Ten Thousand Times

Ten thousand times I have sinned
All to gain what sin can only give
The devil on his face he grinned
When he fooled me into thinking God won't forgive
No hope to be found for from sin we groan
For only sin can give the wage of death alone

Ten thousand times I have sinned
All to gain what heaven can freely give
The Father on His face He grinned
When He sent His Son to die and forgive
The hope of the world we found when on the cross we heard His groan
For only Jesus can forgive the wage of death alone

• Have you ever felt the real weight of your sin?

• Do you think God is keeping a tally of all the wrongs you have done and you are badly losing?

• Have you ever felt like you have let down God because of your sin?

Well, I want to share with you why I wrote this poem and help you answer some of these questions.

This poem was written at a time of my life when I was feeling the real weight of my sin and I will be honest with you… it was crushing me. All I could think about was God keeping track of my sin, and ten thousand bad marks against my soul wasn’t even scratching the surface. I was truly in a low place and I was letting sin do its worst on me. In the Bible John 10:10 says, “The thief’s purpose (Satan) is to steal and kill and destroy” (NLT). Well, Satan had stolen my joy, killed my peace, and destroyed my hope.

At that point in my life, it seemed as if things were not going so well for me. But that is why I wrote this poem. To remind myself that there is a second half to John 10:10 which says, “My purpose (Jesus’s) is to give them (those who trust in Him) a rich and satisfying life” (NLT). WOW! What a complete turnaround from the first half of that verse. We see the hope that is Jesus Christ and the life that we could be experiencing when we trust in Him. So just like there are two sides to John 10:10, I wrote a poem that shares the same contrast as we see in that verse.

In the first six-line stanza we see how Satan seems to win the upper hand. His whole purpose, as seen in John 10:10, is to “steal, kill, and destroy” so when he accomplishes any part of that in our lives, Satan most certainly grins with deceitful intent. He fools us into thinking that God’s love is not enough, our sin has run too deep, and we have wandered too far away from God’s good graces to be forgiven. All of this leads us to sorrow and groaning over the condition of our lives. We can see why Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (NLT). Our sin creates a metaphorical death here on earth in terms of failing relationships, addiction, crime, greed, lust, division, hatred, and the list continues endlessly. But our sin also creates a literal death. When our bodies pass from this life, if we have not accepted God’s Gift of eternal life, we will forever experience death in Hell.

If you want to learn more about what God’s gift of eternal life is and how to accept Jesus as your Savior click HERE.

In the second six-line stanza we experience the contrast that is displayed in John 10:10. The first line stays the same because our life condition hasn’t changed but the lens that we look at our sin has most certainly changed. We begin to recognize that the gift of eternal life is a no-strings-attached kind of gift. Apart from Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, the only role that we play in this gift is simply accepting it with open arms.

When we accept this invitation of salvation we see in Luke 15:10, “In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents” (NLT). Yep, you read that right! When we turn from our sinful life even the angels in heaven rejoice for you. So if the angels rejoice do you not think that God would not also rejoice for you? Of course, He does!

But what if I have sinned too much or committed a terrible act that I cannot even forgive myself for? Let me share with you one of my all-time favorite verses. In Hebrews 7:2 It says, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (NKJV). I use the NKJV because it uses the word “Uttermost” and I love the definitive nature that this word puts over sin. Another way to say it is that God saves us “To the end”. There is no sin that you have committed, no crevasse in your soul too deep, nothing you have done or will do that can ever remove you from God’s forgiveness and love. He died so that you may find grace, peace, and victory over your sin.

This poem helped me find peace in my life and I hope that it can do the same for you. As you go on with your life I pray this prayer for you.

May the Lord bless you and keep you

May the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you

And may He give you peace

Amen