Today, in America, we celebrate Memorial Day. It is a time that is meant for us to honor those people who fought and have died in the many wars/conflicts that have purchased our freedom. Many people think of the armed forces when we remember this and they are undoubtedly the majority of the individuals who have suffered for the freedoms we currently enjoy. Today I am also thoughtful of others who have died for freedoms we now possess (or in some cases are currently working on). I think of Martin Luther King Jr., Matthew Sheppard and Jesus Christ.
You see, there is no freedom I enjoy today that was not bought by blood. The freedom to practice religion. The freedom to raise my children on my own. The freedom from sin and the ultimate penalty of death. I know that some don't believe that Jesus' blood has anything to do with them. They believe that they are good enough on their own to make it by. I admit, that for the period of my life when I rejected all that Christ had done for me, I felt the same. And now I realize....
If you fail to acknowledge the egregiousness of your sin you won't appreciate the beauty of grace. We are sinful people. We wrong people and God all the time despite our best efforts. When you look yourself square in the face and acknowledge the bad that you have done that you usually try and hide from yourself, you will realize that you need help. That help can only come from Jesus. After you've tried a million other ways to feel better, why not try faith in God?
For it is folly to downplay our sinfulness because it cheapens the sacrifice of Christ. Without seeing it (the blot of sin on us) we don't feel the need for Jesus. It is hard to acknowledge that we really don't possess within us the power to earn salvation. We are a can-do type of people but we will fail. Christ went to war for us, for me. He fought the battle of the ages in order to give us freedom through his bloodshed. He didn't have to do it, just as our soldiers and freedom fighters didn't have to fight for the cause they believed so much in. Christ believed that you were worth dying for. That's how much it meant to him to give you freedom.
The Christian life is not easy but it IS freedom from the oppression of sin. You can have joy and know that you are forgiven and that you now have the right to be with God in heaven and experience Him here on earth. There is no greater sacrifice. There is no greater love. All you have to do is claim the freedom, the sacrifice. Live under the auspices of God's grace. It really is simple. (He did all the hard stuff himself so that we wouldn't have to). So consider today the freedoms we enjoy thanks to the sacrifice of many and salvation thanks to the sacrifice of one.
You see, there is no freedom I enjoy today that was not bought by blood. The freedom to practice religion. The freedom to raise my children on my own. The freedom from sin and the ultimate penalty of death. I know that some don't believe that Jesus' blood has anything to do with them. They believe that they are good enough on their own to make it by. I admit, that for the period of my life when I rejected all that Christ had done for me, I felt the same. And now I realize....
If you fail to acknowledge the egregiousness of your sin you won't appreciate the beauty of grace. We are sinful people. We wrong people and God all the time despite our best efforts. When you look yourself square in the face and acknowledge the bad that you have done that you usually try and hide from yourself, you will realize that you need help. That help can only come from Jesus. After you've tried a million other ways to feel better, why not try faith in God?
For it is folly to downplay our sinfulness because it cheapens the sacrifice of Christ. Without seeing it (the blot of sin on us) we don't feel the need for Jesus. It is hard to acknowledge that we really don't possess within us the power to earn salvation. We are a can-do type of people but we will fail. Christ went to war for us, for me. He fought the battle of the ages in order to give us freedom through his bloodshed. He didn't have to do it, just as our soldiers and freedom fighters didn't have to fight for the cause they believed so much in. Christ believed that you were worth dying for. That's how much it meant to him to give you freedom.
The Christian life is not easy but it IS freedom from the oppression of sin. You can have joy and know that you are forgiven and that you now have the right to be with God in heaven and experience Him here on earth. There is no greater sacrifice. There is no greater love. All you have to do is claim the freedom, the sacrifice. Live under the auspices of God's grace. It really is simple. (He did all the hard stuff himself so that we wouldn't have to). So consider today the freedoms we enjoy thanks to the sacrifice of many and salvation thanks to the sacrifice of one.
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