For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16
KJV)
What a wonderful gift God has so
graciously lavished on us through our Savior, Jesus Christ! This gift may be free to us, but it cost God
everything. God gave us life, not the
death we deserved. Jesus lovingly came
and walked among us—submitting Himself to death on a cross to atone for our
sins. While Jesus lived and walked among
us, He experienced everything common to life as a human (Hebrews 4:14-15 see here).
Jesus understands us and is our Advocate
with the Father (1 John 2:1 see here). Knowing all that Jesus did for us and how He
is our Advocate should give us great courage!
In fact, we can approach the God’s throne with boldness (“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” Hebrews 4:16
KJV).
Jesus endured so incredibly much
for us. He took all of our sins and
diseases upon Him on the Cross. It’s
hard to fathom the depth of the suffering and pain He took upon Himself for
us. Jesus willing gave His life that you
and I might live—live a full life on earth and have a glorious eternity. What an amazing sacrifice!
Without this gift, we would spend
an eternity separated from God. Like all
freedom, this freedom comes at a price; the price is surrendering to God and to
serve Him—being willing to do what He asks of us. And sometimes, what He asks isn’t always easy
or popular. It can even lead to
rejection by others, including our family.
Salvation changes us. Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly…changes
come within the deepest part of what makes us unique from everyone else in the
world. We are set free from our
past. God no longer remembers our sins
once we confess them and receive forgiveness in Jesus’ name.
God may ask us to give up
cherished hobbies, ways of life that we hold so dear. Friendships will change. God may even ask us to change our
careers. Those changes will make all the
difference! In the face of changes, it
would be easy to fear, yet, I believe that we’ll discover such peace and
confidence and preparation to go forth and shine for Jesus. Yes, there is a cost to saying yes to
Jesus. Counting the cost will be a topic
of a future post.
What do you say to God’s free
gift? What is your decision? Will you say yes and experience life in it’s
fullness or will you say no and experience life that is far from what it should
be? The choice is yours. Where will you be spending eternity?
“For the wages of sin
is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord.” (Romans 6:23 KJV)
Please join with me in prayer:
Dear God of Grace, thank you for the love and grace that You’ve
shown us through sending Jesus to buy us back, taking care of our sins. Father, we know that You’ve given us what we
don’t deserve; we are thankful. Thank
you for our freedom; may we use it a way that is pleasing and honoring to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
From my heart to yours,
Kim
And, there has never been nor never will be a greater gift than the one our Lord and Savior, Jesus, gave to us!
ReplyDeleteAs I look back and reflect upon my life's journey, I see God's hand moving in so many marvelous ways. There is a cost, no doubt, for there are still those who do not understand my allegiance to God, but there is no looking back. I must move forward for His sake.
Beautiful post, Kim! I'm tweeting and sharing to Facebook. :)
Martha,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments and for sharing with others!