birth, their parents were not very active in church. As the girls became stronger, my sister-in-law began to regularly attend church. Shortly after she began regularly attending with their three children, her husband began to go with them. Finally, they as a family were building a life with God at the center of it!! The girls were dedicated in this church. The members of that church became extended family. This was the foundation they needed before facing the darkest days of their lives.
I firmly feel that the miracle of Erynn's and Reagan's lives brought their parents closer. I also believe that God's purpose for Erynn was to bring her parents back to Him. She taught so many of us how to love unconditionally and love every minute of life. The hope here was that the smallest of children brought her parents back to Christ. Think what a difference we as adults could make! What a profound change happened in this family's life--the HOPE of CHRIST through the CROSS!
Hope is real; hope is here; hope will never leave. All we have to do is lay our hurt at Jesus' feet. He will heal us. He will care for us. He will give us hope.
Blue Christmas
Several years ago, our church offered a "Blue Christmas" service. This service was designed for people who were not merrily celebrating Christmas. Some people were grieving the recent loss of a loved one. Some were remembering loved ones gone long ago. Some were emotionally not merry about the holidays. Others may have been facing financial hardships, thus making the holiday very depressing. Whatever the reason, the service offered traditional hymns of healing, a comforting message of hope, and a time that these hurting persons could escape the overly jubilant time of the season.
A recent song by Matthew West, "One Last Christmas", makes me remember those who are hurting during this time of year. While most of us are celebrating at gatherings with great joy, some are grieving and hurting deep within their souls. This song was written in memory of a sweet child who lost his struggle with cancer. He absolutely loved the Christmas season. His parents received news that he would not make it to see another Christmas. So, they made the decision to decorate for Christmas in the fall so their son could celebrate Christmas one last time.
My point of this entry is to acknowledge that while most of us are celebrating during this joyous time of year, others of us are struggling--with hurt, with grief, with anger, with loss. We should be aware of others' feelings. We should pray for them. We should respect their emotions, not condemn them for how they feel. Maybe one day, their struggle will ease, and they may be able to enjoy the season for its true reason--God's gift of His Son to us.
I will close with the words of the Matthew West song, "One Last Christmas". It is my prayer for you to either find peace during this season or to support someone who is struggling during this time of year.
"One Last Christmas"
It's the news no one hopes for,
Every parent's greatest fear
Finding out the child you love so much
Might not make it through the year
Now the thought of spending Christmas
Without him just feels wrong
They've been praying for a miracle
Now they're praying he can just hold on
CHORUS:
For one last Christmas, one last time
One last season when the world is right,
One more telling of the story
One more verse of Silent Night,
They'd give anything so he could have
One last Christmas
Middle of September
Still seventy degrees
Daddy climbs up in the attic
Brings down candles
Hangs the lights on all the trees,
Then the neighbors started asking
And pretty soon word got around
First it was the neighborhood,
Before too long they lit up that whole town
For one last Christmas, one last time
One last season when the world is right,
One more telling of the story
One more verse of Silent Night,
They'd give anything so he could have
One last Christmas
Twenty-seventh of October,
His time was wearing thin
Friends and family, even strangers
That they didn't know brought presents in
He was weak but he was smiling
Like there was nothing even wrong
They said he wouldn't make it,
Looks like he got to see it after all
For one last Christmas, one last time
One last season when the world is right,
One more telling of the story
One more verse of Silent Night,
They'd give anything so he could have
One last Christmas.
A recent song by Matthew West, "One Last Christmas", makes me remember those who are hurting during this time of year. While most of us are celebrating at gatherings with great joy, some are grieving and hurting deep within their souls. This song was written in memory of a sweet child who lost his struggle with cancer. He absolutely loved the Christmas season. His parents received news that he would not make it to see another Christmas. So, they made the decision to decorate for Christmas in the fall so their son could celebrate Christmas one last time.
My point of this entry is to acknowledge that while most of us are celebrating during this joyous time of year, others of us are struggling--with hurt, with grief, with anger, with loss. We should be aware of others' feelings. We should pray for them. We should respect their emotions, not condemn them for how they feel. Maybe one day, their struggle will ease, and they may be able to enjoy the season for its true reason--God's gift of His Son to us.
I will close with the words of the Matthew West song, "One Last Christmas". It is my prayer for you to either find peace during this season or to support someone who is struggling during this time of year.
"One Last Christmas"
It's the news no one hopes for,
Every parent's greatest fear
Finding out the child you love so much
Might not make it through the year
Now the thought of spending Christmas
Without him just feels wrong
They've been praying for a miracle
Now they're praying he can just hold on
CHORUS:
For one last Christmas, one last time
One last season when the world is right,
One more telling of the story
One more verse of Silent Night,
They'd give anything so he could have
One last Christmas
Middle of September
Still seventy degrees
Daddy climbs up in the attic
Brings down candles
Hangs the lights on all the trees,
Then the neighbors started asking
And pretty soon word got around
First it was the neighborhood,
Before too long they lit up that whole town
For one last Christmas, one last time
One last season when the world is right,
One more telling of the story
One more verse of Silent Night,
They'd give anything so he could have
One last Christmas
Twenty-seventh of October,
His time was wearing thin
Friends and family, even strangers
That they didn't know brought presents in
He was weak but he was smiling
Like there was nothing even wrong
They said he wouldn't make it,
Looks like he got to see it after all
For one last Christmas, one last time
One last season when the world is right,
One more telling of the story
One more verse of Silent Night,
They'd give anything so he could have
One last Christmas.
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