'Jesus died, my soul to save!' my lips shall still repeat..."
I often wonder what it will be like to stand before the throne of God... I haven't stood on my two feet since I was ten years old, and as good as my imagination is, I have forgotten what it feels like. Add to that the wonder of being made complete - not lacking in anything, having no trace of weakness or impurity in my body, heart, or mind... to really stand as never before. Add to that, this will be in the presence of my God, in his throne room, before his throne... when I try to consider the magnitude of that, I can't believe that I will be able to stand at all... that I'll fall flat on my face, crumpled into a twisted heap that can't bear the light of his glory and holiness.
I think about that day a lot, about the strength and wholeness of my body, the freedom from emotional messes, the unity of relationship with God and other believers, the bliss of unrestricted adventure, the joy of life to the fullest. But I love that the song says that the praise on my lips will be "Jesus died, my soul to save." That will be the everlasting truth, the key, the foundation, the point. Sometimes I brush it aside as a well-known fact and a well-worn page: "Jesus died to save me... John 3:16... yeah, I know, I got it already..." But the truth is, it is the only thing that matters. If Jesus didn't die, and if he didn't have the power to save me from sin and death, then there would be no hope - no hope of physical wholeness, or emotional freedom, or relational peace, or wonder about standing in the presence of the King of kings, or restoration of life as it was intended to be. These are all affects, results, made possible because of his sacrifice. And so it will be my anthem throughout eternity, and it will never get old.
"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." - Isaiah 53:5-6
"The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant... In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." - Hebrews 13-15, 22
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering." - Romans 8:1-3
No comments:
Post a Comment