My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride
Forbid it, Lord that I should boast. Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most. I sacrifice them to His blood
See from His head, His hands, His feet. Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'r such love and sorrow meet or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine that were an offering far to small
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all! "
JESUS said that if He were to be lifted up, He would draw all men and women to Him. (John 12:32)
As the above chorus suggests, the redemption of all mankind is not dependant upon fallen man’s capability to redeem him or herself, although in their respective sin prone mind they might think they can. But man’s life is likened in the scriptures to a boat without a rudder. Adrift in an ocean, and totally at the mercy of the tides and wind -- which of themselves can be merciless! Maintaining a stiff upper lip, while noteworthy is in such cases similar to burying one's head in sand. The reality is that apart from the intervention of another, all things will inadvertently remain constant. But this is where the good news begins.
With God’s intervention there is hope eternal. How do we know? Because even the winds and the sea obey His voice!
"But the men marvelled, saying, "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him." (Matthew 8:27)
And He said unto them, "Where is your faith?" And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, "What manner of man is this? for He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him." (Luke 8:25)
Continuing then, the question is this. How can one believe in God if they have not heard of God's goodness and grace and mercy? His abundant love for His creation, that He Himself would enact a plan of salvation so encompassing and so inclusive that each and every one of us would have an opportunity to return in our hearts to our beloved Creator. So that we could become all that we were intended to be -- within His family.
Repeatedly, the Lord points to His wondrous works, His creation, His healing hands upon our bodies, His wisdom and knowledge instilled within that we humans have not been able to duplicate -- as evidence that there is a God, so that we are without excuse.
But He did not stop there. From the very beginning, the Lord God had a plan for His beloved people -- those who would willingly stand in the windy place declaring His love and peace and joy -- to those who are without, and are not knowledgeable of His love for them.
As we see from the scriptures, the men marvelled when Jesus commanded the winds and the sea to obey Him. Indeed, these asked, "What manner of man is this?" Note that we are not guiding you to the various man-made religions -- with their pompous ceremonies and idol worship, wherein erected buildings are filled with vain imaginations, relics and images of dead lifeless things, but rather, leading you to ask too -- "What manner of man is this?" -- that He would shed His precious holy blood so that you and I might find life in Him. (Acts 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:21-23)
Indeed, the Great Shepherd who willingly laid down His life on a cross for you and I is calling you into His fold this day. The same Great Shepherd who is now searching the earth to and fro for those perfect hearts to be found in Him -- who know without question that there is only One God who loves us as He does. And that this same God does not live in buildings made with man's hands.
The One Spirit who revealed His pure spiritual humanity in the face of the man JESUS. This same Jesus who is the Lord Himself declared that all of these efforts to build buildings and religious institutions are nothing more than sinking sand. When JESUS speaks, it is His holy Spirit good news gospel message being spoken through the vocal cords of the man JESUS. How do we know? Because the scripture tells us that JESUS is the Word -- this same Word made flesh, who dwelt among us so that we would behold His glory. (John 1:1-18; John 1:10-11, 14)
In Him the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily. (Colossians 2:9)
Yes, "love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all! " If you have not accepted Jesus as both Lord and Christ in your heart, I encourage you to do so today. Take hold of the love that He intended for you from the beginning. Ask Him to fulfill His purpose in your life today. Find a New Testament and discover how God became your Saviour, so that your heart can be one again with your Creator. In this current dispensation of grace. Jesus is His Name.
Stand in the offering plate.
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