The next entry for my Blog is At Calvary, which was written by William R Newell in 1895. It can be found in many church hymnals. A link to the Islington Baptist Church Choir singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.
At Calvary
Years I spent in vanity and pride
Caring not my Lord was crucified
Knowing not it was for me He died
At Calvary
By God’s word at last my sin I learned
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned
Until my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary
[Chorus]
There Your mercy and Your grace was free
There Your pardon multiplied to me
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary
Now I’ve given Jesus everything
Now I gladly know Him as my king
Now my raptured soul can only sing
Of Calvary
[Chorus]
There Your mercy and Your grace was free
There Your pardon multiplied to me
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary
I used to be a worship leader in a small church many years ago and on Sunday evenings, I let the members of the congregation select the songs we would sing. Every Sunday evening, one young boy around eight years old, would ask to sing #226. This hymn number was “At Calvary” and every time I hear it or sing it, I think of that little boy so many years ago. It seems as if so many people in the world go about their daily lives and never think about the sacrifices others made so they could even have a life. These people revel in their successes and their families and how successful they have been. I think it is great that people are willing to work hard to succeed, but it is important that everyone is aware of the one decision that determines eternity for them. I don’t believe people think much about eternity and what is next in their lives, they are too focused on today. Wouldn’t it be great to know that we all have the opportunity to maybe once again see our loved ones who passed away over the years? These people don’t realize what took place over 2000 years ago and how their future is truly determined. To me, this is the time the song is referring to when referencing vanity and pride. These people have probably heard about Jesus, the son of God, dying on a cross and have probably seen pictures of the crucifixion; but they don’t realize that he willingly gave his life so each of us could have eternal life. He died on that mount called Calvary, just for us.
The reason for his death was to clear a path for all of us to an eternal home in heaven. His death provided us with forgiveness for every sin or wrongdoing we have ever committed as well as any future wrongdoings. All of this was done without us having to spend any of our time or money. You ask, so what is the catch, no one does anything for free. The only requirement given by God and his son is that we accept Jesus as our personal savior and acknowledge that he is the only way to eternal life. All of the burdens that we carry inside of us are lifted at the time we accept Jesus. We are told this in the book of Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” It doesn’t mean we won’t worry and fret about things, but it does mean that we have someone to turn to in prayer whenever our hearts are burdened. We are no longer alone when the weight of our worries start to overcome us.
As we start a new spiritual life as a result of accepting Jesus, we become eager to learn more about him. This quest for knowledge leads us to the bible, which is God’s word and lays out the life we are supposed to lead; a life of love, compassion, forgiveness, praise, and worship. Hopefully the quest for knowledge leads us to a wonderful church and church family. As we compare how we have lived our life to the way God wants us to live, we have a sadness that comes over us when we think about all of the things we have done wrong in our lives. We learn the real meaning of sin and how Jesus died because he loved each of us so much and wanted to take away all of our sins. Not only does he want us to get on the right path in our lives, but he also wants each of us to spend eternity with him.
God has a master plan for all of us, his plan starts before we are born, it encompasses our life on earth, and it concludes with our eternal home with him and others who will be joining us in heaven. In the book of Jeremiah 1:5, we find this scripture about God knowing about us before we are born, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.”
It is because of God’s master plan that we have hope, even in the darkest of days. Take some time and think about the darkness and hopelessness of this world and contrast that with the eternal life we are promised. We also learn how we can escape this darkness of life and enter a life of pure love and hope, this is the gap that God bridged for us by sacrificing his son. What an amazing plan that God has put into place!
It is all because of the execution of God’s master plan on the mount called Calvary. Isn’t it time for you to accept Jesus and become part of God’s plan for you? God is always willing to accept us back into his flock. He promises us this in Isaiah 53:6. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Click to Hear the Islington Baptist Church Choir Sing At Calvary