Browsed by
Category: Forgiveness

The Punishment Doesn’t Fit the Crime

The Punishment Doesn’t Fit the Crime

In a certain city lived a life-long criminal.  He was the true definition of the scum of the earth – a person who never did a proper thing if he could gain what he wanted improperly.  His perspective was a totally self-absorbed one, with no care or compassion for anyone else.  Consequently, he had no qualms about hurting anyone if it got him what he wanted.

This thug was a liar … a thief … an abuser … a rapist … and a murderer.  And since he lived out on the streets, he was filthy, smelly, and unkempt in every way – disgusting even to look at, much less to be around.

Outside of the city was a lovely palace where a wonderful king and his dearly-loved son resided.  They cared deeply about the people of the city and were constantly striving to serve them and help them to the best of their ability. 

When the King heard about the increasing crime in the city, he sent his son into the heart of it to look into the problem and to try to make a difference.  Since they were looking for unfiltered information, the prince set out without his usual guards.

The prince was a good man; wise yet humble, kind, loving and gracious.  He entered the city with pure intent – eager to associate with the people there, assess the situation, and to help those in need.

While walking down a street he happened to unknowingly approach the life-long criminal who was hovering in the shadows of an alley, waiting and watching for his next opportunity.  The evil man spotted the prince’s fine clothes and jewelry, and he coveted them.  They would bring him an abundance of coin from the backstreet dealers.

So the hidden predator pounced without warning … pulling his prey into darkness of the alley. The prince was brutally beaten.  But no, it wasn’t enough for the thug to incapacitate his victim; he didn’t stop until he had killed him.

A couple of town constables on their rounds happened to be nearby and heard the prince cry out.  They shone their lanterns into the alley to investigate and caught the murderer (literally) red-handed, as the brut was stripping the body.  The wicked man was so intent on gathering his new-found payday that he was slow to react.  The constables were not; they swooped in and tackled the murderer. 

The constables were horrified that someone’s life had been snuffed out so casually and cruelly.  And even more so when they realized whose body it was!  The prince had been killed!  The king would be devastated.  Oh, what a terrible day for the kingdom! 

They quickly gathered help to transport the son’s body to the palace while they escorted … none-too-nicely … the terrified and trembling criminal there to face the monarch.  They were immediately brought before the king, where they threw their prisoner on the floor.  Then with halting tongues and downcast eyes, they reluctantly revealed what had happened.

The King was heartbroken and sobbed that his son was dead.  “My dear son!  My only son!  The focus of my heart and my hope for the future!”  The entire court cried with him.  Not for show but with sincere grief; the prince was dearly loved by all. 

Every person present wanted and expected the harshest judgement to be levied, and not a single one among them would have questioned it when spoken – no matter how severe.   In their profound grief, they were almost eager to see the horrific punishment the King would pronounce upon his son’s lowlife murderer.  They wanted proper vengeance!

Finally the king steadied himself.  Then he spoke … tears still streaming down his cheeks.

“You have been a brutal criminal all your life.  You have lied, stolen, beaten, abused, raped, and killed.  And to top it all off, you even murdered my son.  So this shall be your punishment:

“Since you have my son’s blood on you, I will clean you up.  I will dress you in the finest of clothes and feed you the finest of foods.  You will eat at my table, live in my palace and remain in my presence, enjoying the very best blessings I can give you.  Your future will hold great joy; my son gave his life for yours!”

The criminal collapsed in disbelief, and the king’s court gasped in shock.  Had the king lost his mind in his grief?  It was beyond comprehension for anyone in this world to give such a sentence after such a crime by a lifelong criminal!  Yet, the king remained resolute, and his son’s murderer was pardoned and pampered from that day on … something no one could ever understand.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And it is beyond comprehension for such a sentence to be spoken in those circumstances, isn’t it?  I can’t imagine anyone doing what that king did in this world. 

However, there is a king in the heavenly kingdom who has done just that.  If you haven’t put it together yet, we (you and I) are the life-long criminal in that story.  And perhaps your reaction is, “Woah!  I’m not that bad!  I’ve got some faults, but I’m not as evil as that guy!”

But if you remember that the Lord, the Heavenly King, said, “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).  And when you realize that we have broken every single commandment in one way or another, (if not with our body then with our mind), suddenly we recognize that we are every bit the life-long criminal that the man in our story was.

