Free Grace Sustains Me Still

Today has been a day of battle for me.  I feel the doubting of all I know to be true of God and of myself warring within me.  It has taken it's toll and I am weak and weary of this fight; more often than not, I just want to give up.  I would like to put down my sword and rest for awhile. The doubts in my mind are raging, but God is the same and nothing can change that.  My standing with Him is the same no matter what lies come or how I feel. 
 There are many days when I come to the realization that if it was my conduct that had saved me, then I would be lost forever.  I'm thankful that it is not of myself that keeps me in the same standing with God.  If it was of my doing I know that I would not be able to even attain a right standing with God much less sustain one.  What a privilege to be a child of God! To be redeemed by His blood, to be made one with Him.What assurance there is in knowing that nothing can sever this union. Not you, nor me, not principalities, not death, Beloved, there is NOTHING that can do so (Romans 8:35-39). When our feelings and doubts get in the way we can still rest assured that we are one in Christ. Why? Because we are not resting in our emotions or our merits, but we are resting in the finished work of Christ.
So, when the battle becomes too intense I can simply rest in Christ because "free grace sustains me still". 


Free Grace

"1. You children of God,
by faith in His Son
Redeemed by His blood,
and with Him made one
This union with wonder
and rapture be seen
Which nothing shall sunder,
without or within

2. This pardon, this peace
which none can destroy
This treasure of grace
and heavenly joy
The worthless may crave it,
it always comes free
The vilest may have it,
it was given to me

Chorus:
Free grace has paid for all my sin
Free grace, though it cost so much to Him
Free grace has freed even my will
Free grace to the end sustains me still

3. It's not for good deeds,
good tempers nor frames
From grace it proceeds,
and all is the Lamb's
No goodness, no fitness
expects He from us
This I can well witness,
for none could be worse

Bridge: Sick sinner, expect no
balm but Christ's blood
Your own works reject,
the bad and the good
None ever regret it that on Him rely
Though guilty as Saul or Jonah or I"

~J Hart

My Song is Love Unknown by Samuel Crossman

My song is love unknown,
My Savior’s love to me;
Love to the loveless shown,
That they might lovely be.
O who am I, that for my sake
My Lord should take, frail flesh and die?

He came from His blest throne
Salvation to bestow;
But men made strange, and none
The longed for Christ would know:
But O! my Friend, my Friend indeed,
Who at my need His life did spend.

Sometimes they strew His way,
And His sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day
Hosannas to their King:
Then “Crucify!” is all their breath,
And for His death they thirst and cry.

Why, what hath my Lord done?
What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
He gave the blind their sight,
Sweet injuries! Yet they at these
Themselves displease, and ’gainst Him rise.

They rise and needs will have
My dear Lord made away;
A murderer they saved,
The Prince of life they slay,
Yet cheerful He to suffering goes,
That He His foes from thence might free.

In life, no house, no home
My Lord on earth might have;
In death no friendly tomb
But what a stranger gave.
What may I say? Heav’n was His home;
But mine the tomb wherein He lay.

Here might I stay and sing,
No story so divine;
Never was love, dear King!
Never was grief like Thine.
This is my Friend, in Whose sweet praise
I all my days could gladly spend.

I have made you a watchman

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand." Ez. 3:17-18

"We have got to lay our lives down for the purposes of God. This is not a Sunday school picnic, the Church of Jesus Christ. This is not an invitation to have continuous good times; this is a WAR for the souls of man... My mind is forever branded with a story that I heard of police officers from the city of New York as people were fleeing from a crumbling building. There were police officers and firemen, and others, that were running towards the building, saying "Run for your life!" at their own peril and in some cases I believe they knew they were going to die but there was a sense of duty. I was crying out to God, saying "God, oh Jesus, don't let my sense of duty be less for Your Kingdom than these beloved firemen and policemen were for those that were perishing in the falling tower.""

~ Carter Conlon

Our duty as Christians is to proclaim the good news no matter the cost to ourselves.

