1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.—The words of the Apostle Paul from Romans 5:1-11
Gary is a very interesting guy—some would say a fascinating guy. Others might insist he certainly ended up in a different place than anyone could ever have really imagined.
Born on May 18, 1939, in Coffeyville, Kansas, he was adopted at age three and raised on a farm in a very rural area. He has described his childhood as one with no running water, no indoor plumbing, and no electricity. Molested at age seven, he began to write songs at age ten. At age eleven he contracted spinal meningitis. When he was twelve, Gary and his adoptive parents moved to Arizona.
He formed his first rock and roll band at age fourteen. And, at sixteen, he wrote his first million-selling song and recorded it at seventeen. He was on his way to stardom.
Baby boomers will remember some of Gary’s songs: “Cheery Pie,” “Alley-Oop,” and “Monster Mash.” Over the course of his lifetime, Gary has written over 2,000 songs, had over 600 of them recorded, and watched 150 of them become hits.
Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s Gary states that he was searching for the meaning of life. He became part of the alcohol and drug scene and lost everything. He moved to Nashville in 1970.
In 1972, he showed up at a church on a Sunday morning stoned out of his mind. In an interview many years later Gary insisted that he had gone to church to prove what hypocrits church people really were. He expected them to throw him out.
Instead, the preacher that day preached a sermon filled with the story of God’s grace. When the minister gave an invitation to receive Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit compelled Gary to respond. In a moment of time, the God of Grace and Glory transformed Gary from a searcher to one who had become found.
As Gary matured in his faith, he turned his God-given talent to writing songs about his Savior. And, by now, some of you realize that “Gary” is Gary S. Paxton. Since God found him in that Nashville church pew, Gary’s life has had its ups and downs—financially and health wise. But, Gary gives testimony—to this very day—that God has remained faithful throughout the years.
In 1975 Gary wrote a song that has now been recorded over 100 times in five languages. This song has its roots in the story of Gary’s life. It also has its roots in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post and in the Scripture recorded by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 13:5-6:
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
6 So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?”
Through every confusing time in our lives—even those times that seem like such a waste—God remains ever-faithful. He is always there. He is always working out His perfect will in and through us. So, the time is not really wasted!
Gary S. Paxton was on a search for the meaning of life. All the while Gary was searching, God was waiting to find him. No wonder Gary wrote the words and music to this very appropriate song:
He Was There All The Time!
Words and Music written by Gary S. Paxton in 1975
Time after time I went searching for peace in some void
I was trying to blame all my ills on this world I was in
Surface relationships used me till I was done in
And all the while someone was waiting to free me from sin
Chorus:
He was there all the time
He was there all the time
Waiting patiently in line
He was there all the time
Never again will I search for a fake rainbows’ end
Now that I have the answer, my life is just starting to rhyme
Sharing each new day with Him is a cup of fresh life
And, oh what I missed, He was waiting right there all the time
Chorus:
He was there all the time
He was there all the time
Waiting patiently in line
He was there all the time
Please click here to watch Tanica Campbell sing a delightful version of this song.
God is always there waiting to find you. No matter what anyone may try to tell you, the time you invest in searching for Christ and His Kingdom is never wasted.
Will you pray with me?
Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
Precious Father, we thank You that Your promises remain ever-true. You are always with us. You are always directing our pathways. You are always extending Your mercy, grace, and love to us in abundance. You are always waiting to find us.
We recognize that nothing we do for You is done in vane. Even when it seems we have wasted our time trying to do our best to further Your Kingdom and others disregard what we have done and despise us for doing it, You remind us that what we have done for You has eternal value. Thank You for Your kindness in keeping us focused on Kingdom values.
And, thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment