Photo by Jacqueline Day on Unsplash

Today is Five Minute Friday.  The rules are simple and are on her site.  Just follow the link.  

GO

The word for today: CONNECT.
When I heard the word for today, I stopped to think about what I would write.
The hymn, Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Wretched** popped into my head.

I thought of how amazing, even astonishing it is that the Infinite GOD of the universe;
Creator of all things in heaven and earth; the Holy GOD who cannot be around evil or impurity;
How He not only connected with frail, broken mankind,
He took the initiative to connect with us.

We were a mess.  We sinned in thought, word and deed.
We broke His commands not only by overtly committing sin, but by omitting things that He commanded us to do!   STOP
He knew better than we did how broken and lost we were.  In fact, Scripture says, we were dead in sin.
You can’t get any more broken than that!

So Christ, the Infinite GOD-Man, came to earth and lived a perfect life for 33 years.
He did not sin once in thought, word or deed.  He did all the Father wanted Him to do.
Then He went to the cross and died to pay the penalty for our sin.  He was the infinite sacrifice…once and for all!
Only the eternal GOD could do that.  Only He could pay the infinite penalty for sin.

Now, because of what He did, those of us who trust this work of grace He did can be forgiven.
In a sense, we trade our shabby record of failure and disobedience for His record of perfect obedience.
He wrote in blood on all those records of sin and failure: PAID IN FULL…because He did.
Now, we are able to connect with Him.

Because of what He did, we can call Him, “Abba, Father.”
Because of our standing in Christ, we can come boldly before the throne of grace to find mercy and help in times of need.
We are connected to the Father…through Jesus Christ.
It is by His death on our behalf that we are healed.

____

**Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Wretched

Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched, weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,  full of pity joined with pow’r;
He is able, He is able, He is able,
He is willing; Doubt no more;

Come, ye needy, come and welcome, God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance, ev’ry grace that brings you nigh.
Without money, without money, without money,
Come to Jesus Christ and buy.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden, bruised and broken by the Fall;
If you tarry till you’re better, you will never come at all.
Not the righteous, not the righteous, not the righteous–
Sinners Jesus came to call;

Let not conscience make you linger, not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth is to feel your need of Him;
This He give you, this He give you, this He give you;
‘Tis the Spirit’s rising beam;

Lo! th’ incarnate GOD, ascended, pleads the merit of His blood;
Venture on Him, venture wholly, let no other trust intrude;
None but Jesus, none but Jesus, none but Jesus
Can do helpless sinners good.

Hymn by Joseph Hart, 1759