“Nothing But The Blood of Jesus”, the classic hymn, is the special music track from this month’s Bridge Box. Sung by the lovely and talented Christy Younger (wife of Say That cohost and super-blogger Lee Younger).
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If you’ve ever worked a job, you know that the arrangement is really simple. When you do what the boss tells you, he likes you. And when you don’t, he doesn’t. Do a good job long enough, and you get a promotion. Do a bad job long enough, and you get fired.
In fact, most relationships in life feel that way. If we’ve dated somebody before, we’ve seen this same dynamic at work. When you’re a good and attentive boyfriend, it tends to go well for you in the land. And when you forget birthdays, anniversaries, and favorite colors, you tend to get dumped.
Some of us have had this experience with our parents. When we got good grades and made the cut for the team or the orchestra or whatever, things were peaceful. And when we screwed up, disapproval rained down from on high.
So, it makes a whole lot of sense to assume that the relationship between you and God would work the same way.
Except that it doesn’t. At all.
Real love – which is to say God’s love – is never earned. It isn’t increased when you do good things, and it isn’t decreased when you do bad things. This is because God’s love is not an evaluation of your performance. In fact, God’s love for you and your behavior don’t have anything to do with each other. They are not connected.
So, what is God’s love about, exactly?
It turns out that God’s love is a decision he made to be devoted to your good, no matter what. It’s a decision that he made before time itself even existed – in other words, before you had had a chance to do anything good or bad. (Ephesians 1:3-6, MSG)
This matters, because it means that you can relax. You will – like the rest of us – make mistakes. You will do things that are wrong, and that you know are wrong, and that you know you shouldn’t do, and that you decide to do anyway. And, when those moments come, some part of you is going to wonder where you stand with God as a result.
Sure, if God were a boss, you might get fired. And if God were a boyfriend, you might get dumped. And if God were an earthly parent, you might get disowned.
But God isn’t any of those things. God is God. He’s holy – which is to say, different. He doesn’t think like anybody else. And he doesn’t act like anybody else.
No, when those moments come, what you’ll find is that God is just as devoted to your good as he was before you did that thing. In other words, he loves you exactly as much as he did before you sinned.
So you can relax. You can go to him and say, “I’m sorry I did that wrong thing. Please help me get back up.” And He will stand you up, brush you off, and help you keep on walking with Him.
“This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.” (1 John 4:10, MSG)
Hey my friends, I’ve had a number of requests for the chord chart on this song, so, here you go! If you run into any problems, let me know, and we’ll sort it out.
Click here to download a PDF:
https://www.yousendit.com/download/UW14SXR5Z2dPSHh4Tk1UQw
Thanks y’all.
Jed
I had the privilege of hearing this song live at The Bridge service last week. It’s a ministry that serves ex-convicts, gangsters, and those recovering from addiction. Please support these guys, they’re the real deal and I totally believe in what they’re doing for the inner-city.
Hey guys,
This is a worship song I wrote for men and women coming out of prison and drug addiction. If you listen to the song, you’ll hear about 100 ex-convicts and recovering drug addicts singing this at the top of their lungs. That’s an unparalleled privilege in my life.
I have a chord chart for those who would like it - just message me.
Jed
So Here I Am
If you were looking for accomplishment
Then you know I wouldn’t stand a chance
But you said you wanted failures, so here I am
If you were looking for intelligence
Then you know I wouldn’t stand a chance
But you said you wanted fools, so here I am
Thank you God for love I don’t deserve
Thank you God for love I did not earnIf you were looking for good citizens
Then you know I wouldn’t stand a chance
But you said you wanted prisoners, so here I am
If you were looking for faithful men
Then you know I wouldn’t stand a chance
But you said you wanted doubters, so here I amThank you God for love I don’t deserve
Thank you God for love I did not earnIf you were looking for righteous men
Then you know I wouldn’t stand a chance
But you said you wanted sinners, so here I amIf you were looking for worthy men
Then you know I wouldn’t stand a chance
But you said you wanted me, so here I amThank you God for love I don’t deserve
Thank you God for love I did not earn
A CONTEST! WIN A BOX OF FREE WORSHIP CD’S FOR YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS!
