Amazing Grace Glowing Throughout History

Amazing Grace Lyrics

John Newton (1725-1807)
Stanza 6 anon.

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.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.

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.

Two different  renditions of the same song, but there is such power in them, power we often tend to forget. Something God has really brought home for me today is the power in His forgiveness He gives unto us freely.

A book I read recently, Unmerited Favor by Joseph Prince, really helps shed a bright light upon the amazing simplicity of His grace.  He freely forgives us, past, present, future. Done. It's hard to grasp within a world where you are told you have to earn everything. A friend who is now reading the book reminded me of this today, something I needed.

But this Christ earned.

The book I'm currently reading is On the Eve of Adam by Dr. J.R.Church, quite an amazing book so far.  There is so many interesting concepts within the pages of just the first four chapters that I cannot fully describe all of them, but some that apply for this that have spoken within me are these:

Excerpt from Chapter 2:

Since Adam is a prophetic figure of Jesus Christ, Eve, his bride, must be a type of New Testament Christianity--the bride of Christ. Adam gave life to Eve. In like manner, Christ gave eternal life to us. As Eve was taken from the side of Adam, New Testament Christianity has been taken from the riven side of Christ:

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5)

According to the Scriptures, Eve was deceived in the fall, yet Adam was not. Adam was willing to take her sin upon himself. The sin of Eve was accounted to Adam. He was willing to become identified with her sin. In like manner, Jesus took our sin upon Himself, that He might become our substitute, and suffer our consequences.

 Chapter 4 goes into the life of Joseph from the Old Testament and compares it to the life of Christ.  Something I had never considered. There are far too many similarities to bring them all to light here (you'll have to read the book) here are some facts:

• The story of Joseph starts in Genesis chapter 30, the ministry of Christ starts at age 30.
• The 30th chapter of Genesis is represented by the Hebrew alphabet letter chet referring to "a new beginning" representing the First Advent of Christ.
• Both Joseph & Christ had miracle births 
• "And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son" (Genesis 30:22-24)
• Rachel's (Joseph's mom) name, meaning "ewe lamb" lends to the view that Joseph was born as a lamb. In like manner Christ is the "lamb of God".
• Joseph was the beloved son, as Christ is God's beloved Son
• Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver and Christ was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.
• Joseph was stripped of his coat of many colors, was thrown into a pit to die but came out alive, later having his coat dipped in blood and presented to his father.
  
  Christ was stripped of His clothes (John 19:23-24) and in a similar manner, Christ was placed in a tomb--a place of death--but was resurrected! And when Christ returns, He will be wearing His vesture dipped in blood:
• "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood" (Revelation 19:13)
• Joseph became a servant to Potiphar, as Christ took upon Himself the form of a servant
  
  The comparisons continue but the one I want to focus on is at the end:
• Joseph kept Benjamin and pressed his brothers to confess their guilt concerning him and express love for their father (Genesis 44:27-31). Once they confessed their sin, he then reveals himself to them and freely forgives them (Genesis 45:1-9). Joseph and his brothers are an allegory of God's great program for the nation of Israel.
  
  After Jacob's death [their father], they were fearful that Joseph would seek revenge. However, their fears were groundless.
  
  And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive" (Genesis 50:19-20)
  Excerpt from Chapter 4:
  It is hard for some people to accept the fact that God freely forgives, but He does. Salvation has no strings attached. We are forgiven because of the blood of Christ, who died once and for all. We need not fear falling from God's grace. Joseph is clear about his forgiveness to the brothers and thus, presents a prophetic message to us about the love of Christ. There is no greater picture of Christ to be found in the pages of the Old Testament.
  
  
  

 Now rereading the lyrics of the song Amazing Grace...re listening to the words of the song Grace Like Rain...the words have a whole new meaning. The amazing love of our God, it's liberating, it's freeing, and it's something we have ALWAYS had, we have NOW, and we will FOREVER keep.  Amen.

(Jump in de line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you!

