I've been reading a biography by Jonathan Aitken on John Newton (author of the classic hymn "Amazing Grace"). As you may know, Newton was the captain of a slave ship and by his own admission a wicked sinner before being convicted of his sin, repenting and pursuing ministry. I was struck by the following paragraph in the preface of the biography:
"He went on to serve as pastor of a distinguished church in London, where he befriended many notables of his day. The grace that had "saved a wretch like me" worked its way thoroughouly in his life. His achievements earned him a monument in Westminster Abbey, and the honors continue even today, two centuries after his death. Newton was recently inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and in 2007 the actor Albert Finney played him in Amazing Grace, a film about Wilberforce. Perhaps the surest emblem of his transformation is a town named Newton in his honor in Sierra Leone, where he used to dock his slave ship." (p. 12, emphasis mine)
I highly recommend this biography especially to those who have struggled with sin for many years and wonder if God can use "a wretch like me". I'll leave you with a quote by John Newton which I first heard in the movie Amazing Grace and which has since been an encouragement to me on numerous occasions:
"I am a great sinner but Christ is a great Savior." (p. 24)
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