There is more…

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He’ll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

–From “Cry Out to Jesus,” by Third Day

Many of you who’ve read this blog before know that I have not always been a
“perfect Christian.” (That is such a ridiculous phrase. I am far from perfect. The
very core of Christian belief is that no one other than Jesus Christ was or ever
will be perfect in this life.)

Yes, there was a time in my life when I was very far from Jesus. I was a slave to
addiction. My life served sin, death, and rebelliousness.
In that time, when I had convinced myself that what I was doing was “fun,” I
remember waking up on more than one occasion and thinking to myself, “Is
this all there is? Really? Is this IT?“

I recently turned 55. That may not sound like a very big deal, but 30 years ago,
a lot of people (including yours truly) wouldn’t have given me very good odds
of making it this far.

Now, I no longer serve sin. I serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords. I serve
the LORD Jesus Christ! I did not conquer addiction. I deserve no glory of my
own. It was Jesus who pulled me up out of the muddy pit and I am so blessed!
For those of you whose lives are shattered and in shambles, I want to testify
that there is more—there is so MUCH more!

The glory of God in a sunrise proclaims more and new mercies each day. The
waves crashing on the beach testify to the abounding power of his cleansing
love. The wind whispering through the tops of seventy foot pines speak His
magnificent glory. The light sparkling off the water of a jewel of a lake tells of
a God who shares all His riches and more with one undeserving of any of it.

The love of a spouse whom God sent to bless me melts my heart more and
more each day. A child whom God has protected from harm and evil testifies to
His the abundance of His omnipotent care. The God who blesses me with the
ability to bless others proclaims the “more” in His plan for my life. And when
my soul sings His praises, what happens inside me is so much more, so much
greater than the shallow temporary “fun” I found in sin, it is beyond my ability
to describe-especially since I know it is a foretaste of forevermore.

If you are hurting and helpless, if you are broken and hopeless and can’t find
a way out of a life that’s seems so very empty and meaningless, Jesus can and
will save you. All you have to do is cry out to Him.
Like the song above says, He’ll meet you wherever you are.

Today’s Praise

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask
or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in
the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and
ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 )

How about you, brothers and sisters in Christ? How has God given to
you abundantly more than you have asked or thought?