Soaked in God's Grace

There are a couple songs we sing in church that refer to being "soaked in God's grace". What exactly does that mean?  We come in out of the rain and say "I'm soaked". We might climb out of the shower or bathtub and say "Hand me a towel, I'm soaked".  A good water balloon fight might produce that statement as well "Whew, am I soaked". 

I've pondered what it means to be soaked in God's grace and I don't think any of the above can even come close to what it's really like. If I were to find someone who could produce a video of my idea, we would first see a person surrounded by water, nothing else to be seen put water and the person, then the camera would move away and there would just be more and more water, eventually it might pop out of the water only to discover that it was a really, really big area of water. Pulling away even more you would find that the water was actually an ocean and our person, whom we could no longer see, was somewhere in the midst of it all.  Now, that's soaked.

Even so, I still don't think that's right. The illustration falls out of sync when the camera comes out of the water because there's no getting out of God's wonderful grace, it just goes on and on and on and on. When I admitted to Jesus that I was totally lost in sin and asked for His forgiveness, He gave it and so much more. His constant presence, help, love and joy.  I have His Word to read and am able to boldly go to His throne in prayer. I am welcomed into God's family as an adopted child and am looking forward to life with Him forever. That only begins the list of the abundant blessings I have in Him. I am soaked in His grace, thoroughly soaked, never to be dry again. 

Hand me a towel? No thank you, I like being soaked. 

I just bought an $85 bolt

I climbed in the truck to head for work and started backing out of the driveway. Hmmm, something was wrong. I saw that the truck was tilting heavily to the right. When I climbed out for a look I found a big bolt stuck solidly in the very flat front right tire. So much for going to work on time.

 

I called the place where we usually buy our tires and they couldn’t come fix the tire until “tomorrow”.  I’m glad I was at home and not on the road. They supplied the name of someone to ask and I called, or rather tried to call. I was later told that person had left town. I tried their competitor tire place and no one would answer the phone, they “want to make things as easy as possible for their customers, please go to our website and communicate with us from there”. I called the first place again and told them to put me on their list for the next day.

 

Bright and early the next morning a gentleman was here to fix the tire. $85 please. That’s one expensive bolt and I didn’t even get to keep it.

 

So why did all that happen? Who knows. Maybe it was just a tactic to make my purse a little lighter. I suspect it is because I have known for a long time that we needed to put new tires on that truck and I kept dragging my toes. I'm sure that someday it was going to catch up with me and I was going to be out driving somewhere when a tire blew or went flat simply because it had worn out. Maybe God took drastic measures to get my attention. If so, it worked. After taking that tire off the truck and seeing how bad it actually was, I went into action. New tires are ordered and early next week they will be on the truck. On the other hand, if I had already put new tires on the truck that bolt probably still would have been in the same place at the same time and the truck would have had a flat in a new tire.  

 

So, did God cause the flat tire? Well, no, the bolt did, but God allowed it, and we can count our blessings.The tire went flat at home, not at work or on the road. The people I work with were very understanding and I had my computer at home with me so could do some work from here. The tire was fixed promptly the next morning and I didn't miss another day at work. We had the money to pay for it because God always provides for His children.

I wonder what you are going through today. Are you able to see the possibility of God's hand at work? Can you find the blessings even in hardship? Accept the challenge and give it a try, I'll bet you can if you think about it for awhile. 

Dirty Me!

I was doing just fine until I noticed that I was starting to get dirty, really dirty. The more I tried to get it off, the worse it got. One day as I looked around I realized that I also seemed to be in a prison. It was a big prison, but a prison none-the-less. My surroundings just got worse and worse with grime, sludge, garbage, stink, and I couldn’t get out because I was locked in.

It’s hard to explain but I wasn’t dirty only on the outside, it was inside as well, like it just permeated through me. Really, it wasn’t so much the garbage coming in as it was the garbage going out, starting on the inside of me and somehow seeping into my surroundings.

I would stand helplessly at the door of my prison, my head hanging in despair.  I thought things couldn’t be worse until I discovered that I was not only helplessly filthy, I was on death row. My days were numbered. I didn’t know how or why, but I was doomed.

Surely I could get myself out of this. I didn’t seem to be alone, there were others. Maybe if I tried helping someone else who was in need, said nice things or even sang some of those hymns my mother taught me, maybe that would help. Was there a guard? Maybe I could buy my way out of here. There must be something I could do. 

I tried, oh how I tried, but nothing seemed to work. I felt better sometimes but I knew everything I attempted was futile in the long run. I continued to be in my prison looking out through the bars. The garbage in and around me kept increasing.

One day I heard the most beautiful and powerful voice I had ever heard. He said “Child, I know how to take care of this. Will you let me?” I couldn’t believe it, there was hope? “Yes, please, I responded. I
need relief. I need to get rid of these dirty rags and escape this prison. I need help!”

The prison door opened and I found myself standing outside. Though I still felt dirty I knew something big was happening. When I turned back I saw the one who spoke was still holding the prison door open and someone else was going in. The one going in, like the one who opened the door and let me out, was beautiful, spotlessly clean, amazing . . . I was in awe, he seemed so . . . holy.

