Luke 15:7 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine just persons who need no repentance."
My Lord and Savior, how can it be that You came to earth, and You died for me? As I look back over my life, seeing so many times that I have not been faithful to You, that I have not always behaved as You would have had me behave, the times I took the low road and not the high....but still You held out Your hand for me, You cast Your Light for me to follow, You forgave me again....and again.
When I think of the cross and all you endured, the beatings, the verbal abuse, the final act of taking my sin upon Your beautiful heart, the Father turning from You when it should have been me He turned from; when I think on these things the Holy Spirit brings to mind what I should be thinking on. You never once want me to think that Your death was for naught. You never once want me to think that I was not deserving of Your sacrifice. So many times I have told myself that I was so unworthy of Your sacrifice, so unworthy of the price paid for my life....but You, time and again, have told me You love me. You have told me that I am so worth the price, the cost, the extravagant cost of my salvation.
I believe we forget to look at ourselves through Your eyes, through Your heart, as I have when I look at the cross. When I think of the cross, I only think of how I see myself, of my worth, but You, O Lord, look at me through Your eyes of love and compassion, of forgiveness and mercy. When You look at me, You do not see those things that sometimes come back to my mind courtesy of the enemy. When You look at me, You see me as You present me to the Father, spotless, righteous, sanctified in You. You see me as I am now, so in love with You, so adoring You, so needing You every minute. You no longer see any sin attached to me, for You paid that price at Calvary, You took all those sins and destroyed that act in me, leaving only Your likeness where they once resided. You have brought me with a cost that I can never pay, and You have marked the bill "PAID IN FULL". You have paid that bill and then blessed me with an open account of love, peace and joy. Blessing after blessing You bestow on me, mercy comes new to me each morning and Your love and presence surround me as I walk in You.
It was for me You died. I was that lost one that You searched for and found, that You put on Your shoulder and carried to safety. If I had been the only reason for the cross, You would have still walked that hill, suffered, and died. You would have gone into hell to take the keys to my freedom, had I been the only one. You would have rose victorious for just my soul, You love me so much. I love You so much my Savior, my Lord Jesus, so much.
My friends, read this putting yourself as the I that was me. Read it outloud to yourself. Let the message of how much Jesus loved me, loved you, get into your spirit. He died for me; He died for you. And had we been the only one, He would have done everything the same. The cross of Jesus, where we should have been instead of Him, stands to show each of us this message; a message that should be written on our hearts....the Lord Jesus Christ died because He loved us. He went to the cross because the Father sent Him for us. The Father sent Him. Our God sent His only Son, His Beloved Son, so we could be His beloved children forever. So we could call upon His Name, upon the Name of Jesus, and enter into the throne room of God, our Father. So we could stand before Him, loving Him, worshiping Him, and calling out to Him, "Abba Father", we love You. "Abba Father, my Beloved Father", I love You.
03-03-12
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