Monday 24 June 2013

Amazing Grace

On Saturday, we spent the day at Canada's Wonderland, for WonderJAM, a day of fun at the park with some shows by Christian artists and speakers. This year Hawk Nelson, KJ52, Manic Drive, Third Day and Chris Tomlin were there. It was a blast!! I love love love Roller Coasters.... I went on the Leviathan twice,  the Behemoth once, the Windseeker, as well as a bunch of other smaller awesome rides! :)

I'm still not sure what my favourite part of the day is yet (I always have a really hard time doing that), but one of the highlights was when Chris Tomlin was doing 'Amazing Grace'. Or rather, you know, Chris Tomlin was pretty much leading the whole crowd in worship. It was pretty amazing!



So we were singing Amazing Grace, with his chorus right, and the words go:

My chains are gone! I've been set free
My God, my Saviour has ransomed me
and like a flood, His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

And I've sung that song hundreds of times before, and that night, we got to the part, 'I've been set free' and I'm thinking to myself, this is surely true, I know it! I know it! but how often do I live like it? How often do I live like I've just been set free? The God of the universe just set me free, broke my chains, but I still choose to live like I'm not free. I live chained by fear of not fitting in, of people not liking me, not being accepted and what they'll think of me, I live bound by the idea that I need to be better, on my own, I live like I'm enslaved by lots of things. But I shouldn't be! So we were singing that chorus, Chris Tomlin, the giant crowd, and I, and I tell myself I need to live free! I am rejecting the full power of the cross when I don't live free - because that is what Jesus came to do!

I challenge you all today, to live free! God made you, He loves you, He accepts you, He has already paid the price! You just need to believe that every moment of your life! You need to live and breathe that truth! You are free!!

And the second thing that God showed me on Saturday as we were singing this song, was the third line of the chorus, 'and like a flood, His mercy reigns'. The first thing that came to mind was this, and that one line to this song. (<links) Because if grace is an ocean, and mercy is a flood, and we are loved, and free, then what more do we need? And I was thinking flood, ....flood... and my mind went to the recent flooding in Alberta. I've seen videos of that, the water rushing along, taking with it whatever it comes in contact with, whole houses rushing down the water, everyone flooded, the water just seeps in everywhere. But what if that was mercy? What if mercy rushed along, and everything it came into contact with became part of the flow, and you couldn't escape it, what if it seeped into your heart and your soul? Why do we so often voluntarily evacuate when there is a mercy floods?

 And so I lifted my hands, and sang that chorus without abandon, thanking my God for breaking my chains so I am free, and for flooding me with amazing grace! I just wanted to share with you what God taught taught (retaught?) me through that song on Saturday. I pray that maybe He will show you too.

Also, I've heard that the McCardles are home (thank the LORD!) but there are still many things to continue praying for, so please continue to keep them in your prayers.

Have a lovely lovely day!!
love Emma

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