By GARY ANDREWS
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Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see.
To me this is one of the greatest songs ever written and continues to be as popular today as it was when it was penned in 1748 by John Newton. Newton had gone through some serious trials in his early life and it wasn’t until he was captain of his own ship that he realized that God is in control and through His mercy and grace we are saved. Newton had some religious instruction from his mother; however she passed away when he was a child and he became a victim of the world.
Newton is like so many of us today. We may have heard about God when we were at home because our parents taught us this. So many of us leave the nest and many times we leave behind our spiritual teachings plus our ethics, integrity, morals, and many other features needed to survive.
Just as it did in the 1700’s and earlier, the world teaches us to look out for number one and to get above others anyway we can. It doesn’t matter who we step on or hurt when we need to further our own glory. There are many of our leaders in today’s society, and even some preachers that will lower their values to those of the world to get ahead in society. We work really hard at getting people to envy us because we are self-sufficient in our jobs, our families, our homes, and our communities. We have no compassion for others and push them aside to make sure our way is not deterred.
I see in many of our younger generation homes the loss of courtesy, respect, manners, and the teachings of our elders. The world is telling them to move ahead in the careers using any method they can. When we see this in business ethics we will also see it in the homes, especially when two parents are working and our children and grandchildren being raised by others.
Newton observed May 10, 1748, as the day of his conversion, a day of humiliation in which he subjected his will to a higher power. He wrote in his journal that all seemed lost as his ship went through a violent storm and would surely sink, he asked the Lord to have mercy upon him and his crew. He later reflected on what he had asked the Lord and realized the God’s grace had begun to work for him.
He wrote, “Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come, ‘tis grace has bro’t me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” After returning home Newton married, self-educated himself in several languages, then went into the ministry, preaching and writing songs.
How many of us today have gone through these same type tribulations that John Newton went through? How many of us have asked God to help us in our times of need? How many of us have stopped to thank our Lord and Savior for bringing us through difficult times and then turning our lives around to be a disciple for Him?
Scripture that all of us need to remember and hold close to our heart is Psalm 145:8-9; “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” It doesn’t matter what you have done in the past as long as you lay it all out before the Lord and confess your wrongs, then He will forgive you and lead you where He wants you to be.
Prayer: Father God thank you for being with me and leading me in the direction you would have me go. Thank you for your grace and mercy for a sinner such as I. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Psalm 103:8-14; Monday – 4-8; Tuesday – Exodus 34:4-8; Wednesday – Romans 5:15-19; Thursday – Nehemiah 9:16-18; Friday – John 1:15-18; Saturday – 2 Corinthians 6:1-10.).
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com.