He is taking my place? Wait! This can’t be right. The door to the prison shut and I knew that soon the dirtiness that I left behind would cover him. I was still dirty too, some of it had come out with me. Yes, there had been progress, I was no longer locked in, but thus far we had just changed places. He was looking out and I was looking in.

Somehow he seemed to have stayed clean even though my garbage was all around him, and I had managed to stay dirty even though I had walked out free.

As I started moving away from the prison door I found myself standing at the bottom of a hill. I looked up and there on rough, splintered, wooden crosses hung three men. I squinted my eyes and looked again. No, it couldn’t be, my eyes must be deceiving me. The one who took my place on death row was hanging on the center cross. I had just left him in the prison, but it was him.

I heard that beautiful, powerful voice again. “Child, the job wasn’t done when He traded places with you. He must die for you as well. Only then will you be clean and pure. I am God and it was your sins, your rebellion against me, that made you so filthy. Only when my son dies in your place will I be able to forgive you for your sins and wash you white as snow”.

God’s son??? I stood there watching, unable to move, unable to say anything, unable to see through my tears. God’s son was so holy, so pure and clean, yet there he hung, right there where I should have
been. I heard him speak several times, I watched the soldiers gamble for his clothing, I heard some people weep while others scoffed him. The world became dark, more than the darkest of nights, darker than my filthiness, and I heard him cry out “It is finished!”. 

My heart seemed to split in two as I realized he had spoken his last words and he was gone. He took my place knowing that this would be his end. I fell near the cross at his feet and wept, and wept, and wept. Oh God, I have sinned. Please forgive me.

As tears streamed down my face I began to feel strangely odd. For the first time in my life I felt clean, really clean. It was then that I realized all of my garbage was now clinging to him. Though he went on the cross pure as snow he was now covered with my filth, and somehow I was now clean. Not just clean, but pure clean, spotless clean, holy clean.

I stood in awe. We traded. Not just his life for mine, but his purity for my filth. But now what? He was dead wasn’t he? He took my place on that cross. He died and I lived.

A short while later I stood at a tomb. It was the one where they had placed his body. I didn’t see him taken there but I knew that this was the place. I crept forward and saw a few remaining soldiers lifting their heads, looking around and fleeing. The tomb was open, the stone rolled back, and He was gone.

I heard that wonderful voice again. “My child. Remember these words of my Son: ”I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”*  Oh yes God, my Jesus, my Savior. I believe.

Dear reader, precious listener, this story belongs to all of us. We have all rebelled against God and sin has made us filthy. We have all been in Satan’s prison and our sin separates us from God. God loves all of us so much that He made a plan and sent His only son, Jesus, to rescue us. Jesus lived here among us and then in His pure, clean, perfect holiness He died on the cross in our place, took on our sin, then rose victorious in newness of life making eternal life with him available to everyone. That part of the story belongs to all of us. God told us about it in His Word, the Bible.

But the end of each person’s story? . . . well, the ending we all write for ourselves. When you and I experience the beginning of this story, and we stand at the foot of His cross, we must decide for ourselves what we are going to do with Him. Are we going to turn around in our rebellion and scorn the gift of redemption and life, or are we going to fall at His feet and cry out “Forgive me God, I have sinned, rescue me”?

My personal story ends in forgiveness because that is what I chose. Though I don’t deserve it, I have been given new life and am now part of God’s family. Jesus took my place, took my sin, and I became God’s child. I look forward to eternity with Him.

How will your story end my friend? Will you accept God’s gift of forgiveness or will you walk away from His love? The beginning is already in place, it is history and you cannot change it, but the rest of your story? Well, that’s still yours to write. Choose carefully.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

*John 11:25-26

Audience of One

The other night Clarence was determined that he was supposed to be in a program of some type and I was supposed to be helping him to get there so that he could participate. I started asking questions. Where is it? Who is going to be there? What kind of program is it? What are we supposed to do? He didn't know the answer to any of those questions but he was determined that he needed to get up from his chair and stand. Once he was up though, he wouldn’t move. He didn't know where to go or what to do. So, now what?

At that point I made the suggestion that we begin the program and sing, so the two of us stood side by side and sang several great songs of the faith. “Blessed Assurance”, “The Old Rugged Cross”, “Stand up for Jesus”, “Holy, Holy, Holy” and others.

Clarence sang with his whole heart, thinking all the time that we were participating in some type of program, and actually I guess we were in a program. It was for an audience of one, our Lord Jesus Christ, our Mighty God. We hope that He enjoyed it as much as we did.

God Is Faithful

Clarence fell one morning not too long ago and when we were weary and about to give up, a friend came by to help us get him back on his feet. Later on, while dressing, Clarence mentioned a favorite passage, Lamentations 3:22-23. “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

The scripture started us singing together and the words of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” filled the room. It was a wonderful reminder for us, and all day long we remembered that God is with us even when things are tough and we might be feeling alone.

