Still Amazed by Grace - John Newton

                             Remembering John Newton....

The following is written on the grave marker for John Newton, redeemed and forgiven atheist slave trader, the author of Amazing Grace and other hymns, and active participant and leader in the abolitionist movement of the 1700's.

He was born in 1725 and died in 1807 -- roughly an English contemporary of George Washington.


His epitaph:

John Newton, a clerk,
once an infidel and libertine,
a servant of slaves in Africa,
was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and
appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.

* * * * * * * *

Some of his remembered quotes:

I am not what I ought to be; I am not what I want to be; I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.

God sometimes does His work with gentle drizzles, not storms.

If we seem to get no good by attempting to draw to Him, we may be sure we will get none by keeping away from Him.

This is faith: a renouncing of everything we are apt to call our own and relying wholly upon the blood, righteousness and intercession of Jesus.

Near death, he said,

Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.

 

His most famous quote:

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.

[He also wrote the great hymn, Glorious things of Thee are Spoken, Zion City of our God! Today we sing those stirring words to a familiar tune by Franz Joseph Haydn.]

How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds is another hymn by John Newton:

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

in a believer's ear!

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and

Drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole

And calms the troubled breast

'Tis manna to the hungry soul

And to the weary, rest.

Dear name -- the rock on which I build

My shield and hiding place

My never-ending treasure,

Filled with boundless stores of grace.

Jesus, my shepherd, brother, friend,

My prophet, priest and King

My Lord, my life, my way, my end

Accept the praise I bring!

Imagine the miracle: a confirmed atheist; cruel, self-serving slave trader; transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit - writing the gentle, loving words above.

 A transformed life is the greatest miracle of all! - restored and pardoned, as the words appear on his grave stone.

God's Masterpiece

 "For we are God's handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).

Certainly one of the most amazing verses in scripture! We are saved by grace, not by our good works -- but we are saved so we can do God's good works and glorify Him!

We are here for a reason. So we can do the  service He designed specifically for us to do and bring glory to Him.

(Remember the Westminster Catechism -- Q: What is the chief end of man? A: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever)

Otherwise He would have just beamed us up immediately the moment He saved us!

(Sort of like what happened to the repentant thief on the cross! Wow...imagine the relief...from the torture of the cross to the unspeakable splendor of paradise!)

Though, I admit, there are times being beamed up immediately sounds like  good option!

First Thoughts -- First Words - Eric Metaxas - From The Moon

From Eric Metaxas...

It's interesting to think that some of the first words ever spoken on the surface of the moon were those of Jesus.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. [Whoever] abides in Me...will bring forth much fruit...(John 15:5)

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin said that he'd intended to read this communion passage in his transmission back to earth, but at the same time, NASA was embroiled in a legal battle with Madalyn O'Hair, the outspoken atheist who was suing NASA because the Apollo 8 crew had read a few scriptures from Genesis when they orbited the moon on Christmas of 1968.

Aldrin had been asked not to read the scriptures over the radio, and he reluctantly complied, reading them quietly as he gave thanks to God.

"It was interesting for me think," he said some years later, "the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements."

And interesting for us to think that the first symbolic act on the moon was a remembrance of a self-sacrificial act of grace made 2000 years earlier by the One who made the moon and the Earth and the stars.

                       --------------------------------------------

Buzz Aldrin had communion on the moon on July 20, 1969, before he and Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon's surface during the Apollo 11 landing. The chalice he used is on display at Webster Presbyterian Church in Webster, Texas.

I am a Christian - What does it mean?

When I say "I am a Christian," I am not shouting that
I live a godly life.

I'm whispering "I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say "I am a Christian," I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong.

I am professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success.

I am admitting that I have failed and need God to daily clean my messes.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect.

My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say, "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches.

So I call upon His Name to comfort me and walk the journey with me.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not being 'holier than thou.'

I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace and am eternally filled with gratitude and praise.

We do have a choice!

 

If we feel we are being bombarded daily with messages contrary to God's Word (and we are) -- we can choose to bombard ourselves with messages from God's Word -- words that bring us closer to Him!

We can focus on words that fill our minds and hearts with His specific messages for us.

Philippians 4:8 tells us how to do that: "Whatever is true...noble...right...pure...admirable...excellent...praiseworthy...think about those things."

So just as we carefully choose to eat to nourish our bodies, we must also be intentional about what we consume spiritually and mentally.

It's all about our free choice! We must seek out what is noble and right and pure and praiseworthy. We must align our actions with God's righteous standard.

It is our choice. Let's choose to dwell on things that bring us closer to God and experience the abundant life that Christ offers us.

It's our choice -- good choices become good habits!

A sample -- Lamentations 3

"Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning -- great is Your faithfulness."

There are hundreds more -- why not start a journal and write one down every day? Therefore we have hope....