Sunday, September 26, 2010

Robed in His Unlimited Grace

Being broken and contrite over our sin before a holy God is the only place in creation where a sinner can be robed with the unmerited, unlimited, marvelous grace of God. This is where I have been now for some months and I've never been happier. God continues to put me there - by the Spirit of grace.

So I really understood the following prayer from the Valley of Vision. I found it posted on Tim Challies blog. All my praying, singing, serving, helping, etc. is still tainted with sin. I am always getting in the way and then running back to the throne to obtain yet more grace. This indescribable gift, only possible because of Christ's sacrifice for my sin never wears out, dries up, slows down, gets old, becomes impotent, fades, or diminishes in any other way.

Yes, my sin seems inexhaustible, but God's grace really is inexhaustible. My sin shouts at me but God's grace always has the last say. It's mine because of what Christ  has done. And I am able to grasp it every time I come with a contrite heart, broken before my Heavenly Father.

Here's the prayer from Valley of Vision:

    O God of Grace,

    You have imputed my sin to my substitute, and have imputed his righteousness to my soul, clothing me with a bridegroom’s robe, decking me with jewels of holiness. But in my Christian walk I am still in rags; my best prayers are stained with sin; my penitential tears are so much impurity; my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin; my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.

    I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed; I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness; I am always standing clothed in filthy garments, and by grace am always receiving your change of raiment, for you always justify the ungodly; I am always going into the far country, and always returning home as a prodigal, always saying, “Father, forgive me,” and you are always bringing forth the best robe.

    Every morning let me wear it, every evening return in it, go out to the day’s work in it, be married in it, be wound in death in it, stand before the great white throne in it, enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

    Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, the exceeding wonder of grace.

Amen!!!
Photobucket Newer Post Older Post

    Share This

0 comments:

Post a Comment