We tend to compare ourselves to other people, who are also sinful, so we come to the conclusion that we aren’t so bad.  But the reality is that we should be comparing ourselves to God, who is perfect in every way.  And when we do that, the conclusion is quite different: we are very, very bad.  We are every bit as evil in God’s eyes as the criminal.

In fact, one could properly say that we killed God’s Son.  It was our crimes that brought Jesus to earth.  It was our sinfulness that caused Jesus to die.  It was our wickedness that demanded proper payment.  It was in love for us that Jesus died on that cross.

If we properly recognize this, we …. like the criminal … stand before God’s judgement seat trembling and terrified.  We can’t expect anything but the worst.  Yet what does the King say?

“Since you have my son’s blood on you, I will clean you up.  I will dress you in the finest of clothes and feed you the finest of foods.  You will eat at my table, and live in my palace and remain in my presence, enjoying the very best blessings I can give you.  Your future will hold great joy; my Son gave his life for yours!”

How do we respond to that?

When we recognize the extent of our lostness, hopelessness, and our deserved punishment, but that instead of punishment we are given love … and grace … and forgiveness … and salvation … and peace … and joy through our Savior, we are overwhelmed!

How do we respond to that totally unexpected … and completely undeserved … blessing from our Heavenly King? 

Maybe we fall to our knees.  Maybe we cry.  Maybe we raise our arms above us and shout in victorious joy.  Maybe we do all of the above.  Almost certainly we immediately send up heart-felt and extremely emotional words of thanks to the Lord.

We cannot be unaffected by this amazing mercy from our God.  We must praise him!  And it’s not just an immediate and one-time praise, but praise that is on-going through our entire life.

The punishment Jesus suffered in our place was proper and necessary for full atonement for our sin to be made.  But the “punishment” we experience definitely doesn’t fit our crimes!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I fully recognize that there are some profound differences between the Father and Jesus, and the king and the prince in the story above.  First of all, Jesus knew that he was sent by the Father specifically to be killed.  Secondly, both the Father and the Son recognized that Jesus would not stay dead.  Finally, God’s spiritual blessings become ours through faith.  Where faith does not exist, the Lord justly judges and punishes.  He is a merciful God, but also a righteous God.

These are significant differences.

However, my intent with this story was to underscore how radical God’s mercy to you and me really was and is.  Even with the differences mentioned in the paragraph above, God’s mercy to us who know and love our Savior is truly profound, truly underserved, and absolutely unprecedented.  If the story accentuated these truths, then God be praised.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ephesians 2:1-5
2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.

Psalm 103:8-10
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

Lamentations 3:22
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

How to Interact on This Blog

To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title and start typing.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

To Subscribe – Go to the “Follow This Blog Via Email” column.  If you don’t immediately see that box, click on the “Comments” tag under the title, and scroll to the very bottom.  You should find it there.  OR simply comment you want to follow and I can add you!

A Thoughtful Reflection at a Significant Time

A Thoughtful Reflection at a Significant Time

This weekend marks my 60th birthday AND my 199th Heading to Heaven post. 

Neither of those events are probably all that significant to you.  But they are to me.  I’m honestly not sure which is less likely: to have reached 60 years old or to have shared almost 200 posts over the past 3 ¾ years. 

Those who know me well know that I was a wild one when I was young.  Not immorally wild, but risk-taker wild.  It is not an exaggeration to state that I should have been killed multiple times due to some of my adventurous and impetuous decisions.  Yet, here I am.

Nor was it ever an expectation of mine to share a weekly blog for almost four years.  Not in my wildest dreams.  Yet, here it is … with great thanks to all who follow this website and read its posts.

Neither of these significant (to me) events would have happened were it not for our faithful God. 

And as I considered what to share in this post to mark both (significant?) occasions, I really wanted to share something … significant.  I prayed about it and pondered it.  The conclusion I drew crystallized quickly and clearly: our awesome Lord is always faithful. 

You nod your head and think, “Well, of course he is!  I already know that.”  But when was the last time you really considered this attribute of God?

The Lord is many wonderful and incredible things, certainly.  But perhaps the very best of them (at least in regard to his dealing with us) is summarized with that all-encompassing adjective “faithful.”

It’s a description of God that is used often in the Scriptures … and especially in the hymns of God’s Old Testament people (the psalms).  Over-and-over-again the Lord is praised for his faithfulness.  In fact, one of the refrains used repeatedly in the psalms are these words: “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies” (Psalm 36:5).

