An Incredible Story of God's Grace

This morning I was basking in his presence and the song Gratitude by Brandon Lake began to play. I was overcome with emotion. See, when resigning my position and stepping away from the church that we had called home for so long, I have to admit, there were some fears. Where would we go? What did God have planned for us next? Will I be able to discern his plan for us? To be clear, I still can't answer most of those questions, but I'm at complete peace with it. And to be honest, all roads seem to be leading to the same thing..... Don't worry, I have an inkling we will be staying right here in Gardner, but God is known to surprise us. However, with every day that passes, God has showered us with reassurance. A reassurance we shouldn't need, but is definitely appreciated. The amount of doors that God is opening in my life right now brought me to my knees in gratitude this morning.

Tonight we leave for Des Moines for a jam packed weekend. A men's breakfast, then straight to a homeless outreach, preaching the gospel Sunday morning, and then a Pasta Dinner fundraiser for our Zimbabwe trip this summer. It is going to be a busy weekend, but I know I'll have to slow down at multiple points and take it all in. See, close to 15 years ago, I attended the church I'll be working with this weekend for a while. To say I was a mess at the time would be an understatement. I was awaiting charges in my federal drug case. I was incredibly prideful. I was lost. I drank quite a bit at the time. I chose dishonesty over and over and over. I thought about no one but myself and I left leaving a mess of hurt behind me for others to clean up.

Fifteen years later, I'm presenting the gospel message in that same church. The same pastor that had to ask me to leave, has invited me back to share his pulpit with me. If this isn't an incredible example of God's grace, I don't know what is. And I thought him allowing my wife and I to marry in his sanctuary years back was an act of grace. This is on a whole different level. It is also a testament of just how much God can change someone's heart. The person I am today is literally incomparable to the person I was then in every single way. This pastor that is affording me this opportunity might be my uncle, but he is also someone who has become a mentor in my life. Someone I can be completely honest with. Someone who has always been a rock of faith. I just needed Jesus to change my heart. I just needed to realize my need for a Savior in every area of my life.

In the bible we see examples of this throughout. God used so many broken people. Paul comes to mind. The man devoted his life to persecuting Christians for their faith and then wrote a big chunk of the New Testament. Talk about life change. Then there is Peter who would deny even knowing Christ multiple times, and then go on to build the early church. God's grace is real! In every situation!

I'm overcome with gratitude this morning. Gratitude that I serve a God that is so incredibly forgiving. Gratitude that I serve a God that will change one's heart to such an extent. It didn't come easy. It has now been years of pursuing him with everything. Years of truly learning how to die to self each morning, and live a life centered in him. Accepting the need for a savior, accepting that that savior is Jesus Christ, and then repenting of my old life through an unashamed pursuit of him in everything.

If you find yourself broken, if you find yourself in a mess, if you find yourself hurting, let me be the first to tell you that God can and will redeem and restore all things through you putting your faith in him. It doesn't come overnight. We don't pray a prayer, and in the blink of an eye, our life is great. It takes time. It takes work. And it takes our acknowledgement of a need for a Savior. We can't do it on our own.

I am so incredibly thankful for what God has and is doing in our lives. I am so incredibly thankful that through him, my past does not define me. I look forward to the day that I am kneeling before him in heaven in awe of who he is. But today, I'll kneel before him here, also in awe of who he is!

Instead of a few independent verses, I want to leave you with this excerpt from Ephesians 2.

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:4-9 (NIV)