Embrace the Within no. 192

“While we were still helpless [powerless to provide for our salvation], at the right time Christ died [as a substitute] for the ungodly. Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to willingly give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a good man [one who is noble and selfless and worthy] someone might even dare to die. But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8 AMP).

It takes a lot to sacrifice as far as your own life because we love ourselves a lot more than anything else. I think that is why suicide baffles and confuses and amazes and bewilders us. How can you abandon the one thing in which we are often so proud? Self.

It might be that we could sacrifice ourselves for family or friends in an act of selflessness in our love for their innocence or goodness. BUT I am not good in myself. And while I was broken and sinful and proud and arrogant and boastful and unrepentant and despicable, Jesus still died for me.

Jesus that has all the power in both the heavens above and this earth here chose to surrender His life as far as death for me. I don’t know about you BUT I have done a lot of stuff that isn’t worthy of anyone sacrificing anything. I have been a broken mess that just went along with the systems of the world. I looked for salvation in the ways of the world. I thought that working without Him would change the world into something better. BUT that is just stupid. I was sinful in thinking that human intelligence was somehow going to fix the problems that human intelligence caused. I was proud which led to arrogance and boasting. I knew better than the Christians I knew so I was unrepentant about their faith. And all that pride turned my heart into something despicable that I had to hide from even myself in the pain that I was living. And even through all that, He sacrificed everything. And He had a lot more to sacrifice than I will ever amass. And there is nothing I have that is even in the realm of possible repayment. No amount of lifetimes of work would ever make a dent in repayment.

And that is the wonderful thing about His sacrifice. It was His gift. He isn’t asking for repayment. He isn’t asking for perfection. He isn’t asking for me to give up anything. He is asking for a relationship. And through that relationship, ALL that He wants is us to learn about Him.

If I just spent more time looking beyond the hypocrites and into what He asked, then this journey would have been much shorter. If I would have just talked to Him rather than looking at other imperfect folks making mistakes, then I would have established a relationship and a walk with Him. If I would have got out of my own way, then I would have been much better at walking in His Way.

I pray that His sacrifice is appreciated for the gift He is. I pray that I take the time each day to build my relationship with Him through prayer, study, and action. I pray that I walk a better walk with Him by denying myself, taking up His cross, and following obediently. I pray that through my walk with Him I will become a better Ambassador of His Kingdom.

Grace and Shalom to your home.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH