Spiritual Birthday!
Tomorrow, September 1st, is my spiritual birthday. It was on that date back in the very early 1980's that I asked my mom what it meant to be a Christian. As I look back over my spiritual life (being made alive in Christ) I have naught I can do, but count my many blessings. Consider being born into a Christian family. Is that not a blessing in itself? Consider growing up, from my earliest memories, in church. What of being in a Christian school, of special meetings at church, of learning to pray in public on Saturday night prayer meetings? What of the formation of the youth group and later the young adults group? What of Joshua School, sitting in day and night classes under God's word? What of special speakers and short-term missions trips?
It could be so different today (well, tomorrow). I could be living in bondage to sin and the flesh, following the desires of the god of this world. I could be lost and in darkness, empty and alone. And but for the grace of God, so would I be. But God, (and oh the blessedness of those words), called me out of darkness into His wonderful light. Through the shed blood of Calvary my sins are covered and through His life I am justified. Now, God the Son sits at the Father's right hand and intercedes on my behalf!
Oh the blessedness of the one who is found in Him! I am redeemed! I am ransomed! The price that I could not pay has been paid by Him, BEFORE I EVEN KNEW OR CARED ABOUT HIM! If those things do not set my perspective straight, then there is something seriously wrong with my relationship with Him!
Yes, my physical birth had to occur prior to my spiritual one, but oh the blessedness of that spiritual one! I trust that these few lines will remind us all of the blessings that we have in Christ, the confidence, the great and precious promises, and the fact that no matter what happens today, the ransom has been paid.
There is a song that I really like, it probably is my favorite hymn, and one that I think fits this commemoration of that day when the Father drew me to Christ. I thought I'd type out the third verse, as it usually is the one that will be skipped when this song is sung...(and it's the best one)
My sin, oh the bliss, of that glorious thought,
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross,
And I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
O my soul!
It could be so different today (well, tomorrow). I could be living in bondage to sin and the flesh, following the desires of the god of this world. I could be lost and in darkness, empty and alone. And but for the grace of God, so would I be. But God, (and oh the blessedness of those words), called me out of darkness into His wonderful light. Through the shed blood of Calvary my sins are covered and through His life I am justified. Now, God the Son sits at the Father's right hand and intercedes on my behalf!
Oh the blessedness of the one who is found in Him! I am redeemed! I am ransomed! The price that I could not pay has been paid by Him, BEFORE I EVEN KNEW OR CARED ABOUT HIM! If those things do not set my perspective straight, then there is something seriously wrong with my relationship with Him!
Yes, my physical birth had to occur prior to my spiritual one, but oh the blessedness of that spiritual one! I trust that these few lines will remind us all of the blessings that we have in Christ, the confidence, the great and precious promises, and the fact that no matter what happens today, the ransom has been paid.
There is a song that I really like, it probably is my favorite hymn, and one that I think fits this commemoration of that day when the Father drew me to Christ. I thought I'd type out the third verse, as it usually is the one that will be skipped when this song is sung...(and it's the best one)
My sin, oh the bliss, of that glorious thought,
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross,
And I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
O my soul!
posted by Derek Linder at 9:46 PM
1 Comments:
Well, happy birthdays! Are you 30? That is a great hymn, especially that verse!
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