My friends, it's a blessed but weary morning. Most days I'm ready to jump out of bed and start my Bible reading, make breakfast, write a post if I haven't already.
Today I'd love to go back to bed, but this house needs my attention, and so do you. And you and I both need a reminder of the big picture--what life is all about, what the most important thing is. (And I'll tell you what, it's not the fact that I have a lot of picking up to do around here.)
It's this:
Ephesians:
2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b] 4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. [Emphases added] [Source]
This is what matters. We can't expect perfection from ourselves, because we're not perfect. We needed saving--which means at one point, we were lost. Specifically, dead (see v. 1). But in our baptisms, God made us one with Christ--one in his death, and one in his resurrection, so both Jesus' sacrifice and righteousness count for us, too. God made us alive with Christ. He has given us the promise of eternal life with Jesus, and because of his grace has given us faith (again, through our baptism and in the Word) which saves us.
Can I add a note here? Perhaps you don't believe the truth of these things. You might have heard about them, but not made them a part of your life. If you don't know who Jesus is, or if you've heard of him but don't believe in him as your Lord and Savior, please, email me (jaimie dot ramsey at cune dot org) and we'll talk. This message is for you, too, because Jesus also died for and loves YOU!
Our salvation is not contingent upon anything we do or don't do. That would make even salvation from sin into a law. But it's not.
Our salvation is entirely about Jesus, and what HE has done for us.
We are children of God and the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts, enabling us to live obedient lives to God. Because of Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf, God no longer looks at us and sees sinners. He looks at us and sees Jesus. He knows we're sinful, but he also knows Jesus has already paid the price for that sin. He has already forgiven us for everything we have done or will ever do that is against his will for us. There is no more price to be paid, no more punishment to be taken. Oh, we experience the temporal consequences of bad decisions. Sometimes those consequences are acutely painful. But they don't affect our eternal state--our soul has been ransomed by Jesus Christ, and nothing in this world can touch it.
Ah...yes. This is what's important. God doesn't love me more if my house is clean. He doesn't look at my homemaking skills or my good grades and say, "Well done, Jaimie, you've just made your salvation more sure." That would be ridiculous. God doesn't depend on us for our own salvation. He just asks that we don't throw away the faith in his Son that he's graciously given us. And I'm not about to do that.
Today, you and I can rest in the knowledge that God loves us, no matter what our house looks like, no matter how we do in our job or our studies or whatever vocation we're in. Remember that you are saved by grace through faith, and this is NOT of your own doing. It's a gift from God.
Linking today with Upward not Inward, Exceptionalistic, Deep Roots at Home, Raising Homemakers
Showing posts with label Lent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lent. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
My Sickness...HIS Suffering
So I've been down with a rather nasty case of influenza since Monday. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. Today is my second day home from school, and this is the girl who NEVER skips classes. Today Hubby isn't feeling well either, so at least I don't have to stay home alone all day!
Since it's Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, I've been pondering the connections my physical illness has to my spiritual one. This sickness is a result of the fact that spiritually I'm sick with sin. Before I was baptized and given faith by the Holy Spirit, I was literally DEAD in my sin. Now sin does not have control over me like it once did--I'm not going to die permanently from its presence in my life--but it still rears its ugly head on a regular basis and causes much frustration, pain, and suffering in my life.
Then it hit me: I don't REALLY suffer all that much for the sins I've committed. Yes, I have to deal with the consequences. Sometimes they're very serious ones that affect my life and the lives of those around me. Sometimes they cause feelings of guilt that I have to deal with until I realize, once again, God's amazing forgiveness.
But here's the thing: compared to how Jesus suffered on the cross, my sufferings are pretty minimal. First of all, having the flu is nothing compared to being beaten nearly to death, being nailed to a cross, and then hanging there for six hours until He finally died. The worst of it? Jesus was literally, completely separated from God. Because He took the sin of the whole world on Him, God couldn't bear to be in his presence, because of God's complete perfection.
Jesus took the physical sufferings and the separation from God that I deserve--on HIMSELF.
Yes, I am sick with sin. But MY sin caused HIM to die.
The incredible thing is, the story doesn't end there. Yes, He suffered. Yes, He died. But Jesus is not only Man--He is GOD. And as God, He didn't stay dead. After conquering Satan, sin, and death completely, Jesus rose from the dead. And He is still alive. And He has promised that I and everyone who believes in Him will not die forever. We will not have to endure eternal separation from God--or even get a taste of it like Jesus did.
