Sometime around 1730, John Newton’s mother died when he was 6 years old. When he was 11, he joined his father as a Slave Trade Merchant and learned every kind of debauchery known to man. John, himself, later became a hard and cold master, mistreating the slaves he transported to England. His language was beyond what most sailors spoke and he was known for fighting against all kinds of authority.

One day a violent storm almost sank the ship he was on, so John cried out to a God he really didn’t know much about. He cried out for God’s mercy to save him, and the other passengers, from almost certain death. God delivered and they were all saved. That was a turning point for John. He aban- doned the slave trade industry and started studying the . He went from slave focused to servant focused. He even became an Anglican Priest in 1764 and started writing poems and hymns, some of which we still sing today.

One of his most powerful and popular hymns told about how God gave him an “.” One verse in particular reads, “‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.”

Isn’t it wonderful that God is there waiting on us to turn towards Him and away from everything that’s against Him? He knows our deepest darkest secrets and yet, He still wants us; He still loves us. He comes to us where we are, even if it’s in the middle of a mess we made. His grace brings us out of the pits of putrid behavior, dungeons of despair, and the mud of misery. He takes our hands, wipes our tears, cleans us up and gives us a new focus. It doesn’t matter how many times we screw up, because His love for us is unending and unconditional.

None of us are perfect, for sure. We mess up, we make mistakes. But, we don’t need to feel guilty about that because God sent Jesus to take care of those sins for us. The debt was paid. He wiped the slate clean and now He calls us His Beloved. When we call on His name, He is right there to help us. He turns the dark back into light. He takes away the blinders of sin so that we can see clearly again. He transforms our hearts from uncaring to compassionate. He is an Awesome God! And He showers us with Amazing Grace! Praise Him! Praise Him!

“God canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross.” Colossians 2:14 (NCV)