"Good" Doesn't Even Come Close
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It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, He did everything that needed to be done for everyone.
Hebrews 10:14 (MSG Paraphrase)
God knew how it would all go from the very beginning.
It seems, that in our blindness and selfishness, we needed yet another reason to Love Him. We had tried and failed to reach Him with our religious rules and behavior – and missed the entire point.
He wanted our hearts. He created us for Relationship – not religion.
But He didn’t give up on us. His Love is Unconditional and Relentless – something we can barely imagine.
God knew how it would all go from the very beginning.
At the center of His creation would be Love,
followed closely by Freedom.
It was a proper courtship by any measure.
First He made Himself known to us. He sent Love letters in the form of a perfectly working natural world filled with beauty and wonder. Maybe it’s the way we feel at sunset as the day ends, and how easily we rest at night in full assurance that sunrise will follow. Or, perhaps it is the miracle of birth as you hold your precious child. A million miracles every day shout and whisper His care and Love for us.
Then, we often begin to feel "entitled" because it's all so … predictable.
What fickeled lovers we are – taking our suitor for granted that way. We easily forget how unlovable we really are and how blessed we are to have such an ardent pursuer. Or, perhaps we know we are unworthy and hide from Him in our shame and guilt.
We come up with so many reasons to run from Him –
instead of To Him.
We drift in and out of Love with each other and with Him as we chase whatever we think will fill our void and define us favorably. We often “choose” to abandon the Freedom to Love and be Loved as He intended for us, and instead, we pursue the slavery of self-worship.
It seems, that in our blindness and selfishness, we needed yet another reason to Love Him. We had tried and failed to reach Him with our religious rules and behavior – and missed the entire point.
He wanted our hearts. He created us for Relationship – not religion.
But He didn’t give up on us. His Love is Unconditional and Relentless – something we can barely imagine.
And so He reached through time with the ultimate Love letter -- He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross to save us from ourselves and make a way for us to walk closely with Him forever. Jesus demonstrated His great Love -- at a great cost -- by taking our sin onto Himself in one ultimate and perfect sacrifice, which freed us forever from the penalty of our sins (Romans 5:6-8).
He built a bridge between God and us and all we have to do is walk by faith across it into His Presence – forgiven and clean, once and for all.
Free at last to accept Love and give Love because of
His great Love for us.
But it didn't end there... (to be continued)
Learn more: Why did Jesus have to die for our sins?
Listen to His Love
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