You can't go that far

 

One of  the lies the devil used on me for so many years, was that I had gone too far. I had sinned too much, I had walked away from God and given up too many times. And I believed it. I thought I had to beg and convince God to forgive me, and was never quite sure He had forgiven me. Its a lie that worked all too well on me, and on countless other people down through the centuries.

 I had my small moments of hope and belief, but they never lasted long. Some of those moments came from a song that I found about 12 years ago. "You can't go that far" by The Talley Trio. I'd listen to it over and over, and it would spark some hope in me that maybe I hadn't gone too far. Maybe, just maybe God wasn't tired of forgiving me.

  The chorus goes:
You'll never be beyond His mercy, you can't go that far
The cross can bridge the distance to anywhere you are
It doesn't matter where you've fallen , the love of God can heal your scars

You'll never be beyond His mercy, no,  You can't go that far.

   I lost hope many times over the years, and time after time, this song would stir up some hope. There are songs that I like better for the sound and music, but when it comes to songs that mean the most to me, it is this song with the wonderful words "you can't go beyond His mercy". And it is Biblical and true.

  Jesus said we must forgive 70 x 70. That is 490 times. Anyone who knows much at all about the Bible and Jesus, knows He didn't mean a literal 490 times. I hope anyone that has been a Christian for long knows it means to always forgive and not to keep track. I thought God kept track. Oh, I didn't think He had a limit of 490 that He was waiting for me to hit before He was going to cut me off. That number really never entered my mind. I just felt I had gone too far. Throw in feelings of failure, worthlessness, and hopelessness, and you can feel that you reached the end of God's mercy even sooner.

  It has been said that God wants us to make it to Heaven even more than we want to make it there. That He is just waiting to forgive and extend mercy. Another song that has a meaningful line says "I don't believe He's sitting up in Heaven, evaluating sinners by their scars. But I see Him excited to forgive us, and it's not at all in spite of who we are." (Booth Brothers, When He Saved Me)

  God loves us beyond what our little minds can comprehend. And His mercy goes way beyond anything we can imagine. Can people go beyond His mercy? Maybe. He knows our hearts and maybe it is the ones who have said "no" and really mean no forever...... maybe they go beyond His mercy. I don't know. I do know that no matter how many times we fall, He will forgive, extend mercy, and take us back. Any voices saying otherwise are lying and are of the devil.

Verse 1
None of us are perfect, we've all failed the Lord
We struggle with our failures and we need to be restored
The voice of condemnation says "you've crossed God's final line"
But there's no place so dark His light of mercy cannot find.

Chorus:
You'll never be beyond His mercy, you can't go that far
The cross can bridge the distance to anywhere you are
It doesn't matter where you've fallen , the love of God can heal your scars
You'll never be beyond His mercy, no,  You can't go that far.
Verse 2
God sent His Son Jesus to cover every sin
So there's no one so hopeless that His grace can't bring back in
His blood can reach the secret place where unforgiveness reigns
The message of the cross can reach the furtherest one away.
Chorus:
You'll never be beyond His mercy, you can't go that far
The cross can bridge the distance to anywhere you are
It doesn't matter where you've fallen , the love of God can heal your scars
You'll never be beyond His mercy, no,  You can't go that far.