Insight from our Singing - part 4

Some songs, while familiar, become so familiar to us that we lose the impact of their meaning.  I think that sometimes in church we put ourselves on autopilot and could sing what we sing without even giving so much as a thought to what we are singing. We can sing "Victory in Jesus" while feeling totally defeated.  We can sing "Nearer my God to Thee" while feeling distant from God.  This is why I love singing thoughtfully.  And the other day as I was humming a familiar tune, I was reminded of the words.

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 spilt

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.

And that is just the first verse!

When we think about the grace of God, do we truly fathom how marvelous it is?  How impressive the grace that forgives and exceeds all of our sin and our guilt.  What a glorious truth.  The sin that we take so lightly was covered by the grace of God at Calvary and therefore our sin and guilt are obliterated before a holy God.  This means that we do not have to live in fear, but in the glorious freedom that comes from knowing the truth about who we are and whose we are in Christ.  This kind of knowledge frees us to live like Christ intended - striving to serve Him, not out of fear of a punishment that has already been paid for by grace, but out of a sense of love and joy and commitment to the one who has freed us from our slavery to sin through His glorious grace!  Praise be to God for the grace that He so freely has bestowed upon us.