 "Remember the song in the movie rendition of Oliver Twist where the little orphan boy sang 'Where is Love?' Well, the kids have yet to see it in any person who professes to be a Christian. What about me and you, my friends? If that is all that lasts forever, may it ever be our deepest quest. If He is love, and that is the only way that we can prove to be His, and affect others, then please love to the end though we must 'die daily' in the pursuit!!! Love is giving up self, and that is often one of the big hindrances to real true love of others." R.H.
This quote came from a missionary update and it convicted me greatly. How are we walking before, not just children, but people? Can they see Christ through us? Oh, may the Lord give grace!

Lofty Opinions

"I remember one of the most shameful moments of my spiritual life, hiking in East Asia going in and out of unreached villages with Gospel literature trying not to get caught, a tough trip, a grueling trip. And we'd set up camp one night, [there was a] little bit of daylight left so I went off by myself to read for a couple of minutes. I had a copy of Tozer's Knowledge of the Holy with me and I sat down. I looked across the countryside, I thought about our hard day of hiking in this difficult area and the thought that came to my mind was 'God must be glad to have me on His team.' And I opened up Tozer's book where I just so happened to be on the chapter dealing with the self sufficiency of God and Tozer said to me:


'Almighty God just because He is all mighty needs no support. The picture of a nervous and graciating God fawning over men to win their favor is not a pleasant one yet if we look at the popular conception of God that is precisely what we see. Twentieth century Christianity has put God on charity, so lofty is our opinion of ourselves that we find it quite easy not to say enjoyable to believe that we are necessary to God. Probably the hardest thought of all for our natural egotism to entertain is that God does not need our help. We commonly represent Him as a busy, eager, somewhat frustrated Father hurrying about seeking help to carry out His benevolent plan to bring peace and salvation to the world. Too many missionary appeals are based upon this fancy frustration of Almighty God. An effective speaker can easily excite pity in his hearers not only for the heathen but for the God who has tried so hard and so long to save them and has failed for want of support. I fear that thousands of younger persons enter Christian service for no higher motive than to help deliver God from the embarrassing situation His love has gotten Him into and His limited abilities seem unable to get Him out of. Add to this a certain degree of commendable idealism and a fair amount of compassion for the underprivileged and you have the true drive behind much Christian activity today.'


Brothers and sisters let me remind us from the start God does not need us... He does not need you, He does not need me. He does not need your specific church or my specific church... Every one of us, every one of our churches... all our denominations and our associations could drop dead and turn to dust and God will still make a great name for Himself among the nations. God involves us in His mission, not because He needs us but because He loves us and in His mercy He has invited us to be involved in His sovereign design for the spread of the Gospel to the ends of the earth..."


~ David Platt
Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions

HT: Liyah McDonnell

Journey Down

'Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, May you come with me from Lebanon. Journey down from the summit of Amana, From the summit of Senir and Hermon, From the dens of lions, From the mountains of leopards.' Song of Solomon 4:8

"We're so full of pride, we're so full of vanity, we're always walking in high places where we dont belong. Vanity fair is where our flesh wants to live... and God is saying 'come buy from Me, come down from those places that can not feed you, come down from those places that can do you no good and come down from those dangerous haunts.' ...You should fear what self can do to you... Your flesh has the keenest ability to make an idol out of absolutely anything. Your flesh can take the bible and use it and create a idol out of knowledge, create an idol out of ministry, even that which is good and holy and right. He says, come down."

~ Paul Washer

HT:Liyah McDonnell

Everything is Yours by Audrey Assad

When all the world is blossoming
And everything around is bursting into life
And I don't have to strain to hear the beat of Your heart

When all the world is under fire
When skies are threatening to thunder and rain
And I am overcome by fears that I can't see

If everything is Yours
Everything is Yours
If everything is Yours
I'm letting it go
No, it was never mine to hold
No, never mine

Who could command the stars to sing
Or hold the raging seas from breaking through the doors?
And tend the fragile roses with the very same hands

If everything is Yours
Everything is Yours
If everything is Yours
I'm letting it go
I am, I'm letting it go, letting go
Yeah, I'm letting it go

'Cause everything is Yours
Yeah, everything is Yours

If everything is Yours, God
And everything is Yours
If everything is Yours
I'm letting it go, let it go, let it go, let it go

It was never mine, no, no
It was never mine, never mine