Have you ever sat through a sermon on salvation or the cross and
thought, 'Rats, I came to church today hoping to actually learn
something'? I have. Up until about two years ago, that was what went
through my head every time someone spoke on salvation. 'This message is
for someone else.' But it's not. The cross is the culmination of the
most perfect love story ever told. It's the point where the Creator
looks at His creation and says, "Even though you are the most unworthy,
unlovely, sinful, and hopeless people, enemies of Mine, I want you to be
a part of My kingdom. I want you to understand why you were created in
the beginning. I want you to know what true love is."
If
a husband or wife forgets why they fell in love in the first place,
forgets why they devoted themselves to their spouse, they will no longer
care for them and want to do things for them. The same is true of
Christians. If we forget why Christ is worthy of our devotion, love,
and service, we won't feel the need to give it.
Your
mind may have twitched when I said we were " the most unworthy,
unlovely, sinful, and hopeless people," but it's true. Whatever the
most disgusting thing you can imagine is, before Christ saved you, you
were even more repulsive to Him than that. Not only were we ugly, we
were also enemies. Humanity and God were at war, completely and totally
at odds with each other and enslaved to sin. But Jesus paid our
ransom. He bought us back from darkness and showed us the light of
love. Now we are reconciled with God - everything that caused us to be
enemies has been removed, and we are called His friends and children.
What a thought!
Do you see now why it's important to
never forget where we came from? So next time you're sitting through a
message on the cross, let it remind you why you should strive to serve
your Savior, why you should lay everything aside and follow Him.
Remember how much He loves you, and never allow it to become "baby
food."