And the physical suffering that we endure now, in this life? Those won't last forever. Compared to what a lot of people experience, this sickness I have is so short, so mild, so temporary. But even the worst illness will be healed completely in time. And in heaven, there will be no more sickness, no more pain, no more suffering. The perfect bodies we will have there will last for eternity, because we will be with God.
All because of what Jesus did for us.
http://www.thesefiveofmineplustwo.net/search/label/A%20Handful%20of%20Heart
Since it's Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, I've been pondering the connections my physical illness has to my spiritual one. This sickness is a result of the fact that spiritually I'm sick with sin. Before I was baptized and given faith by the Holy Spirit, I was literally DEAD in my sin. Now sin does not have control over me like it once did--I'm not going to die permanently from its presence in my life--but it still rears its ugly head on a regular basis and causes much frustration, pain, and suffering in my life.
Then it hit me: I don't REALLY suffer all that much for the sins I've committed. Yes, I have to deal with the consequences. Sometimes they're very serious ones that affect my life and the lives of those around me. Sometimes they cause feelings of guilt that I have to deal with until I realize, once again, God's amazing forgiveness.
But here's the thing: compared to how Jesus suffered on the cross, my sufferings are pretty minimal. First of all, having the flu is nothing compared to being beaten nearly to death, being nailed to a cross, and then hanging there for six hours until He finally died. The worst of it? Jesus was literally, completely separated from God. Because He took the sin of the whole world on Him, God couldn't bear to be in his presence, because of God's complete perfection.
Jesus took the physical sufferings and the separation from God that I deserve--on HIMSELF.
Yes, I am sick with sin. But MY sin caused HIM to die.
The incredible thing is, the story doesn't end there. Yes, He suffered. Yes, He died. But Jesus is not only Man--He is GOD. And as God, He didn't stay dead. After conquering Satan, sin, and death completely, Jesus rose from the dead. And He is still alive. And He has promised that I and everyone who believes in Him will not die forever. We will not have to endure eternal separation from God--or even get a taste of it like Jesus did.
And the physical suffering that we endure now, in this life? Those won't last forever. Compared to what a lot of people experience, this sickness I have is so short, so mild, so temporary. But even the worst illness will be healed completely in time. And in heaven, there will be no more sickness, no more pain, no more suffering. The perfect bodies we will have there will last for eternity, because we will be with God.
All because of what Jesus did for us.
http://www.thesefiveofmineplustwo.net/search/label/A%20Handful%20of%20HeartMonday, March 28, 2011
Wow, three posts in one day!
My first post of today was very "me-centered." I'm going to leave it as an example of what I DON'T want to do with my posts.
It's not about me. Life isn't. It's about the One who created me, who loves me, and who holds my life in his hands.
I was talking with my friend Sara yesterday about how mind-boggling it is, what Christ has done for us. God came down to earth to live as a human, with all the pain and frustrations and inconveniences that that entails. He was treated poorly, and at the end of his earthly life was mocked, beaten, whipped, spit upon, jeered at, and finally nailed to a rough cross of wood.
To the Jews who witnessed that, it was the most humiliating death a person could experience: the death of a criminal. If only they had known that He was there because He had chosen to be. That He had chosen to experience hell, quite literally, in order that mankind wouldn't have to. That those who believed in Him and what He had done and that He had done it for them, without any help from them, that they might live. Eternally. With the One who loved them so much.
Not only that, but Sara and I talked about how much we still sin against God, despite what He's done for us. And then, most mind-blowing of all, how He DAILY forgives us from all those sins! What Jesus suffered on the cross was one payment for all sins of all people of all time. He already took care of it ALL! And He forgives every sin of every day. No matter how many there are.
THAT is grace. THAT is love.
Well, that's God.
It's not about me. Life isn't. It's about the One who created me, who loves me, and who holds my life in his hands.
I was talking with my friend Sara yesterday about how mind-boggling it is, what Christ has done for us. God came down to earth to live as a human, with all the pain and frustrations and inconveniences that that entails. He was treated poorly, and at the end of his earthly life was mocked, beaten, whipped, spit upon, jeered at, and finally nailed to a rough cross of wood.
To the Jews who witnessed that, it was the most humiliating death a person could experience: the death of a criminal. If only they had known that He was there because He had chosen to be. That He had chosen to experience hell, quite literally, in order that mankind wouldn't have to. That those who believed in Him and what He had done and that He had done it for them, without any help from them, that they might live. Eternally. With the One who loved them so much.
