Amazing Friday

Is it just me? Or...

Does calling today just "Good" seem wrong?

I mean today is the day we remember when Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. It's the day to remember when He did what only He could do: He saved us!

We went from being lost to found, from being sick to being healed, from being blind to finally seeing for the first time. We left the kingdom of darkness and moved into the kingdom of light.

Can I get a witness!?! An "Amen"!?! (Sorry! I got carried away!)

It seems like something worth so much more than just to be called "good"!

It's not until we really let it sink in how helpless we were, before Jesus died on the cross for us, that we can actually grow!


Watchman Nee in his book, "The Normal Christian Life" tells a story about a time when he was once staying in a place in China with twenty other guys...

There wasn't room for them to all bathe in the home where they stayed, so they went for a daily plunge in the river.

One time when they were out at the river, one of the guys got a cramp in one leg, and suddenly started sinking fast and couldn't stay above water.

None of the guys there were that good of swimmers, except for one, so they all stood there frozen!

Watchman Nee saw what was happening, so he motioned to the one guy who was an expert swimmer, to hurry up and go rescue their drowning friend.

But to his surprise the expert swimmer didn't move!

So he got desperate and called out, "Don't you see the man is drowning?"

The other guys there, started to get upset too and shouted at the expert swimmer too!

But he still didn't move!

Calm and collected, he stayed just where he was, looking like he was trying to postpone doing something he didn't want to do.

The voice of the poor drowning man grew fainter and his efforts got weaker.

Watchman Nee said that he began to think to himself, "I hate this man! I can't believe he's going to let this guy drown before his very eyes and not rescue him!"

But as soon as the drowning man actually started sinking, with a just few quick strokes the swimmer was at his side, and both were safely ashore.


Watchman Nee was relieved, but he couldn't let the expert swimmer go without telling him how he felt!

When he got an chance to say what he was thinking he said, "I've never seen any Christian who loved his life as much as you do. Think of the stress you would have saved that brother if you had thought about yourself a little less and him a little more."

But the swimmer's shocking answer revealed why he waited so long...

"Had I gone earlier", he said, "he would have grabbed onto me so fast that both of us would have gone under."

And then he said something that I want you to hear clearly as you read this...

*He said, "A drowning man cannot be saved until he is utterly exhausted and ceases to make the slightest effort to save himself."

Do you see it?

When we give up the case, then God will take it up.

He is waiting until we are at an end of our resources and can do nothing more for ourselves!

Max Lucado in "He Chose The Nails" said...

"The blood of Christ does not cover your sins, conceal your sins, postpone your sins, or diminish your sins. It takes away your sins, once and for all time."

An older Barna survey from 2004 revealed...
55% of people surveyed believed that "if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in Heaven."

They still think they can save themselves! They're still treading water!

It's only when we stop TRYING and start RELYING that we can finally be saved!

Here's my idea...

We don't just call grace "Good Grace" do we? No! We call it "Amazing Grace!"

Well, then from now on we need to call today "Amazing Friday"!