Do you know Jesus?
Far beyond the ties of friendship and family that unite us as Word from Home, what truly knits us together is our great love for the Lord Jesus Christ and our realization of His immense love for us, regardless of how undeserving we may be. What is so beautiful about Christ’s love is that it reaches out to us, seeking us wherever we may be—no height is too high, nor any depth too low. God longs to have an eternal friendship with us. He longs to call us His sons and daughters and hold us close forever. The one thing prevents us from having this relationship with Him is our own sin, all the innumerable ways in which we daily—in great and small ways—break His heart and offend His holiness.
God did not leave us in that state, however; He never leaves any situation without a door of hope.
When His Son, Christ, came to earth, 2000 years ago, He didn’t come as an earthly, powerful King whose honor was rightfully His to claim. He entered this world, instead, on our level—coming as an humble baby born in the very lowliest of places; an impoverished woman delivered Him in a Bethlehem stable because no one would make room for the teenage mother and her husband elsewhere.
That baby grew into a man, fully devoted to His Father God—perfect and sinless in every way. He taught us God’s ways, He showed us God’s mercy through healing and provision, and—most importantly—He became the perfect sacrifice that rescued us from our sin and the brokenness of this world.
At the age of 33, Jesus gave His life for us. On that cross atop a hill named Golgotha, he was paying the debt we held before God for all the sins we, this fallen race, had ever committed or ever will. Some call this “atonement.” Instead of being separated from a friendship with God by our own brokenness and sin, those who ask Christ to cover them with His holiness are welcomed into a relationship by the Father God. He looks from Heaven and sees not the sin from which His perfect heart must turn but, instead, the beautiful, perfect image of His Son’s covering over us—we who have trusted in Him as our Savior and Redeemer.
Today, I have the unspeakable joy of calling my Father God “friend.” The greatest gift in all my life has been my relationship with Him. I owe everything I am or ever will be to Jesus and to His grace in making a way for me, when there was no other way. His laying down of His perfect life became the payment for all my wrongs, all my mistakes…
Three days after His death, Christ returned to life. This was crucial because it showed that He had overcome the power of death and had broken its hold on humanity. His life, death, and resurrection become the one path to life with God: both now and when eternity greets us after this life on this earth is ended.
Jesus gives me every hope for my future, the joy and strength necessary for daily life, and the redemption of all my past. I hope you will trust Him with your life, also. Trust Him to rescue you from yourself. Trust Him to cover you with His own blood so that His Father will look on you and see only His Son’s holiness. Trust Him to lead you in His ways. Trust Him to give you peace and purpose. …and, most of all, trust that He will always love you.
Dear Jesus,
I know You love me, and I need Your salvation. I know I’ve broken Your heart so many times, and I ask You to forgive me. Please, cover me in Your perfect holiness and help me to live the rest of my life for You. Give me wisdom and a love for Your Word, and show me the way You want me to go. I trust You, God, and I love You. Thank you for giving me this new life. Help me to live it for Your glory.
In Your name I pray,
Amen.