Not only that, but Sara and I talked about how much we still sin against God, despite what He's done for us. And then, most mind-blowing of all, how He DAILY forgives us from all those sins! What Jesus suffered on the cross was one payment for all sins of all people of all time. He already took care of it ALL! And He forgives every sin of every day. No matter how many there are.
THAT is grace. THAT is love.
Well, that's God.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Christ has Triumphed!!
In two days it will be Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. I've been reading the book of Colossians the last few days, and a passage in chapter two struck me today. It's also appropriate for almost-Lent:
"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (2:13-16)
For Israelites, being circumcised was the sign of their relationship and covenant with God. It meant they were chosen by him and one of his own. For Christians today, Baptism is a parallel sign of the same thing. The passage is talking about how when we were dead--in our sins, and therefore not in a relationship with God--he gave us life, in Christ. We were in debt to God because of our sins, that's what the "written code" is talking about. All those regulations are the laws of God. They're not bad, because they are necessary, but their purpose is to show us our sin and what we do wrong. What Jesus did with his death was take that Law and fulfill it completely, because we as imperfect humans can't. He took away the condemning Law from us, taking away our task of fulfilling it, and completed it himself.
What I love is the mental picture this passage gives, of Jesus nailing the Law to the cross, saying, "I'm going to take care of this so no one else has to." Those "powers and authorities" are Satan and his evil angels. Jesus took away all the power they have over us, and (in modern terms) he owned them. That is to say, he humiliated them, took away their power, and conquered them entirely. He has TRIUMPHED over sin! And death! And Satan himself! One of my favorite Easter hymns begins, "Jesus lives, the victory is won!"
What that means is that sin, death, and Satan no longer have any power over those who belong to Jesus, including ME! I sometimes forget that. Sometimes I wallow in my guilt and shame.
But Jesus took it all away. Yes, I sin daily. But you know what? I am already forgiven!!!! Jesus has ALREADY paid the entire price for my sin!! It no longer counts against me. The second I say, "Jesus, I'm sorry, please forgive my sin," he replies, "My child, it's already been forgiven."
I am a saved, loved, and forgiven child of GOD!!! May I dwell in the knowledge of that every day of my life. Even as we begin Lent, a time of pondering what Christ suffered for our sakes, we need not wallow in our sin, guilt, and despair. That makes the Good News of what Jesus did all about us, turning it into Law. It's not about us. It's about Him. What he's done. And what he's done is forgive us, destroy our sins and our debt, and give us new life and salvation.
"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (2:13-16)
For Israelites, being circumcised was the sign of their relationship and covenant with God. It meant they were chosen by him and one of his own. For Christians today, Baptism is a parallel sign of the same thing. The passage is talking about how when we were dead--in our sins, and therefore not in a relationship with God--he gave us life, in Christ. We were in debt to God because of our sins, that's what the "written code" is talking about. All those regulations are the laws of God. They're not bad, because they are necessary, but their purpose is to show us our sin and what we do wrong. What Jesus did with his death was take that Law and fulfill it completely, because we as imperfect humans can't. He took away the condemning Law from us, taking away our task of fulfilling it, and completed it himself.
What I love is the mental picture this passage gives, of Jesus nailing the Law to the cross, saying, "I'm going to take care of this so no one else has to." Those "powers and authorities" are Satan and his evil angels. Jesus took away all the power they have over us, and (in modern terms) he owned them. That is to say, he humiliated them, took away their power, and conquered them entirely. He has TRIUMPHED over sin! And death! And Satan himself! One of my favorite Easter hymns begins, "Jesus lives, the victory is won!"
What that means is that sin, death, and Satan no longer have any power over those who belong to Jesus, including ME! I sometimes forget that. Sometimes I wallow in my guilt and shame.
But Jesus took it all away. Yes, I sin daily. But you know what? I am already forgiven!!!! Jesus has ALREADY paid the entire price for my sin!! It no longer counts against me. The second I say, "Jesus, I'm sorry, please forgive my sin," he replies, "My child, it's already been forgiven."
I am a saved, loved, and forgiven child of GOD!!! May I dwell in the knowledge of that every day of my life. Even as we begin Lent, a time of pondering what Christ suffered for our sakes, we need not wallow in our sin, guilt, and despair. That makes the Good News of what Jesus did all about us, turning it into Law. It's not about us. It's about Him. What he's done. And what he's done is forgive us, destroy our sins and our debt, and give us new life and salvation.
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