Thursday, September 17, 2009

Thank You For The Cross

"...but the angel said, "Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead!" (Mk 16:6 NLT)

The cross - it all comes down to the cross of Christ and what He did for us. Man's religion is about striving to earn bragging rights with God from which we hope to barter a better afterlife. However, Christ made all those man-made shenanigans moot. He took on our punishment for our sins voluntarily upon Himself in order to save us. He bore the ultimate punishment, and defeated sin & death through the cross.

Everything changed on that resurrection day. Doom and gloom became joy because Christ's resurrection proved that death was defeated. And because of His sacrifice, we no longer have to exhaust our human energies to be good in order to "win" God's grace - the work has been completed.

But as Christians, we still strive to do good, but the motivations are different. When Christ saved us, we were changed, our relationship as sons and daughters to Father God was cemented. And knowing Father God, we now desire to imitate Him as best as possible. We will never attain perfection, but we take uncomfortable steps to cleanse ourselves of sins that grip us with the deep seated knowledge that His strength is readily available to support us. We may stumble, but never fall.

Lord Jesus, there have been many recent moments when I have felt inadequate and discouraged. But since I have met You over 10 years ago, I have never felt alone. Never. Thank You for walking with me and gifting me with a beautiful wife and daughter. Please help me to keep pushing forward in faith, knowing that I don't have to be perfect because you've already paid the price for my sins in full. Instead, I just need a sincere heart to get better and surrender my life over to You to do with as You please. That is my heart's desire. You are Lord of my life and I know that although the future is unclear and with so many unknowns, You know best and have every moment of my life under control. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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