{"id":5156,"date":"2015-11-22T07:00:39","date_gmt":"2015-11-22T14:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=5156"},"modified":"2015-11-21T07:49:05","modified_gmt":"2015-11-21T14:49:05","slug":"wonderful-grace-of-jesus-musical-musings-in-march-sabbatical-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=5156","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWonderful Grace of Jesus\u201d \u2013 Musical Musings in March (Sabbatical Post)"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Today I\u2019m taking you back to my college days. Music was all around and an impact on me, but if you were to ask other students, you\u2019d probably hear the same. Chapel services with great hymns of our faith being sung. Christmas concerts. Choir tours. A stirring rendition of \u201cBlessed Assurance\u201d could even be heard in the classroom.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Y\"IMAG1492\"<\/a>es, Cincinnati Bible College (now known as Cincinnati Christian University) was filled with music and musical memories for me. And the hymn I share with you today is one that rings loudly in my memory.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWonderful Grace of Jesus\u201d isn\u2019t just a hymn. It is a musical dance that leads partners in and out of proximity to one another. The scales run up and down. The tune heads in different directions. But when it complete, the message is told. Jesus\u2019 grace is wonderful!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You see, the value of a piece of music isn\u2019t just in the melody, the rhythm or the harmonies. It must hold its value in the message. For if the message does not lead a soul to Christ, then it is just a song. There are some great songs in our world, but those that lead others to Christ are truly valuable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So today I share \u201cWonderful Grace of Jesus\u201d with you. You\u2019ll enjoy a version of the song by clicking on this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Wonderful Grace of Jesus”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin;
\nHow shall my tongue describe it, where shall its praise begin?
\nTaking away my burden, setting my spirit free,
\nFor the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me!<\/p>\n

(Refrain)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching to all the lost,
\nBy it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost;
\nChains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty,
\nFor the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me!<\/p>\n

(Refrain)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled,
\nBy its transforming power, making him God\u2019s dear child.
\nPurchasing peace and heaven for all eternity;
\nAnd the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me![i]<\/a><\/p>\n

(Refrain)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Refrain:
\nWonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
\nDeeper than the mighty rolling sea;
\nWonderful Grace, All-sufficient for me;
\nBroader than the scope of my transgressions,
\nGreater far than all my sin and shame;
\nO magnify the precious name of Jesus, praise His name!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Oh, we have so much to praise Jesus for! And grace certainly tops my list!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Were you able to pick out a few phrases that vividly depict Jesus\u2019 grace? Greater than sin. Takes away burdens. Sets spirits free. Reaches the lost. Tears chains asunder. Gives liberty. Provides transforming power. Purchases peace and heaven.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Grace reaches me!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 grace reaches you, too! Let\u2019s see what God\u2019s Word has to say about His grace and how it reaches us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Paul shares these words with us in Ephesians 1:7-8 (NIV). \u201cIn him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God\u2019s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And again Paul speaks of God\u2019s grace in Ephesians 2:6-8 (NIV). \u201cAnd God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith\u2014and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We see from the Hebrew writer that we have confidence in the grace Jesus provides. \u201cLet us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.\u201d<\/em> (Hebrews 4:16 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Through Jesus\u2019 grace we find restoration, strength, solid footing, and a firm foundation. \u201cAnd the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.\u201d <\/em>(1 Peter 5:10 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When we are covered by Jesus\u2019 grace, we are covered. Completely. Confidently. Covered. It\u2019s up to you to accept His grace and allow yourself to be saturated with it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Occasionally I hear this tune and I am immediately drawn back to my college days. I\u2019m sure that will never change. But the most important thing is that this song reminds me of Jesus\u2019 grace and I am never far from needing a good dose.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWonderful Grace of Jesus.\u201d I pray that you are within His reach.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Donna<\/p>\n

[i]<\/a> Wonderful Grace of Jesus, Haldor Lillenas, 1919<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Today I\u2019m taking you back to my college days. Music was all around and an impact on me, but if you were to ask other students, you\u2019d probably hear the same. Chapel services with great hymns of our faith being sung. Christmas concerts. Choir tours. A stirring rendition of \u201cBlessed Assurance\u201d could even be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"yes","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,22,4664,25,30],"tags":[310,311,5021,307,5020,43,309,703,4435,5019],"class_list":["post-5156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-accepting-god","category-believing-god","category-choose","category-praising-god","category-worshiping-god","tag-1-peter-510","tag-cincinnati-bible-college","tag-covered-by-jesus-grace","tag-ephesians-17-8","tag-ephsians-26-8","tag-grace","tag-hebrews-416","tag-music","tag-praise-jesus","tag-wonderful-grace-of-jesus-musical-musings-in-march-sabbatical-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5156"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5157,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5156\/revisions\/5157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}