Not only is the concept of God’s faithfulness rejoiced in, but the extent of the concept is as well!  The Lord’s “faithfulness reaches to the skies” (Ps. 36:5), “continues through all generations” (Ps. 100:5), and, in fact, “endures forever!” (Ps. 117:2).  He is “a compassionate and gracious God, … abounding in love and faithfulness” (Ps. 86:15), and “faithful in all he does” (Ps. 33:4).

Of course, the ultimate example of God’s faithfulness was literally embodied in the incarnate Jesus. 

In his birth: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship” (Galatians 4:4-5).

In his death: “… [Jesus] 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).

In his resurrection from the dead: “God … raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:24-25).

And in his ascension, resuming his heavenly reign, and his ultimate return … as Jesus himself said: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).

Faithfulness throughout!  From the Lord’s first promise of the Savior in the Garden of Eden to the fulfillment of that promise in Jesus to the moment when God’s believers are ushered into heaven … God is faithful.  Always faithful.  Were he not, we would not be saved.

This is incredible!  But God’s faithfulness isn’t reserved only for our redemption and salvation.

It extends to our physical lives as well, impacting us on a daily level.

We wake up each morning, our heart beating and our body functioning, because God is faithful.  We climb out of our beds in homes God has provided, get dressed in clothes God has given, and eat breakfasts God has supplied … all because of his faithfulness.  And our day is just beginning! 

If only we open our spiritual eyes, we see the bounty of God’s faithfulness all around us all day long, every single day.

Even in the confusion of our uncertainty and the deep dark of our difficulties, our Lord is faithful.  His inspired Word assures us that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28).  And who doesn’t need that comfort now and again?

Many were the times I floundered through the dreary valley of extreme challenges – wondering, struggling, seeking, longing, praying – only to emerge in the Son-light and find Jesus smiling at me, and to realize in astonishment that he had been faithfully holding my hand and leading me all along (Mt. 28:20).  I suspect you have experienced the same.

Our God is eternally and extraordinarily faithful.  It’s who he is!  This is true in hugely important things … and in seemingly insignificant ones.  The events of our lives are all tied together in a lovely and loving chain of God’s faithfulness.

60 years.  199 posts.  Those benchmarks occurred only because the Lord is faithful.  The same is true of every other “accomplishment” and blessing I … or you! … have ever experienced.

Indeed, “your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies” (Psalm 36:5).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Psalm 89 – selected verses
1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. 2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

5 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. 6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings? 7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. 8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

13 Your arm is endowed with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. 15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. 16 They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness. 17 For you are their glory and strength …

52 Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.

How to Interact on This Blog

To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title and start typing.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

To Subscribe – Go to the “Follow This Blog Via Email” column.  If you don’t immediately see that box, click on the “Comments” tag under the title, and scroll to the very bottom.  You should find it there.  OR simply comment you want to follow and I can add you!

When Red Makes White

When Red Makes White

After thirty years in the moderate Pacific Northwest, the Lord was gentle with my wife and me early on in our first winter back in Michigan.  Temperatures have been unseasonably warm; the days remarkably pleasant for much of the past few months. 

In fact, I went fishing off our dock a day or two after Christmas!  The weather was almost balmy and the lake was ice-free – something that is nearly unheard of in central Michigan in the center of the winter season.

However, it seems the Lord has determined that it’s now time for us to experience true Midwestern winter weather.  As I write this, the wind is howling and the snowflakes are falling.  And both are supposed to continue for much of the night.  Then, if the forecasts are accurate, the temps will be plummeting like an icicle dislodged from a roofline.

The snow is certainly lovely!  I’ve always thought of it as God’s way of wrapping the world in white … covering over the flaws for just a little while with a gorgeous white coat.  The evergreens decked with God’s glimmering mantle of snow are especially eye-catching; I find them breathtakingly beautiful! 

Contemplating the heavy layer of white that is accumulating outside, I recall the striking words of Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

If one pauses to consider the Lord’s words, they seem to offer a strange contrast.  Red sins becoming white?  Why those choice of colors?  And how can that happen?

The comments in the verses preceding those thought-provoking words offer some clarification.  Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord is sharing some harsh but crucial criticisms to his people. 

