I was pondering my faith last night before going to bed, and again this morning. This happens once in a while. A healthy dose of introspection is good for the soul. I was asking myself some questions about what I believed, why I believed and how firm I was in my convictions. This all started after being reminded of how important having faith in Jesus was at a concert. My wife Pam, my granddaughter Alisha and I went to a concert at our church. Adams Road (www.adamsroadband.com)was the group we listened to. And the concert was so very different than any I have ever attended. The music was inspiring, And each member of the group shared their personal journey to faith. Each member had started out with a very different faith than what they have today. They shared the joys, the struggles and the personal changes in their lives and the lives of their families. I encourage you to go to their website, spend some time and get to know these fine young men. Really, just click on the link above.
The trigger for the introspective journey was a point made by a couple of the young men as they shared their faith story. 'Don't you think, that when Jesus was on that cross paying for all your sins that he was looking straight into your eyes?' That was the trigger that set me to thinking. And along that road I found something worth sharing. We are called children of God because that is what we are. You and I in our lives can have relationships with people we know from our business dealings. We may come to know them from the frequency of our shopping adventures, or through the conversations we have while in their stores. That relationship is not the same as the relationship we have with those who are fellow believers, followers of Jesus Christ. In a word, Christians. Jesus suffered the humiliation of the cross because we, the people lost in sin, needed a savior. We were paid for by His blood, by His sacrifice. Our slavery to sin and death in sin ended on that cross. This is not the kind of relationship one would have in a business transaction. I do not reach into my pocket and pull out a pint of blood to pay for my groceries each week. For Jesus, this was personal, not business. His love for us was and remains today so profound that we are saved by His blood. He looks into our eyes even today. He wants us to know that we are free. Our salvation has been won. There is no more debt to be paid. Ephesians 2:8 lays it out for all the world to read and grasp onto. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Today, and every day of your life remember that you are saved by this gift from God. For Jesus, it really is personal, not business.
PRAYER: Lord we sometimes forget who deeply personal Your love for each of us is. It is not a matter of loving all mankind as a group. We sometimes forget that Your love is focused on each of us. So strong is Your love that You forgive our sins and welcome us into Your house when our time here on earth has ended. Help to keep that memory close to our hearts. This we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment