My past embraced
My sin forgiven
I'm blameless in Your sight
My history rewritten
You delight in mercy
Mercy triumphs over judgment
Oh Love, great Love
Fear cannot be found in You
There will never be a day
You're uncertain of the ones You choose
You delight in mercy
Mercy triumphs over judgment
So I will wake
And spend days
Loving the One
Who raised me up
From death to life
From wrong to right
You're making all things beautiful
You delight in mercy
Mercy triumphs over judgment
This song so deeply blessed my soul today.
Please let the truth of these lyrics rain down on you. Soak in them.
But don't stop there...
Be changed by them. Claim their truth. Be transformed, my brothers and sisters.
One of my favorite phrases in this song is the fact that fear cannot be found in Jesus. He came to disband fear once, and for all.
...but I am fearful. I spend the majority of my thought life in fear.
Fear that I will lose my beautiful family in a host of tragic scenarios that play out in my mind. Fear that friends will betray.
Fear.
But, friends. That is the enemy speaking to my mind. And fear cannot be found in Jesus.
I just read about the Body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12.
And it got me thinking: what do I contribute to my local body (church)? How is my church better because Carley Block Maier attends and brings with her the gifts that Jesus uniquely gave to her?
We so often cower in our gifting, (ok, I so often cower in my gifting) for several reasons:
Others do it better. Whatever your "it" is, I'm sure you're right. I know I am gifted in my writing abilities, but I read the words so eloquently drafted by so many other authors (who, by the way, are carrying out the gifting God gave them!) and feel like, "Who am I?".
We get busy. Being a full-time working wife and mama to two girls who forgot how to sleep doesn't exactly leave me with the luxury of much free time. However. That's an excuse. I can take every moment God has granted me with my girls, at my church, at the grocery store, with my husband...and exercise my giftings in those scenarios.
We get selfish. (why can't google have emoticons...I'm powerless without emoticons) Oh sweet friends I am so guilty of this. Oh my goodness so guilty. I look at my comfort, my preferences, my needs, whatever spare time I do have....and I so foolishly call it mine. When scripture tells me I am not even my own (1 Corinthians 6:19). Paul David Tripp says, "God has called all His children not to be mere recipients of His kingdom work of grace, but to be instruments of that work as well." (New Morning Mercies)
Sweet Jesus that hits me smack in the face.
So as the song continues to proclaim, "I will wake and spend my days, loving the One who raised me up, from death to life, from wrong to right, You're making all things beautiful."
Friends. Good morning. Wake up. Spend your days loving Jesus back by loving others, by contributing your gifts that God so graciously, intimately gifted to you and you alone.
Don't let Satan win. And if we won today....don't let him win tomorrow.
(***song: Mercy, by Amanda Cook, Album: Brave New World***)
