Here In My Life

You have said that all the heavens
sing for joy at one who finds
the way to freedom
truth of Jesus
Bought from death into His life

And I remember how You saw me
through the eyes of Your grace
And though the cost was Your beloved for me
still You made a way

You are my freedom
Jesus You're the reason
I'm kneeling again at Your throne
Where would I be without You here in my life
- Mia Fieldes, “Here in My Life”

The beginning of a New Year is here. This is a time of year when companies and individuals make goals for the year of 2009 and start to think towards the future. When we start making these goals and thinking towards what we want to accomplish, often we reminiscence on the previous year and what worked for us and what didn’t work. Goal-making can be an important process of the Christian life and can help us in envisioning where it is we want to go in the next year in our walk with the Lord. As we start this process in our Christian walks this year, allow me to remind us what it is the Lord brought us out of when we came into relationship with Him.

Paul reminds the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 2 the state in which they were in prior to knowing God: “you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world… (living) in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and mind.” – Ephesians 2:1, 3, ESV (emphasis mine). When God found us, each one of us was in a similar state to the Ephesians. We were spiritually dead, destined for an eternity without Him and a life on this earth that would be without meaning or any lasting significance. Praise God that He did not leave us in this state, however!

The next verse lays out His saving plan for our lives: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He has loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” – Ephesians 2:4-6, ESV (emphasis mine). How great is the love and mercy that God has showered down upon us that love Him! We were without purpose and dying in our sin, and yet He loved us enough to send His only son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to make a way for us to know Him. How great is our God! As the lyrics to the song above say, where would be without Him here in our lives? God is good!

May we never lose the wonder,

Brian