Bed, Bath, and way Beyond

There are times in my life that I'm sure when people drive by my car that assume that I'm having some kind of fit. My hands are waving, my head is jerking, my shoulders moving, and they can't hear a thing because my windows are up and so are theirs. And when I'm in my car, I'm not even trying to contain my praise. It's just me and God as I get my praise on.

But recently, I found myself in a situation hard to contain. I was shopping in Bed, Bath, and Beyond, just listening to my MP3 player. Had it on shuffle, so there were all kinds of songs playing in rotation. But then Fred Hammond came on. And if anybody has seen my music collection, you know I'm a big Fred Hammond fan.

But this was one of my favorites, and I had not heard it in a while. It is called "No Greater Love." It simply says, "There is no greater love than the one you have for me Lord. Your mercy, so tender, erasing my transgressions. There is none greater."

That word "transgressions" got me. In a recent Bible study I came across the definition of trangressions as a "deliberate act against the law of God." WOW! That's the stuff that I do, that I know it is sin when I do it, and I still do it anyway." And He, God, chooses to erase that, to blot it out, to exterminate it, to obliterate it, because of His love for me.

I could feel that praise coming on as I thought of what God had done for me, and instead of humming along, I was beginning to sing, and I just had to thank God for what He had done in my life.

I ended up in my car in the parking lot, with the song at full blast, and then it got to the chorus and it just tore me up. "Your love for me is forever. To me there is none greater. Your love kept you hanging there. Your love kept the nails in place and let the blood flow down and reach all the way down and grab me and hold me. Your love let the spear pierce your side. Your love kept me on your mind. No greater love. Your love let them mock your name, and spit in your face, and crucify the Lamb of Glory. To me there is no greater love. Your love kept you hanging there, separated from the Father, just for me."

Needless to say, by then the tears were flowing, the snot was running, the hands were praising, I was just overcome with gratitude with what Christ had done for me. And sometimes you just have to get ugly with your praise, a little undignified, and thank God for who He is and what He has done and continues to do.

What an awesome WOW moment!