Substitution

Yesterday I read an article from a blog I'm subscribed to and it was about the substitution of Christ. I had never thought about it before reading this article, but it occurred to me that there really is no other substitution for salvation and grace other than Christ himself. If there was, who would he be?

One earthly man cannot stand in for all human beings. It is clear that God is three in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And those who know that He is the only way to salvation know that the only reason He can be is because He encompasses all three parts. Not one man on earth nor one idol nor one book of prayer nor one religious ritual can match this.

Man alone, beings alone, humans alone, do not and will never have this power. The only "person" who can do this for us is Christ incarnate Himself.

"The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man."

Hello?

The very act of denying Him as our only Lord and Savior is a sin itself. For thereby we are placing ourselves on a higher pedestal than He and proclaiming that we do not need Him because we have atoned our own sin. How can we atone our own sin? We can't. We don't have the power and we never will. And therefore, we have no better choice than to surrender ourselves to His atonement on our behalf.

"Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be."

This is a powerful statement. We think so highly of ourselves - so much so that we are convinced we do not need grace. And if ever we did, we'd find it our own way.

But God, in all His glory and compassion offers Himself as a living sacrifice and puts Himself where he does not deserve to be, in our shoes, to save us from ourselves so we don't have to do it.

Why would anyone not want this? It's beyond me because it's free...and painless. It does nothing to harm us, it only helps us and guarantees us eternal life.

Mariah’s First Soccer Games

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus

This morning I watched a powerful yet simple message on the GEB network. Dr. Rutland, the former president of Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL where Isaac and I both graduated, is now president of Oral Roberts University located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And as such, he preaches during the chapel services there just like he did at Southeastern. Except now, they are recorded and played back on television for anyone to view. What a hidden treasure we found!

I miss Southeastern so much and watching his messages brings back so many memories. The sheer tones of his voice spark  memories of Isaac and I sitting in chapel listening to him preach one soul-soaking message after another. He is a gifted man, one of whom I know not many of, who can relate-ably strike the heart of one’s suffering or joyful inner core through the simple avenue of his own life-changing stories.

Somewhere along the line, he said today, people have been turned off by “church.” They don’t want to talk or have anything to do with religion. They have been burned, scarred, and disillusioned at the thought of the institution that they put it on the backburner and leave it for the wolves. Rightly so. The “church” can be a scary place to live unfortunately.

What about Jesus, he said? He is the basic essence of all that is. Have you seen him? Perhaps that is the mindset we should have while living on this temporary earth. He is all that matters. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and His character, His being, is what we ought to focus on.

When you tell people about Jesus, about His transcendent glory, about the way He can heal and perform miracles and change the darkest parts of one’s soul to light in an instant, there is more than just the “church” to talk about. In fact, that has little to do with the church. Jesus, in all His glory, is all we need. Worshipping is not about how we feel or the “chills and spills” of our bones, it’s about glorifying Him and focusing our eyes and thoughts on His magnificent being.

There is nothing like Him. And dare we put Him in the middle of our messy lives thinking we have made a spot for Him. He is above our messy life. If we asked Him to come sit in the spot we thought we so brilliantly prepared for Him, would He not come waltzing in and say, like he does in Matthew 17:

“Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish I will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’

When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid.’ When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.”

Just like Peter did with Moses and Elijah, so often we try to put Jesus on the same wavelength as our problems, our pains, our fears, our trials, our miserable little senseless, struggling, beat-over-the-head, traffic-induced, making-ends-meet lives that we forget that not only does He deserve, but He belongs at the top of it all. He is above all those things. He is all those things. 

How dare we think we are doing good by making a place for Him. He is higher than the places we think we have under control and try to squeeze Him into. His countenance, His face, His love is brighter and greater than we could ever imagine. And I believe that if we fix our eyes on Him, on His character, on His glory, we might surprise ourselves and realize that the church is really just senseless talk.

It’s all about Him.

Waiting His Arrival

I will be 38 weeks this Wednesday. It’s hard to believe that that much time has gone by and he is almost here. And furthermore, that I have been pregnant for nearly 75% of 2011. Actually that isn’t that hard to believe because it has been the longest nine months of my life!! But of course, one of the best sets of nine months of my life.

Now, we are just waiting for his arrival, whenever and however that may be. Thanks for all your prayers and love and support through this blessed time in our lives and for the past year.