Tuesday Devotion - October 22

So I know from reading Pastor Chris’ devotions (yes, I receive them and read them daily!) that there has been a lot of talk of love lately in your group.  Not just any love, but God’s love in particular.  And I know for me sometimes it can be amazing at how God’s love can be given to us so freely, so purposefully, so passionately. 

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has his ups and downs in terms of choices and feelings and thoughts and actions that keep me from being who God wants me to be.  I was probably not the only one acting like a maniac on Saturday night.  Screaming at my television with words that were less than ideal because of what was unfolding before my eyes.  All joking aside, we have a hard time being who God calls us to be day in and day out, and yet we have a God who loves us enough to forgive us and to make sure that we will be his forever through the death and resurrection of Christ.  We have a God who claims us as his own children in the waters of baptism and gives us the power of his Holy Spirit to help us to overcome our imperfections and to give us the ability to be rays of His light in a rather dark world, and I have to say that that is some pretty amazing stuff! 

It just so happens that before I was going to write this devotion that a song came on my Pandora radio that sort of led me in this direction.  It’s a song call “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney.  So this may be weird (the mind of a pastor can be this way sometimes), but I started to think that about how this song, with just the slightest of alterations to the wording, could very well describe our relationship and response to God’s love through Christ.  Here are they lyrics with a few subtle changes.  If you want you can read my lyrics in the midst of hearing the song on YouTube, here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_FiIilTwIA. 

God I’m amazed at the way you love me all the time
Maybe I’m afraid of the way I love you
God I’m amazed at the way you pulled me out of time
Hung me on a line
God I’m amazed at the way I really need you

God I’m a man and maybe I’m a lonely man
Who’s in the middle of something
That he doesn’t really understand
God I’m a man and maybe you're the only ONE
Who could ever help me
God won’t you help to me understand

God I’m amazed at the way you're with me all the time
God I’m afraid of the way I leave you
God I’m amazed at the way you help me sing my song
You right me when I’m wrong
Maybe I’m amazed at the way I really need you   

It truly is amazing.  Even though we fall short, God loves us.  God is with us, and the honest truth is that we and our world need God’s love too.

 

Peace,

Jason Antley

Pastor of Mt. Olivet, Chapin, SC and Mt. Hermon, Peak, SC

Clemson Alumni, Class of 2005