Chapter 38
Amazing Grace
Dictionary.com defines grace as: favor
shown in granting a delay or temporary immunity. It also defines it as: mercy; clemency; pardon.
God’s
amazing grace provides second chances, when your actions warrant more serious
consequences. Think about all the things
you’ve done that could have produced trouble.
We’ve all done any number of things that could’ve landed us in
jail. Consider all the times you have
been legally under the influence, but you made it home safely—without getting
pulled over or hurting anyone. Think
about all the times you were in the company of people using drugs. What if the cops raided the house? Would you have been implicated? Think about any promiscuous activity. What could some of the more serious
consequences have been?
I
know grace has covered plenty of my dumb decisions. And I’m confident it’s been a factor in many
of yours, as well.
My
experience has shown me that grace will cover most mistakes. However, if one chooses to make the same mistake over and over again,
experience shows that you’ll have to reap the consequences of your decisions.
Most
parents offer a similar type of grace.
They understand that you’re still learning and growing. When you smack your friend on the playground,
they’ll pull you aside and tell you that “you can’t do that.” If you don’t learn your lesson, and start
smacking your friends in high school, you’ll notice that your parents can’t
keep you out of trouble. You’re under
the authority of the principal, or in some cases, the police. Their grace tried to “save” you when you were
a youngster. At some point, you have to
deal with the consequences of your chosen habits.
I
think I do a great job of offering grace to those who hurt me. I appreciate the grace that’s been given to
me, so I’m extremely empathic and forgiving to others. I’ll usually forgive an offense (or offender)
several times, hoping they’ll “learn their lesson.” However, after several “repeat offenses,” it
starts becoming an abuse issue. Neale
Donald Walsch, in his book Conversations
With God wrote: “Even an abuser is abused when his abuse is allowed to
continue.” When it reaches this point, I
cut my losses and move on—allowing the “abuser” to deal with the natural
consequences of their decisions.
The
same is true regarding God’s grace; your destructive habits will eventually
catch up with you. If you’re a liar, the
truth about you will eventually be exposed.
If you’re a cheater, you’ll eventually get caught. If you’re a thief, you’ll eventually get
busted. Same thing with alcohol or
drugs; if you’re out-of-control with either one, the natural consequences of
your decisions will eventually manifest.
If
we were forced to deal with the natural consequences of each one of our “destructive” decisions, we’d be in a world of
trouble. We’ve all done stupid things
that we’re not proud of—and it was God’s grace that saved us from doing any
further damage.
John
Newton was the author of the popular hymn titled “Amazing Grace.” Newton was a slave trader—responsible for
transporting hundreds of slaves by sea.
The turning point in his spiritual life happened one night during a
violent storm: Moments after he left the
deck, the crewman who was taking his place was swept overboard. In fear for his life, thinking the ship would
surely sink, he cried, “Lord have mercy on us!”
Later in his cabin, he reflected on what he said, and believed that God
addressed him through the storm, and His grace had saved the ship.
For
the rest of his life, he observed May 10th, 1748, as the day of his
conversion. It was the day of his
salvation; the day he humbly subjected his will to a higher power. After the experience, Newton wrote the lyrics
to “Amazing Grace” and saw to it that the slaves under his care were treated
humanely.
Newton
began preaching and influenced countless people, including William Wilberforce,
who would one day become a leader in the campaign for the abolition of slavery.
In
my “Route 66 Testimony,” I equate “getting saved” to “waking up.” It’s similar to the movie The Matrix, where Neo’s computer screen
starts typing, “Wake up ... The Matrix has you.” In John Newton’s case, he didn’t have a real relationship
with God, and was insensitive to the horrible conditions endured by the
slaves. However, when his own life was
in jeopardy, he laid aside his ego, aligned with the Holy Spirit, and allowed
God’s grace to influence his life and open his eyes.
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 was a wretch. He contributed to
the suffering of countless human beings.
He was lost—not taking his life in a positive (or fulfilling)
direction. He was consumed by his own
selfish ambitions. He was blind—not
realizing how his actions were creating pain in the lives of others; not
realizing how he was slowly destroying his own life.
Then
God’s amazing grace came into his experience.
His
eyes have been opened.
He
now sees the truth.
After
God’s amazing grace touched his life, he began to shift his ways of thinking
and being. It was no longer about John
Newton; it was about helping those who suffer.
It was no longer about selfish ambition; it was about selfless
service. John Newton understood the
severity of his misdeeds, which led him to a greater appreciation for God’s
amazing grace.
The
same grace is available to you. Surely,
you’ve never committed acts as serious as John Newton; you’re not responsible
for the suffering and deaths of countless slaves. Yet, he allowed God’s grace to move into his
life, and the transformation began.
Humility plus grace can change your world. Humility plus grace can change the world.
The
Apostle Paul is one of the greatest examples of grace. Before accepting Jesus as Lord of his life,
Paul (then Saul of Tarsus) persecuted the church and was responsible (although
not by his own hand) for the deaths of countless (innocent) Christians. Then grace took over and changed his ways of
thinking and behaving.
1
Corinthians 15:9-10 clarifies his thoughts on grace: “For I
am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not
without effect. No, I worked harder than
all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
And
look what Paul did after his conversion:
He wrote approximately two-thirds (66%) of the New Testament! When a human chooses to “wake up” and allow
God’s amazing grace to move onto his life-experience, barriers are destroyed
and new worlds emerge.
God’s
grace (through Paul) is still influencing most of the world today! Every time somebody in church (or out of
church) reads something from the New Testament in the Bible, they’re
essentially reading a direct reflection of God’s amazing grace! Since most of the New Testament was written
by Paul (saved by God’s grace), it’s safe to say that Christianity exists nowadays because a “bad-boy”
decided to accept God’s grace and take action in a new direction.
Thank
God for bad-boys gone good.
Wake
up. Accept God’s amazing grace. See the truth. Watch what happens in your life.
My Truth says ... amazing grace has
saved a wretch like me.
What
does Your Truth say?