*Originally written on March 4th, 2011*

"Mister!" he said with a sawdusty sneeze,
"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.
I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues...."

The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss, had to be my absolute favorite Dr. Seuss book/movie ever...and still is actually.  I'm not sure why, or what exactly it is about that story, but it spoke to me at a very young age, & gets me still today.  March 2nd was celebrated as Dr. Seuss day in honor of Theodor Seuss Geisel, more popularly known as the beloved Dr. Seuss, who celebrated his 107th birthday.  In honor of this, Life University had a reading day where we could volunteer to read to the BrightLife daycare children one of his books.  They provided some but mine wasn't listed so I brought it and read it to the preschoolers.  Reading the story to them really brought back memories, and made me realize that it was this very book, this very movie, that first sparked the inner tree-hugger.  It is what made me an environmentalist and nature-lover.  I remember every earth day I would get so excited because I knew they were going to play the movie! 

It's funny how such little, insignificant things can speak such volumes into lives.  Things you don't think twice on like a tired teacher popping in The Lorax movie for earth day so she can take a break and get some things done. Never realizing the life she just changed by that one movie.

I was reminded of this again today when at work I was emotionally about to just crack, all I could do at that second to keep my sanity and try to hide from my coworkers that I was about to cry was just think on how I really wanted a hug (...maybe I'd facebook that, or facebooka particular friend who I knew gave awesome hugs...) and justas I was thinking that as I stared at my computer screen trying not to cry, guess who surprised me with a hello?  It would be the one friend I wanted a hug from, I needed a hug from!  I'm sure when he came into the library that morning he didn't know that his normal stopping by the reference desk to greet me would end up answering my silent prayer.  But it did, it kept me together the rest of the day...and all it was, was a really good true hug.

How we live our lives, even in the small steps of our days, impact so many others it gets me thinking, how do I live my life?  How do I live the aspects of my life that I don't think about?  How do I live out the details?  

As the Switchfoot song, This is Your Life song goes:

"Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead
Yesterday is a promise that you’ve broken
Don’t close your eyes, don’t close your eyes
This is your life and today is all you’ve got now
Yeah, and today is all you’ll ever have
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t close your eyes
This is your life, are you who you want to be
This is your life, are you who you want to be
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose
Yesterday is a kid in the corner
Yesterday is dead and over
This is your life, are you who you want to be
This is your life, are you who you want to be
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose..."

 When running today, I kept trying so hard to not think on all the emotional things going on in my head, & focus on God and what's funny is first God had my ipod play a song that was about trying to escape from your own thoughts and fears, and then He played

Harry Belafonte (Herold George Belafonte)'s Jump in the Line (Shake., Senora)

I couldn't help but think back on the movie Bettlejuice where Winona Ryder floats & dances to this song & couldn't help but being amused.  I looked at the sun that was softly shining upon me through a light, perfect cloud covering, I could just see God smiling at me I telling me plainly to lighten up, not to take life so seriously.

Then of course I spent the next few seconds 'dancing' while running to this song, & it had to be the highlight of my run!   But it also revealed to me that I'm not truly who God intended me to me unless I am relaxed in Him.  When we are stressed, worried, fearful, angry, etc. we lose a part of ourselves.

When we are experiencing these emotions, what kind of impact are we going to leave?  Small or large, just the lack of a smile on your face can make or break someones day (which I have honestly experienced at work multiple times with stressed students).

How to fix this?  I don't know honestly, but I know this, by keeping my eyes on Christ, through His death on the cross and by God's unmerited, unearned favor (grace), I come closer to the answer. I learn to love as Christ loved, to live a life just a bit more like He lived, to walk in such a way and shine my light in such a way as to bring glory and honor to His name and use the best of myself to impact others-to impact the world, one small touch at a time.