Hey my Tumblr friends,
So, I wrote a new song for our inner-city worship service (The Bridge). It’s all about Grace - what Grace is, how it works, etc. This video is me leading our service in singing it.
Well, now, we’re running a contest right now, where if you film yourself or your youth group singing the song, you could win a case of our Live At The Bridge worship CD’S!
There’s a link below for details/chord charts/etc. Don’t be shy. I know y’all have the talent - bust it out!
Jed
Jed Brewer leading our new song “Grace” live at The Bridge.
Make your video of a group, or just you solo, and send it in! Fabulous prizes.
You can own “Grace’ by Tasha Lawson, written by Jed Brewer for your very own! Follow this link to NoiseTrade and download it. There is an option to tweet or Facebook the link, please do! There is also a place to leave a tip, a little something for the effort if you will. Please leave whatever amount you want ($0 is definitely an option). Any money we make goes to helping Jed write and make more awesome music for you guys. It also is the first step in The Bridge hopefully using these kinds of resources to raise money for urban missionaries who don’t have the means to raise support! We are trying to change the way ministry world, and we want you to be a part of it! -Matt from The BridgeBIG ANNOUNCEMENT
The first entry in the “Grace” contest, from our dear friend Lee Younger and the high school and college folks at Christ Community Church in Oak Ridge, TN.
We hope you have had a chance to listen to the awesome “Grace” by Bridge team member Tasha Lawson (written by our own Jed Brewer). We are going to have a little contest. Here’s the deal:
1) record you (or your youth group, small group, etc) singing the song, thelyrics are here and a .PDF of the chords is here.
2) post it on your tumblr and send us the link or email the video to bridgechicago@gmail.com
3) the winner will get a case of Live at The BRIDGE CDs of Jed leading his original worship songs at the Bridge.
You’ve got nothing to lose. If you have any questions feel free to ask!
If you like Beyonce or Rihanna, then you’ll LOVE this! Check out your soon-to-be favorite song!
Jed Brewer wrote an awesome worship song about the concept of grace. One of our Bridge team, Tasha Lawson, provided the vocals. It’s got more soul than James Brown’s jumpsuits. Who doesn’t need cool music and who doesn’t need to be reminded of the grace we have been given? Put this in your ear sockets, then tell a friend.
grace is the choice God made about me -written by Jed Brewer listen here
grace is the choice that he’d be for me
grace is the choice to pay for my wrongs
that’s what you did, up on the cross
and you did it
because you love me
and you did it
because you want me
and you did it
so i can come home
and you did it
to make me your own
grace is a force that I can’t conquer
your grace endures even though I wander
grace is a force that drives me back home
cause my God is love and my God is strong
and you give it
because you love me
grace is a gift that i have not earned
grace is a gift that i don’t deserve
grace is a gift not something i’m owed
grace is a gift, oh. grace is a gift
that you give me
because you love me
Anonymous asked: I always hear that I should act with grace and speak with grace, but if grace is God forgiving our sin and not sending us to Hell, how do I do that?
I answered: I think grace is a term that gets used a lot, which is understandable because it is a wonderfully beautiful concept, but that can blur the meaning. Grace is defined as “the unmerited favor of God”. So it is not just that God forgave our sin and we are not going to hell, it’s that He did those things even though we have never done nor will ever do the slightest thing to deserve it. So God loves us and shows us favor even though we deserve the opposite. That is something we can let profoundly influence the way we treat people.
A lot of the crappy things people do to and say about each other can be traced back to insecurity. People put others down, try to hurt people before they get hurt, or any other manner of stupid, hurtful behavior. So since our favor with God is something our behavior didn’t merit, that means we can’t lose it by our behavior. So we should have grace with ourselves not to beat ourselves up after every mistake, and instead move forward. The grace we have been given also means we can love others with more gentleness. This is the basis of the biblical command to forgive others as you have been forgiven. If we can really get our heads around how great the grace we have been shown is, then it is so much easier to give other people a break.
The key is to remind yourself of how incredible the grace we have received is. Every time you screw up is an opportunity to remember, as is every time you don’t hold something against someone.
While we are on the subject of grace, another way to keep it in mind is this awesome song Jed Brewer wrote.
-Matt From The Bridge
