The Amazing Grace Of God
...So that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24
Nowhere in the Bible will you find the words, "Amazing Grace". Nowhere. The two words together are not in there. But that Great Book is filled with Grace. Oh yes. And it has been through receipt of that Grace, that we had to add the word "Amazing". AMAZING Grace. And what is there about God's Grace that makes it so amazing? Mr. Webster defines grace as "good-will or favor", then adds, "Divine love and protection given to mankind by God". Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Unmerited? Absolutely! We cannot earn it, learn it, buy it, deserve it, but He still imparts His Grace to us, every day. Such a gift as Grace begs the question, "Why?" Why would God ever give us Grace? Why would God extend His glorious mercy to us? The answer is so simple that many completely miss it or choose to disregard it. He wants us to glorify Him. He wants us to magnify Him. He wants us to love Him, and praise Him. He wants us to live for Him, so He can give us abundant life and a peace that truly does pass all understanding. It's hard for humans to understand this kind of love, for it is not in our nature. Thus the difference in God's divine nature and man's corruptible one. God extends His Grace to us that we may come to know Him in His fullness, in all His abundance. Grace. Amazing Grace. What glorious words! Countless numbers of people have heard that wonderful old hymn, "Amazing Grace". Have you ever really stopped to listen to the words of that great old song? It was written by a man who experienced the awesome Grace of God, John Newton. Articles about his life describe the debauchery in which he indulged, even going so far as to engage in the despicable slave trade, transporting people from their homeland to distant shores. However, one day, John Newton met a man, and oh what a man he met! During a desperate bid for his life during which the ship he captained very nearly sank, he reached beyond the means he knew and into the arms of Amazing Grace. No wonder John Newton could pen such words! He knew, he experienced Amazing Grace, firsthand. He never ceased to praise God for His Grace. Sources record that shortly before his death at the age of 82, he said, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: I am a great sinner and Jesus Christ is a great Savior!" Newton's tombstone reads, "John Newton, Clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy." But a far greater testimony outlives John Newton--the most famous of the hundreds of hymns he wrote: Amazing Grace. I, too, can attest to that great Grace. "Amazing Grace" will always be my favorite of all songs because it so aptly describes the wretchedness of my own life and the forgiveness I found through Jesus Christ. Oh, that God would extend His Grace to forgive such a person as me! I will never forget who I was and what I was and where I was. I don't want to forget. I want to always remember where He brought me from and all that He has done for me. I am separated from the sins of my past and have been made a new creature in Him. Old things are passed away, behold! All things have become new. There's a completeness, a peace the Bible describes as being "past all understanding" in my life, that the world and all it had to offer, could not give. But what makes it so amazing is, it's made new every day! It's there for not only today, but all my tomorrows! Do you know that peace? Do you have that everlasting joy and contentment deep within your soul? You can. Yes, you can - it's there for you, too. You can know the relief that only Jesus Christ can give. You, too, can have a new life through His Amazing Grace. You see, there truly is no other word for Grace but Amazing.
"The Amazing Grace of God" Copyright © 1997 by Patricia Sikes. All Rights Reserved.
Warner Sallman, 1940
God's Mercy: Not getting what I deserve. God's Grace: Getting what I could never deserve.
God has never given me "just" what I asked of Him. Never. His uniqueness is so profound: the answers that He provides have far-reaching effects and are the ultimate "gifts that keep on giving". He truly is exceedingly abundant in all that He does. Jesus, Himself, said, "I am come that ye might have life and have it more abundantly." Be sure to visit "God's Abundance". Learn the scriptures there - keep them close in your mind and heart. They will sustain you, they will strengthen your faith in our Eternal, Ever-Faithful, Never-Failing, Everlasting to Everlasting God.
Amazing Grace
If you have been blessed, give God the Glory! Please sign our guestbook; let us know you enjoyed "Amazing Grace". Thank you so much for visiting He Is Able!
With the exception of the King James Bible, ALL material on He Is Able is protected by copyright.