The Wonder of it All

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. I John 4:10

Today is George Beverly Shea's 102nd birthday. Mr. Shea is well known for singing at Billy Graham crusades, and holds the record for singing in front of the most people at one time! He's probably best known for composing the music to one of my favorite gospel songs, I'd Rather Have Jesus.

He also wrote the words and music to this gospel song, which magnificently captures my feelings: the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul is the wonder that God loves me.

Have you spent time recently meditating on the love of God? His love is unfailing, deep, strong and true.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16

He loved us so much that He didn't wait for us to be good enough to deserve His love; on the contrary, while we were sinners, He demonstrated His love for us!

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

His love not only saves us, it makes us alive forevermore with Christ, raises us up with Him, and seats us with Him in the heavenly places!

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7

His love takes us away from darkness and into light; making us His children and giving us the hope of eternal life.

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7

It's a wonder that's only begun. I'm quite sure that once we're in heaven with our Savior, we will realize that here on Earth, we were only able to grasp a small understanding of His love for us. To fully comprehend it, that will be a wonder.

The Wonder of it All
Words by George Beverly Shea

There’s the wonder at sunset at evening
The wondrous sunrise I see
But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul
Is the wonder that God loves me

Refrain
The wonder of it all
The wonder of it all
Just to think that God loves me
Oh the wonder of it all
The wonder of it all
Just to think that God loves me

There’s the wonder of spring time and harvest
The sky, the stars, the sun
But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul
Is the wonder that’s only begun