Psalms 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
I moved to Atlanta October 31, 1998. My apartment was a one bedroom in a suburb in northeast Atlanta in Dunwoody, a place I had been many times before. The place that I would call home for the next few years was on the ground floor and I was less than half a mile from 400, one of the busiest highways that I had ever been on at that time.
If I went south on 400 11 miles, I would be at my new office across from Lenox Mall. Every Tuesday night, I went just three exits up on 400 and I would be at Northpoint Community Church, for the singles event 7:22.
II Samuel 7:22 How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you.
3500 young adults met here every Tuesday night for worship. I’ve seen Third Day, The David Crowder Band, Chris Tomlin and other mainstream artists perform there. I also felt God brush up against me there many times. It was the one thing that got me through being alone in one of the biggest cities in the world.
It changed me forever…..That was 22 years ago and I still miss those Tuesday nights. Those Tuesday nights, especially when I didn’t feel like going, were some of the closest times that I have ever spent with God.
22 years have gone by and I still remember that feeling. I remember running to the front as soon as the doors were open so that I could be near the front. God truly blessed me through those nights and those memories continue that blessing even today.
Thats how God works.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
In 22 years God has always been beside me, even when I wasn’t beside Him. I have fallen away more times than I can count. I have lived a life I know wasn’t what He wanted for me. His grace is still there. I surely haven’t done anything to earn it.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
That word “Grace” is one of those church words that a lot of people, myself at one time, didn’t understand.
“Grace is unconditional love toward a person who does not deserve it.” – Paul Zahl
None of us deserve God’s love, We are all sinners and deserve a life that only a sinner could have. God’s grace gives us the abundant life that He wants for us, instead of that which we deserve. He never changes on that. He doesn’t say enough, I’m going to give Keith what he deserves for what he did today. He doesn’t take sick days or vacation days. He never skips out to play hooky. God, His blessings and His Grace are always there for us as Christians, regardless of how many times we mess up, how many times we stray away.
All the days of my life….
Keith
KWHITE75 