Jesus Paid It All

I AM HERE . . .

God is so faithful, and I am so unfair. While God is busy forgiving me, I am off casting stones at others. When God is mercifully taking me back into His loving arms, I am struggling to release the bitterness in my heart against those who have wronged me. There could not be a greater gap between the character of God and the carnality of my human heart.

Time and time again, God forgave the Israelites in the wilderness, so often did He show them mercy, but they always managed to fall back into grievous sin. It's amazing how easy it is for me to read the Old Testament accounts and think "Man, God did so much for them, provided them with all things, and they STILL turned away?!? I would NEVER do that." But then I look back upon my own life and realize that I am no different from the Israelite nation.

Pastor Barker preached the other night on the Israelites and the golden calf. The elders of Israel had JUST SEEN the power of the Lord, the whole nation camped in the shadow of Mt. Sinai where Moses met with God and saw the cloud of the Lord descend upon it, but despite the magnitude of God's presence at that place, the people begged Aaron for a god. Aaron gave them the golden calf. Again, it is soooo easy for me to judge them self-righteously. But . . . Every day I see the loving-kindness of the Lord, every day He is gracious toward me and provides for all my needs and more--and I STILL forget to thank Him, still forget to seek His face, and I still forget to give Him the praise and worship that He deserves. It is at times like these that I need to seek the face of God and remember again that I am here to do all things for His glory. Christ has changed my life, and I owe everything to Him.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

How about you? Do you see yourself as a good person? Do you compare yourselves to others and think, "Gee, I don't do THAT, I must be okay" and then move on with your life? If so, I would encourage you to read the Bible and see what God has to say. God teaches that there are none righteous, no not one, that we have all turned aside to seek after things that will please and gratify us NOW. Only ONE was good, and that one was Jesus Christ.

God is a just God--would you want Him any other way? How would you feel if someone murdered one of your loved ones and the judge decided to be a nice guy on trial day and let the guy get away without any penalty at all? I could be wrong, but I think you'd be outraged. I know I would be upset. So God is just. He is also holy, and He hates sin. He cannot let sin go unpunished. That is why Jesus came to earth: to take the punishment for our sin. Only someone without sin could be a sacrifice in place of sin. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death--in other words, hell--but that Christ came to take the blame for any who would believe on Him. Jesus was a propitiation, a sacrifice to turn away the wrath of God, for us. You know that "little white lie" you told your boss this morning? No big deal, right? Wrong. Even if that was the only sin that you ever committed, it would still be enough to send your never-dying soul to Hell. Being a "good person" or living a "clean life" just isn't good enough. In Isaiah 64:6, we are told, "But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Filthy rags? That's pretty base and just gross. That is how God views sin. If we have sinned, which we all have, there is nothing that we can do to earn salvation. Instead, we must turn to the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross. Jesus came to save sinners. That includes you, me, and everyone else who has ever been born except Jesus. Come to Christ. Turn from your sin and believe that He is the only way to enter heaven. Seek after Him, pray to Him, and dare to see how He can change your life.

God doesn't just want part of you. Maybe you think that going to church once a week means you have a "get out of jail free" card from God. Going to church isn't enough, being a "good person" isn't enough--the only thing that will make you right with God is salvation through Jesus Christ, the one who paid your debt of death for you if you will trust in Him.