Sunday during church, we sang a song about how Jesus bore our sins on the cross at Calvary. And it got me thinking. I don't know if you ever have seen the Passion of Christ, but if you haven't it is something that really rings true to thinking about my sins. He bore my sins, He hung there knowing what sins that I would commit and He still loves me to this day.
His arms tied to the cross before they pounded the nails into his palms, He was aware of me, because He has chosen me from the foundations of the earth, I was called. So He knew every time they hit the nail and it wasn't just one pound like when you are sticking a knife in butter, it was so painful, my sins hung with Him, that is why He did it, for my sins, for your sins. Every excruciating slam of the hammer and I don't know about you, but I miss when swinging a hammer, maybe they missed too, He bore it for me. I can hear the hammer ringing in my ears, hear the sound of a nail being driven into wood and it wasn't just one nail, but four.
It is easy to just say it is just a lie, who cares, it is just a little deceit who cares, but it is all hanging on the cross, that is why Jesus went to the cross, to save us from ourselves. Our sins that we just fluff off, because they may seem so petty compared to the life we live, but they hung on that cross and then the battle was just beginning. Can you fathom, the battle was just beginning, because God allowed His son to hang on the cross. God loves us so much, He chose to give up His son for my sin and for yours. Wow, what a realization, that God still loves me, even through all I have done in my life. He chose me knowing all of it, He chose me seeing me and still chose me. He wants us to want to know Him too.
He hung on that cross, alone and separated from God, for me. Then He had a spear stuck in His side and blood and water flowed, He did that for me. He was dead and gone, alone separated from God for that time. Yes, He rose again, but during the time in the grave, can you imagine the torment that He faced? He was separated from His Father, because He wanted to give us the choice for freedom, for forgiveness of sins.
As humans we still commit sins, we still fall short of the glory of God, but He says come to Him, confess our sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. I still sin, but I need to confess those sins to Jesus and He is faithful and does forgive me of them. But true repentance comes from turning from those sins, not doing them again and again, yes we will fail, but Jesus knows our hearts, He wants us to turn from our sins and walk in freedom, freedom from the wrongs, freedom from the sin, so that we can walk the way He wants us to walk. We will fail, but we shouldn't expect to fail, but we should strive each day to live a Christ centered life, the more we focus on how does those words affect my relationship with God, before I actually say them, then we are working on honoring God above all else. If we want to honor flesh, we are just like the world.
Today I think about a harsh word and it hits me, does that honor God? Am I sinning against Him? Am I pounding the nail into His hand? Isn't it time to actually realize the pain I am causing Jesus, is it more important to me, then myself? Who is more important, Jesus or self? Hard truths, but He wants us to want Him more than we want to bring honor to self.
No comments:
Post a Comment