Thoughts

Last night, I attended a friend's church. Since we've been visiting around, I'm on an analyzation(?) streak. I have to admit that "christian rock music" is not my type, but I liked the words that were sung. It was a once a month wednesday night service, and so they had communion with it. The passage they taught was from Isaiah 53. It was such a wonderful reminder of Christ's love for us in the suffering and temptation He had to endure. I challenge the few of you who read this to think a moment about this. Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. That means that He died for you, He died for me, He died for all of us. Why did He do this? He had no reason to love us. We sinned against Him. We have "dispised and rejected Him". Why should He love us? What have we done to deserve His love? What could we ever do to deserve His love? And yet, many of us still beleive that we can obtain salvation through works. That we can go to heaven. That we have somehow won His approval. I say this is erroneous. More importantly, God says that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ. "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."-John 14:6 (KJV) I cannot fathom how man can expect God to let Him into heaven because of his own good. God is a Holy God. He is a perfect God. He is a merciful God, but He is also a just God. He cannot allow sin into heaven. I must marvel at the fact that Christ died for my sins. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like to have His Father turn His back on Him because of something that I did(Mark 16:34). I am reminded first that God loved me so much that He sent His only, begotten son to die a sinner's death, all so I could live with the knowledge that I am going to a place that He has prepared for me. So that I could live for Him and praise Him. So that I could be with Him in paradise. I was also reminded that life is not about me. Life is about Him and giving glory to Him. My salvation is what He did for me. Not what I can do to get to heaven. Christ died for you. Just consider that as you live day to day. I thank the Lord for showing me the way. I thank Him for leading me, for holding me up when I'm weak. For picking me up when I fall. I love you, Lord.

He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth. -Isaiah 53:3-7 (ESV)