I just finished reading Unmerited Favor by Joseph Prince which I highlyrecommend by-the-way, and in the last chapter he talks about Jesus with the leper-where the leper, while believing that God could heal & had the ability to heal him, wondered if God was willing to heal him.  And how did Jesus heal him?  "Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, 'I am willing; be cleansed'" Matthew 8:3...that one small thing, a single touch meant more to this leper than anything else. Someone who NEVER gets touched. Here is Joseph Prince's writings on this:

He did not touch every person that He healed. At times, He simply spoke and the sick were healed.  But in this case, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched the leper tenderly. I believe that Jesus did this to heal him not just of his leprosy, but also of the emotional scars that he had received from years of rejection.

You never know what a mere touch can do for someone...that's what I experienced this morning.  You never know what a silly time-wasting cartoon movie can do for a child, but I learned it can shape that child into who they grow up to become...I bet Dr. Seuss never knew that just by writing his silly thoughts & ides down, his silly stories and make believe world, he would havesuch an impact on children around the world to this day and will continue.  As little read as this blog is, who knows what random person I may reach out there who I'll never meet or even know exists...

"And all that the Lorax left here in this mess
was a small pile of rocks, with one word...
"UNLESS."
Whatever that meant, well, I just couldn't guess...
"But now," says the Once-ler,
"Now that you're here,
the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear...

 

Wildflower, by Elena Wrevhn

*Originally written on December 29th, 2010*

my sister wrote this poem for me and it has meant so much to me that I wanted to re-post it on this blog...I'm starting an art project my psychologist suggested, to make a joy collage.  The first two things that came to mind was this poem and GIR.  I don't think I could ever find words to express how much this poem has meant to me, that she, anybody really but especially my sister, would think of me that way, would be inspired to write something like this to me.  I think it was her first poem about someone-to someone.

Wildflower
By Elena Wright Wrevhn
She is no rose,
With vicious thorns,
Nor common daisy,
Far to quaint,
They call her wildflower,
They call her beauty,
They call her heaven-sent,
I call her angel,
She is a lady,
With silken petals,
Her blossom dreams,
In every color,
They call her wildflower,
They call her beauty,
They call her heaven-sent,
I call her friend,
She is so sweet,
With whispering perfume,
That forever kisses,
Your fondest memory,
They call her wildflower,
They call her beauty,
They call her heaven-sent,
I call her sister,
She is of strength,
With soil so pure,
And roots so deep,
She cannot be moved,
They call her wildflower,
They call her beauty,
They call her heaven-sent,
I call her Rebecca

This fits with what Joyce Myers just preached on this morning, identity theft.  She preached on Ephesians Chapter 1

Redemption in Christ

  
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, ⁵ having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, ⁹ having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, ¹⁰ that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both^[a] which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. ¹¹ In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, ¹² that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who^[b] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

This also goes along with the book I've started by Joseph Prince, Unmerited Favor. The first chapter he mentions Joseph and how:

"God's definition of success is contrary to the world's definition...From Genesis 39:2, it is clear that success is not what you have, but rather who you have! Joseph literally had nothing materially, but at the same time, he had everything because the Lord was with him...We need to learn to stop pursuing things and start pursuing Him. God sees your relationship with Him as the only thing that you need for every success in your life."

Genesis 39:1-2

^"1Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. ² The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian."

Every morning and as I've ran on the trail recently with the Lord, He has brought to mind how everything about me, everything about life, within life, everything that has breath speaks of Him and His majesty and grace and redemption.  All that I do, all that I am becomes and shows more and more of Him rather than me as I grow closer to him. Every powered stride I take on my runs, every mile I manage to go with Him, by Him, through Him, every quilt I make, every loop I crochet, every stroke I paint, every tree and piece of nature, and every piece of me that finds joy within nature. He lives within my heart and His cleansing blood is constantly washing over me.  His light shines from me, His joy radiates out of me.  All that I am, truly am, is really Him.  That is what makes me and all that I am so amazing, is its not me!  Its what gives me a true confidence.  The love that Christ has for me is truly amazing and I cannot wait to learn more and gain a deeper true understanding of His amazing grace that saved a retch like me!