So which one are you?

Some of you may have heard the song, It is well, others of you may have not.  There is a story of how this hymn of old came to be.  Below is that story….

Horatio Spafford (1828-1888) was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son. He was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Scriptures. His circle of friends included Dwight L. Moody, Ira Sankey and various other well-known Christians of the day.

At the very height of his financial and professional success, Horatio and his wife Anna suffered the tragic loss of their young son. Shortly thereafter on October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost every real estate investment that Spafford had.

In 1873, Spafford scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to give his wife and daughters a much-needed vacation and time to recover from the tragedy. He also went to join Moody and Sankey on an evangelistic campaign in England. Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead of him while he remained in Chicago to take care of some unexpected last minute business. Several days later he received notice that his family's ship had encountered a collision. All four of his daughters drowned; only his wife had survived.

With a heavy heart, Spafford boarded a boat that would take him to his grieving Anna in England. It was on this trip that he penned those now famous words, When sorrow like sea billows roll; it is well, it is well with my soul..

Philip Bliss (1838-1876), composer of many songs including Hold the Fort, Let the Lower Lights be Burning, and Jesus Loves Even Me, was so impressed with Spafford's life and the words of his hymn that he composed a beautiful piece of music to accompany the lyrics. The song was published by Bliss and Sankey, in 1876.

For more than a century, the tragic story of one man has given hope to countless thousands who have lifted their voices to sing, It Is Well With My Soul.

    This “modern day” story of JOB is one that is hard to imagine.  As a father of 6 kids, I know the intense love that I have for them.  I know the pain of saying goodbye to a son, one whom we lost during the second Trimester of pregnancy.  Though we did not know his personality, our love for him lives.  We look forward to the day when we shall him see face to face. 

    I love this hymn….however, there is one word that I do not sing.  I mean, I do sing the song, but simply swap out one word.  This word is not a long one, but it carries some serious strength.  In fact, this word is the defining line between two types of Christians.  Ones that believe and live one way and others live and believe the other way.  So what word are we talking about? It is what it is…..IS.

    “My sin not in part but the whole, is  nailed to the Cross…”  is how the song goes…but I sing it differently…”My sin not in part but the whole, was  nailed to the Cross…”.

    Can you see it?  Does it make sense to you?  For some, they still carry their sins.  Or if they have given them to Jesus for the Cross-, still see them as alive and maybe even controlling. 

    Then there is the Christian who lives with the “was”.  The debt WAS paid…sin is dead.  We then are alive to Christ.  Are you living as if your sins are dead, or are they still chained around your soul?  Guilt and shame have no hold over us, IF we let them stay dead.  Guilt and shame given to us from others….does not stay.  We are free because Jesus did not only die on the Cross-He has risen from the grave.  He won.  We are free. 

Then begs the question…how then do you live?  Are your sins a “was” or an “is”?  Are you living in guilt and shame?  Our your dreams free to roam with Christ?  Or are you so entangled in your “is” that you constantly cast your plans, failed hopes, guilt, shame, sin, short comings on your soul and maybe even on others?

Your sin is not yours anymore.  Stop feeding the fire of what needs to be dead.  Christ lives, sin dies.  Be a “was” person today!  After all, your sin was nailed to the Cross and you do not need to bear it anymore!  Praise the Lord!

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

the home where we ate at in San Ramon for two days....they simply took their hammocks down

the team adding the stucco

Caleb and part of the team crossing the river on the "bridge"

praying for the family

beautiful view in San Ramon

inside one of the houses

other view of the same house

a handmade quilt given to the Maurice Team members....

a perfect spot to relax after a hard day's work!