Grace that is Greater than Sin

“I do not understand the mystery of grace -
only that it meets us where we are
and does not leave us where it found us.”

 This weekend I started Redemption Group (which I have decided is basically like community group/discipleship on steroids).
I can say that I was definitely not prepared for what I experienced this weekend. I came in not really knowing what to expect, but I was both excited and a little nervous.
I walked away emotionally spent and incredibly overwhelmed by Grace.

I know that God has been incredibly gracious to me throughout my entire life. I do not understand why He pursued me so persistantly at such an early age, but I am so grateful to Him. That to say, I have always lived in a relatively safe world. I have never had to face the harsh reality of the malevolence, the atrocity of the world we live in. I have never had to face how completely horrifying sin is. This weekend, my heart broke over and over again as I heard stories upon stories of lives devastated by sin. I had never felt the very real weight of that. My heart was heavy.
But wonderfully, I was not left with a heavy heart.

In light of all the pain, God's grace became immensely more beautiful to me. All weekend, everything within me wanted to yell "Thank God there IS a Savior!" I saw in a so much more real way that God is Greater and Bigger than all of the mess!
To see lives that were utterly broken be so completely changed and turned around was amazing! I met so many beautiful women radiating with the grace that God had poured out on them. My heart is in awe thinking about it. To think that God takes people who are so messed up, deserving of God's wrath, and rescues them from their pits of destruction making them vessels of mercy, turning them into beautiful, complete, whole children of God, is stunning. It takes my breath away.

I am so incredibly grateful that God poured out so much grace upon me as a child. I see that my sinful, rebellious nature would probably have taken me on an extremely destructive path had not God been merciful. But God saved me! He not only saved me from hell, He saved me from myself! Thank you Jesus! And the best part? He continues to save me from myself! I am still so prone to sin. My heart is still so wicked, not longing for Him or His righteousness, but longing for the idols of my heart. Yet, He continually shows grace and draws me into Himself.

I am very excited about this quarter's Redemption Group. I am excited to see lives transformed as people come into greater understandings of the Good News. I am excited for what God will transform in my heart, the wounds He will heal, the lessons He will teach me. I am excited to be yet again captivated by Him.

I wanted to end this with the words of an old hymn. Sometimes, when I feel down, I open up my old hymnbook and just read it. There is so much beautiful Truth in the words I read. This particular hymn always blesses my heart.

Marvelous Grace

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Chorus:

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can we do to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today. 

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?