Saturday, March 19, 2011

Who is Jesus to you?

I love to prayer journal, and tonight as I was journaling I realized my entry was entirely focused on myself, lacking even a hint of adoration or praise. I was taken aback as I realized my relationship with Christ had waned from a vibrant love relationship to a bland business transaction.

By all means we should come to Jesus with our requests and burdens. We should confess our sin and ask Him to transform our hearts. If, however, our communion with Christ ends here we are completely missing the point of the Gospel.

Jesus died a gruesome death on the cross not simply to make people with better morals, but to restore a broken relationship!

19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Christ], 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. -Colossians 1:19-23

Isaiah 59:2 says: "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." Because of our sin we were alienated—separated—from a holy God, but in Christ every sin has been erased, making us holy in God's sight. As Colossians 1:19-23 says we have been reconciled to God the Father!

Thus, by the blood of Jesus we can intimately and personally know our Creator. We can experience His love, and we can learn to hear His voice. Jesus wants to free us from our sin. He wants to empower us to advance His Kingdom and glorify Him. But above all else He wants to be with us.

Though we are faithless He remains faithful. He never stops pursuing us. He never stops showering us in His relentless love and beauty. We simply need to be still and abide.

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” -Luke 10:38-42

1 comment:

  1. I needed to hear this today! Thank you for sharing your wisdom and life! I love you and miss talking face to face with you!

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