An Innocent Heart for Jesus

Today I was led to rediscover BJ Thomas.  One of my favorite songs to sing back in the day was “You Gave Me Love”.  And today, I went to YouTube and found that amazing song by BJ Thomas along with a whole album of his songs written after he accepted Jesus as his Savior.  They are so amazing!  The sweet innocence of a new believer fill every line.  They filled my heart to overflowing and told the story of a man who found what he was looking for.  

A tragedy of BJ Thomas is the way he was received (or not received) by the church.  There was a time (and may still exist) where Christians thought new believers should abandon the culture they were apart of and go totally into the Christian culture, singing only gospel songs and hanging with only Christian artists, wearing WWJD bracelets and abandoning the world they were a part of, the world that still needed Jesus.  

But Jesus didn’t spend His life in the synagogue reading the scriptures

and offering sacrifices.  Jesus was a light in a dark world, directing his life toward the sinners, the tax collectors, prostitutes.  I would love for you to click the “You Gave Me Love” link below, and get in touch with the heart of a new believer in every song, but just in case you don’t have time to do that, I am giving you the lyrics to the title song right here.

You gave me time, when no one gave me time of day.

You looked deep inside while the rest of the world looked away.

You smiled at me when there were just frowns everywhere,

You gave me love when nobody gave me a prayer.

That’s why I call you Savior, that’s why I call you friend.

You touched my heart, you touched my soul,

And helped me start all over again.

That’s why I love you Jesus, that’s why I’ll always care.

You gave me love, when nobody gave me a prayer.

You gave me laughter, after I cried all my tears,

You heard my dreams while the rest of the world closed its ears.

I looked in your eyes and I found the tenderness there.

You gave me love, when nobody gave me a prayer.

I hope you will have a little uninterrupted time to listen to the whole album.  It is like a breath of fresh air or a walk on the beach. I especially loved the song “He’s Walking in My Shoes”.  

I don’t think I had ever heard that one, but it definitely deserved a place on a Grace-full Living blog, so I am using it for the closing of the Treasure Series.