Amazing Grace

As dawn was breaking on the horizon of the morning of October the 6th, 1972, sitting alone in his 1947 Chevy parked alongside the Spokane River, a depressed, distraught, emotionally and spiritually lost twenty-year old young man was overwhelmed by the love of God and surrendered his life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That guy was me.
Fifty years ago this Thursday my life changed for time and eternity.
“For God so loved the world (including me!) that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16
As I write, my heart is overflowing with unspeakable joy while warm tears of humble gratitude flow down my cheeks. Every single day I rejoice remembering that moment when I realized that Jesus shed His life blood on a cruel Cross and rose from the dead to forgive me of my sins and graciously grant me the free gift of eternal life. I am so grateful God gave me the grace to say yes to His Son Jesus!
One year later, October 1973, God called me to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. Are you kidding me? Steve Roll a preacher! God has a hilarious sense of humor! No one who knew me before I became a Christian would have ever imagined or guessed I would be a man of the cloth. I marvel that my heavenly Father put me in the ministry.
It has been my priceless privilege, undeserved honor and inexpressible joy of lifting up the name of Jesus to thousands of people for forty years of full-time Christian ministry.
The Christian hymn “Amazing Grace” is my all-time favorite worship song. John Newton, once a slave-trader who gave his life to Christ, wrote these immortal words. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.
 In the movie “Amazing Grace,” which I highly recommend you view, Wilbur Wilberforce asked Mr. Newton, “What do you know about being a Christian?” Newton replied “I know two things; I am a great sinner. Christ is a great Savior.”
I get what Newton meant. I, Steve Roll, is a great sinner. Once I was spiritually lost and blind. But now I see what God’s will and plan for my life is because of my great Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus saved Steve Roll from sin and himself.
 
 
What Salvation Through Faith In Jesus Means To Me

• First and foremost, I am going to heaven, not hell! There is a space reserved in heaven for me. (I Peter 1:3-5). Jesus is preparing my place in glory even now (John 14:1-3).
• My Heavenly Father loves me unconditionally. Jesus loves me period. No if’s, ands or buts! His never-ending love for me has shown me how to love myself and others.
• God’s magnificent, precious promises in the Bible are for me. Yes, me. Jesus is the promise keeper I have needed throughout my life. I am so thankful He keeps His Word!
• God has never disappointed me. Life has. People have. I have disappointed myself. But my Heavenly Father never has and never will. It is not in His fatherly character to disappoint His sons and daughters (romans 10:11). I wish you could know what it means to me that God will never let me down, fail, forsake or abandon me. Security in Christ is a wonderful thing! Great is God’s faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:22-23).
• Jesus believes in me. His Word says so. The Holy Spirit reminds me that I can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). I can and choose to comeback from setbacks in His mighty name! Before I met Jesus, I spent too much energy and time not believing in and beating up on myself. No more beating up on me because Jesus took a beating for me and empowers me with His resurrection power to life victoriously!
• Jesus has given me His joy (John 15:11, 16;22). His joy is my joy and is manifested through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. I like being a Christian who daily strives to walk by faith in the joy of the Lord!
• I thank God for grace that covers my flops, failures and fumbles. I know how imperfect I am. How weak my human flesh is. I am so grateful the Lord picks me up when I fall and He has taught me how to pick myself up (II Corinthians 12:7-10, II Corinthians 4:7-11, 16-18)
• I am at peace with God and myself (John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7). With the help of the Holy Spirit, I am constantly working on Christlikeness and spiritual maturity. Being at peace with God and yourself is indescribeable!
• Without question one of my greatest joys has been to have Jo Ann, my beloved wife of forty-eight years, by my side. She is the godly, virtuous, Proverbs 31 woman. Her simple, straightforward, steadfast, unshakable, faith in God has taught me volumes about trusting in the Lord.
• I wake up every day looking forward to the day the Lord has made (Psalm 118:24). I wonder if this might be the day when the Lord splits the eastern sky and returns in His glory to take His chosen people home to heaven. “Even so Lord Jesus, come quickly!”

Having walked with the Lord for five decades, I am realizing more and more that God’s love for me in Christ is an endless, bottomless, inexhaustible well of His grace, mercy and lovingkindness.
 There is so much I still yearn to learn about His saving grace to me. There are two things I choose to do in whatever time I have left on earth. One, I will spend the rest of my life getting to know my Lord and Savior better. Two, I will share my faith with lost souls and do my best with God’s help to win them to Christ!
My reader, if you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, rejoice! Share your faith with others. If you do not know Christ, seek Him right now and receive Him into your heart by faith.
Paul’s confession of faith is my confession. “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed in and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him util that day.” II Timothy 2:12
A former wretch like me is now an unashamed, blood bought, born-again, Spirit-filled, heading for heaven son of the Living God! Thanks be to God for so great a salvation!
My faith journey continues. Having believed and received salvation through Christ, I long for the day when a once lost twenty-year old but a now found seventy-year-old sees Jesus face to face in heaven (I John 3:1-3). What a glorious day that will be!!!!
“Thank You Lord for saving my soul, thank You Lord for making me whole. Thank You Lord for giving to me Thy great salvation so rich and free.”
On my 50th spiritual birthday, my spirit cries out Hallelujah! Glory to God!
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