In the evening we started listening to a Gaither event via YouTube and towards the end found ourselves once more singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, this time with a large group of true musicians. What a great way to start and end our day, remembering how good God is and how faithful He is.

We weren’t done though. That evening as we were reading “The Daily Bread” I found myself fighting off tears as we once again encountered words of God’s faithfulness. We read Psalm 107:23-32 and in vs 29 it says “He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed”. The Daily Bread reading included this quote: “God understands His children will sometimes struggle to feel hopeful when life feels
like a storm. We need reminders of His faithfulness, especially when the horizon looks dark and tumultuous.” * Clarence and I both needed to hear those words.

We try to read The Daily Bread every night but sometimes miss, especially if it has been a particularly tough day. Occasionally we’ll go back to read one that we missed but generally we will just keep reading where we are supposed to be. Imagine my surprise when, upon closing the app, I discovered that the reading we had just done was from five days prior. Apparently God was saving it for this special day which was filled with reminders of His faithfulness. Reminders that would draw us closer to Him, help us to lean on Him, and to trust Him more.

* Xochitl Dixon / Our Daily Bread May 31st 2022

Some Assembly Required

It arrived on Sunday, our new recumbent exercise bike. We knew that there was some assembly but we were hoping for easy. We had read reviews that ran from 1 hour to 4 or 5 for putting it together. I was hoping to be in the one hour category but knowing Clarence has vision issues and I am not mechanically inclined, we would be satisfied with somewhere in the middle. 

 

Monday morning we opened the box. They packed a lot of stuff in that box and the way it was packed was precise. We started at 11:00 and finished about 1:45. We took a lot of pictures as we unpacked it with hopes that if something didn't work we would be able to pack it all back in the box for a return. Doubtful that we could get it back together right but the pictures would help if we had to try. That in itself took some time so let's knock off about half an hour for picture taking. I also had to take a couple "I need to walk away from this" breaks, maybe another 15 to 30 minutes. That being said our assembly probably took a couple hours. Not bad.

 

Step 1, adding the leg supports, gave us trouble with the screws not lining up right - count on step 1 to go bad. Once we got beyond step 1 it went really well . . . 

. . . until we reached hooking up the tension wires. That's one step that we had to walk away from. The instructions up to that point were great, but when we reached the trickiest part, the area that could make the bike work or not work, they got a bit skimpy. The drawing that was supposed to show us what to do was small even with a magnifying glass. I finally found instructions on the computer and was able to enlarge the tiny detail, providing us with the info that we needed. 

As it turns out I had tried to do exactly what I was supposed to do, but didn't have the brute strength to make it happen. Before we went back to our assembly we prayed about it. Our prayer kindly suggested that maybe God himself, or a couple a His angels, would like to add a helping hand and a bit of strength. I tried again and while explaining to Clarence what I was trying to do suddenly the thing slipped together!!! Definitely answered prayer.

It looks really nice but it isn't gym quality. The computer is . . . well, more like a cheap watch, and it isn't a "smooth" ride if you increase the tension beyond 2 or 3, but the bike is going to work for a couple older people who just want some exercise without having to go to the gym. We knew up front the fact that it came from a country other than USA, combined with the price we paid, meant it wasn't going to be perfect, but we don't need the "computer" to ride it and tension 1-3 are enough to get a fairly good workout. We're hoping it will last at least a few years.

Have you ever prayed asking God to step in to help you with something like hooking up the tension wires? We often think God doesn't care about stuff like that, but remember He's more than God, He's our Father and He delights in our coming to Him no matter the reason. I have the feeling that He smiled when we stopped to ask for His help, and when we said thank you maybe He added a gentle laugh. We encourage you to go Him with your challenges - big or small. Share your joys and sorrows. Stop once in awhile just to say "God, I Love You!". Go ahead and give it a try, make Him smile.

Why didn't God just start over?

This morning's message was out of Ephesians 6:14a "Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth".

Among many great points (our pastor seldom holds to the rule of three), he talked about the truth of who we are in God's eyes. I am not defined by how I feel about myself, or what I think about myself. The truth of who I am is how God feels about me and what He thinks of me. The truth is that God loves me, and He thinks of me as being important enough that He sent His Son Jesus to die for me so that I could be His forever. When I understand that truth, I better understand that I can trust God with my whole being, I am more likely to get into His Word because I want to know Him better and be more like Him, and I am better equipped for Him to use me in the spiritual battle that furthers His kingdom.

OK, confession time. Sometimes my mind wanders to odd places while I am supposed to be listening to the message. Where did it go today? Well, it went to that age old question of "When Adam and Eve sinned, why didn't God just destroy them and start over? Wouldn't this world be a better place if a different man and woman made a better choice?"  My wandering mind might have stumbled across the answer to that question this morning, and here's what I'm thinking:

When Adam and Eve sinned, God didn't destroy them and start over because I am a descendant of Adam and Eve, and God already loved me too much to stop the process that was going to bring me into being.

That idea is going to be on my mind this week. I hope you will think about it too, because if it is true of me it is also true of you.