Not too many things bring a bigger smile and lots of spontaneous giggles than a group of children dancing. It’s just pure joy and delight!
That’s how I feel this morning. My heart is filled with joy. All night long I would hear myself singing the chorus from a song I remember hearing on the Bill Gaither Gospel Reunions. It was sung by Ivan Parker and then he’d be joined by the whole chorus. Here are the words to the chorus that filled my heart and my head, “When I Get Carried Away”.
“I’m gonna let the glory roll when the roll is called in glory
I’ll get beside of myself when I get beside the king that day
I’m gonna have the time of my life when the time of my life is over
I’m gonna get carried away when I get carried away”
I accepted Christ as my Saviour when I was very young. I remember realizing my need for forgiveness, walking the aisle Sunday night at church and the sweet Christian lady who talked with me to make sure I understood salvation and then prayed with me. At that tender age, I knew Christ had died for me and had forgiven me and I wanted to give Him my life.
Now that I’m older, I’m amazed by God’s goodness, mercy and grace. His unconditional love paid the price of sin for everyone through Jesus sacrifice. Every sin ever committed from the beginning of time until this earth passes away was forgiven in that one act of sacrifice! God had not only forgiven the sins I had committed up to the day I asked Jesus to be my Saviour but He had forgiven everyone of them since that day.
“My children, I am writing this so that you won’t sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us. 2 Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.” I John 2:1-2 CEV
Whether my sins were great or small, it didnt matter – I still needed a Saviour. The Apostle James wrote that “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offends in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10
It’s a like a picture window; if you throw a rock through it, it’s broken; if you put a beebee through it, it’s still broken. The size of the hole doesn’t matter, the glass is broken. So whether you’re Hilter or a small girl in Yuma, Az, sin is sin and it requires a Saviour and the same sacrifice was necessary for both of us.
Please understand this, we won’t be judged for the right and wrong we do; we are given new life because we accept Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would come and convict us of sin. That sin was not believing in Jesus.
“Let me assure you, it is better for you that I go away. I say this because when I go away I will send the Helper to you. But if I did not go, the Helper would not come. 8 “When the Helper comes, he will show the people of the world how wrong they are about sin, about being right with God, and about judgment. 9 He will prove that they are guilty of sin, because they don’t believe in me.” John 16: 7-9 ERV
God’s love is unconditional. If we are the most base sinner who ever lived or the most self-righteous His love is the same. Each day I realized where I could have been without Jesus and I am so grateful and thankful that I am not without Him and that He chose me, He adopted me and made me a new creation.
I will close this glorious Sunday morning with an example from Jesus himself.
“A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee’s home and got ready to eat. 37 When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume. 38 Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.
39 The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and said to himself, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him! He would know that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Teacher, what is it?” Simon replied.
41 Jesus told him, “Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. 42 Since neither of them could pay him back, the moneylender said that they didn’t have to pay him anything. Which one of them will like him more?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn’t have to pay it back.”
“You are right,” Jesus said.
44 He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Have you noticed this woman? When I came into your home, you didn’t give me any water so I could wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You didn’t even pour olive oil on my head, but she has poured expensive perfume on my feet. 47 So I tell you that all her sins are forgiven, and that is why she has shown great love. But anyone who has been forgiven for only a little will show only a little love.”
48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 Some other guests started saying to one another, “Who is this who dares to forgive sins?”
50 But Jesus told the woman, “Because of your faith, you are now saved. May God give you peace!” Luke 7:36-50 ERV
I get carried away when I dwell on how much God loves me and the depth of His forgiveness. I invite you to join me in my happy dance this morning, let’s get carried away together!