Try all I can, from now until eternity
I’ll never measure up to Sovereign standards.
Who am I to approach the Most Holy?
With what credentials will I stand before Him?
Feet of clay? When steel melts in His Presence!
I’d turn and flee, fretful on the wings of fear
Driven by condemnation, drifting to Sheol
But God’s grace in the arms of Christ
Bids me come, just as I am.
“I am no good.” He still says come.
“I fall so short.” Love transforms to elevate.
“There’s so much going on in my life right now
That won’t make sense LORD, besides
I’m saddled with sin, guilt and shame.” Yet
He says, “Don’t try to rid or hide them
Come with all, just as you are.
In My sight, you are unique, redeemed;
Deemed worthy of My loving kindness.”
“What manner of love is this?” I wonder, confused.
“Your focus on ‘self’ yields only regrets and death
But when you look to Me and embrace My grace
You stand blameless in my unconditional acceptance
Not because of your person or possessions
But because of what I accomplished for you.”
I surmised” mortality cannot attain immortality;
Incomprehensible, inexhaustible, undeniable
Except I come just as I am, content in His care.
I recall the song, “I don’t know why Jesus loves me. I don’t know why He cares. I don’t know why He sacrificed His life but I am glad He did.” Human language cannot locate words, sufficient to explain why God loves us. Mortal minds are unable to comprehend the immensity of God’s eternal love for us, which surpasses all understanding. How do you explain that someone you don’t know, don’t care about, left all He had, came all the way to save and set you free from a situation you were neither aware of its gravity nor seeking and asking for His help? God didn’t wait for us to understand how lost we were to step in with His redemption plan.
From then until now, God offers no reasons for the sacrifice on the cross except for love. He did it out of love. He loved us so much when we didn’t know and didn’t care. He loved us enough to give it all up and choose such ungodly exposures to suffering, pain, shame and death so that we can be saved from what we could never save ourselves from. He loved us so bad He came so low, to our rescue. All for love’s sake.
Not because we were nice enough. Not because we appeared with promising prospects. God looked beyond what and where we were, to do what He had to do, what in fact only He could do, to get us out of where we were stuck to where we were created to be in Him and with Him. Even in the face of all we did and did not do: He did not balk in His loving.
Guess what that tells me today? That God’s purpose and plans are eternal and He is well able to perform and perfect it irrespective of what you and I do or don’t. He is well able to do what He will do to get us where we should be no matter what comes in between. He is well able to keep us going no matter whatever comes up along the way. What a relief and joy to know, that our ending is not hinged on what was, what is going on and what will happen. It’s all tied to God who never fails; who has promised never to leave nor forsake us; who is faithful to the end despite our failures and unfaithfulness. God is God and God will always be God irrespective of what comes and goes.
This is not to encourage us into error or excuses for being and doing what we shouldn’t. Instead, it is encouragement that we should rest in God and trust in the finished work of Christ on Calvary; that our focus should not be on what we missed, on what we are missing and on what we may miss but rather on all that we are and have been enabled to be and to do because of that ultimate sacrifice of the One who loves and calls us just as we are.
In this love that attracts the likes of you and me, just as we are, to the Holy and Mighty, I find contentment and peace. I find rest enough to cease from my strivings as I focus my walk in His footsteps. In this unfathomable and inexhaustible love of God, demonstrated in Christ, my heart overflows with gratitude – to the Great one who chooses to stoop down in order to reach and to lift the likes of you and me. In this love we march on no matter what comes at and against us knowing that our victory, our ending is determined by the Almighty God who is for us, in us, and with us until the end: blessed be Your name O God!
Blessings
Glory!