Truly He does all things well.

Allow me a few minutes to just marvel at the Master, at the miracle of salvation. To think I was such an irreligious creature, and today I am a Christian. A narrow escape if ever there was one! As I meditate on the word of God I marvel at the miracle that I am here, talking to God, hearing God, walking in relationship with God, enjoying the word of God,  and even, even preaching the word of God. Is there any greater miracle than that? Some people seem genetically programmed to be Christians, I was a rank heathen and exceedingly proud of it.

To be sure I was no slave trader like Newton, yet can I sing Amazing Grace with any less gusto, any less awe, any less gratitude for the miracle of life in Christ offered to one so disdainful of the cross as I was; so intent on living by human standards of truth and right rather than by what I dismissed as the antiquated norms of an alien deity? Is that grace any less amazing? I look over my life and I could right now be in a thousand odd places other than the church, but I am in the church; I could have taken myriads other paths, but I am today walking on the path of God; I could have made multiple other choices, but I made the choice of redemption; I could be following numerous masters and gurus, but I find myself following the one Master, Jesus,

• experiencing grace daily,
• experiencing God daily,
• experiencing joy daily,
• experiencing faith daily,
• experiencing hope daily,
• experiencing forgiveness daily,
• experiencing healing daily,
• experiencing restoration daily,
• experiencing wisdom daily,
• experiencing revelation daily,
• experiencing counsel daily,
• experiencing righteousness daily,
• experiencing intimacy daily,
• experiencing life daily,
• experiencing peace daily
• experiencing….. need I say more.

And since no man can come to God unless He first draws Him, (the theologians call it prevenient grace),  i must echo Paul in saying  not by works so that no man can boast. No grounds for pride, no grounds for smugness, no grounds for superiority, no grounds for anything but unqualified gratitude and submission to the Master. Can we grasp it all? No, the mind founders, and we are simply left to gasp in astonishment and intone, ‘Truly He does all things well’.