O to Grace how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.

I love the hymn Come Thy Fount of Every Blessing. Each line of every verse is so perfectly scripted to speak to my heart in specific seasons.  Tonight I was overcome by a palpable sense of thankfulness and the stanza above just popped into my mind.

The more aware I am of my being “prone to wander” the more frightened I become of my own sin and flesh and propensity to destruct – either self or circumstance – and I feel intense hopelessness and darkness shaking the hinges and rafters of my soul. But in an instant, that sweet still voice in my heart whispers Grace to me.  And it is this Grace that is given freely because of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

Oh, how I wish I could accept this Grace as freely as it is given. I self-impose requirements for righteousness in my thoughts and deeds; while Grace just says “Are you thirsty? Then come and drink deeply from a fount that will forever quench your thirst.” 

I want to put a permanent end to my wandering. I want to discipline my flesh into submission to what I know is perfect and pure… in order to achieve, win, conquer grace; while Grace stands next to me and says “You don’t earn me. You don’t achieve me. You don’t conquer or win me. You receive me. You need not pay a price for me. I was bought by Christ and he gives me freely to those who will receive me.” 

Why do I pursue counterfeit grace when genuine Grace is mine for the taking? Why can’t I just accept the fact that I cannot earn Grace, I do nothing to deserve Grace or disqualify myself from receiving Grace. As a believer in Christ, as a child of God, my access to Grace was decided for me by God through Christ’s death, and confirmed by the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. This is the very essence of being Christian!

Therefore, the actions required of me are to ask, seek, knock, confess, pursue, believe, profess and come to the fount of every blessing.

Grace says to me, “Child… all you gotta do is show up and I cover the rest.” And I respond, “But what about my shame? Look at all these things that I have done.” And Grace says, “I am enough.”

It sounds foolish but its supposed to.

Christ is the owner and the giver of Genuine Grace. I can’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, I won’t lose it, nothing can separate me from it, and I will discipline my mind, my heart, my soul to meditate on this truth: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Oh to Grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to thee!