Aldersgate Day!

I was looking at my calendar just now and I realized that today is Aldersgate Day! Those of you that aren't Methodist (and maybe those of you are that are Methodist) may be wondering what in the world Aldersgate Day. It was on this day in 1738 when John Wesley was a religious meeting at the Aldersgate Society in London where he heard Martin Luther's Preface to Romans' read. It was in that moment that

"while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

What does this have to do with the rest of us, other than that great phrase, "heart strangely warmed." Wesley spent many, many years trying to earn God's love and God's grace. He preached. He studied. He traveled to America. He did everything he could think of to make God love him.

But, nothing worked. He could never find that grace that he sought so desperately. He became discouraged and even disillusioned. He was at a loss for what to do. He didn't know how to make God love him.

Then, this breakthrough. He realized that God loved him, forgave him, and called him. And at that moment, he was set free. He realized that God loved him, even him. And, he felt his heart warmed with God's all amazing grace. He was set free.

What does this mean for us? Today, through Christ, you can be free. You can life. You don't have to earn God's love. Let me say that again. You don't have to earn God's love. He simply loves you. You don't have to make Him. Just receive. Just receive what He longs to give you. Today, we can each be set free from these things, and feel our heart strangely warmed.

Today, may each of our hearts be strangely warmed with the knowledge of Gods' grace.