He informs his supposed followers that their many sacrifices to him hold “no pleasure” for him (Is. 1:11).  Their offerings to him are “meaningless,” their incense “detestable,” and their assemblies “worthless” (Is. 1:13).  In regard to the religious festivals they observed … (which God himself told them to celebrate!) … the Lord states, “I hate them with all my being” (Is. 1:14).

If that wasn’t severe enough, God goes on to state, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.  Your hands are full of blood!” (Is. 1:15).

Now the contrast between red and white becomes clearer.  God’s own were following God’s instructions on how to worship him, but “their hearts were far from him” (Isaiah 29:13).  Consequently, their hands were red with the blood of pointless sacrifices.  Furthermore, their hearts and lives full of iniquity … including the blood of fellow humans who suffered through their loveless actions … also stained their hands crimson.

It’s not a pretty picture.  Blood is messy.  It seeps everywhere.  And when on one’s hands, it gathers and congeals in the creases, sticks between the fingers, and creeps under the fingernails.  It takes some serious effort to clean it all off.

Even more so when the blood is a spiritual stain.  In fact, that crimson can’t be removed!

But then the Lord in love makes an incredible offer to these blood-stained people: “Turn to me and I’ll settle this matter – I’ll make your scarlet sins as white as snow!”

Of course, many (most even) of the people in Isaiah’s day disregarded the Lord’s merciful proposal and continued to simply go through meaningless motions in their worship and selfish, hurtful actions in their lives.  But some took God’s words to heart and rejoiced in his loving and graceful promise.

Yet the faithful couldn’t begin to understand how the Lord would bring it about.  They didn’t realize that all those countless lamb sacrifices God commanded weren’t the atoning factor.

Rather, they pointed ahead to God’s own ultimate Sacrifice of his Son – Jesus, the Lamb of God, who could and would “take away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).  In the most perfect example of love, Jesus would offer his holy life as the all-atoning Substitute for the sins of all sinners on the altar of the cross.

Jesus bloody birth in a barn was his first step to the bloody cross.  His life on earth began in blood, and it ended in holy blood … deliberately and specifically shed so that he could remove the unholy blood from our hands and our lives.  (For our hands are every bit as stained as the people in Isaiah’s day!)

What a concept!  The pure Jesus poured his blood over our blood-stained hands (and hearts), and instead of making them bloodier, it washed them clean!

That’s the affect Jesus’ blood has!  It is his blood that “purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).  It is his blood that makes it possible for sinners like us to enter salvation.  The white robes worn in heaven gain their gleam from being washed in Jesus’ blood (Rev. 7:14).

Yes, the snow is lovely.  But not nearly as lovely as pure souls miraculously and wonderfully washed white in the red blood of our Savior!

How to Interact on This Blog

To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title and start typing.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

To Subscribe – Go to the “Follow This Blog Via Email” column.  If you don’t immediately see that box, click on the “Comments” tag under the title, and scroll to the very bottom.  You should find it there.  OR simply comment you want to follow and I can add you!

Goodbye Garbage!

Goodbye Garbage!

We’re quickly approaching the all-consuming deadline of “moving company arrival.”  Consequently, our days are spent on projects, purging and packing.  A LOT of purging!  So this previously shared post seemed appropriate.  I pray it is an encouragement to you!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There are times when the garbage just has to go.  Spoiled casseroles that got buried behind other leftovers in the refrigerator until it was too late.  Fat or grease that festered in the wastebasket over the course of a several hot Summer days.  The smelly remains of our fish dinner from last evening’s meal.  Overflowing baby diapers left to ripen.  Kitty-litter.

We’ve all been there.  Rank odors waft from our disposal containers signaling it’s time to transfer the putrid mess to a more removed location.  So, holding our breath, we whisk the offending material away. 

What a relief it is to drop that bag in the trash barrel in the alley!  Even better when on “trash day” the trash truck arrives, tips up the barrel, flips it over and shakes the smelly contents out, swings the empty barrel back in its place and then rumbles away.  And just like magic our garbage is gone!

Each of us generates trash every day.  The EPA estimates that the average American produces almost 6 pounds of trash per day.  If recycling is factored in, the amount drops to about 4 ½ pounds of pure waste.  Even so, the typical person racks up over a total of 29 pounds per week and 1,600 pounds of garbage in just one year!

The estimate for the annual weight of the garbage that all humans worldwide generate is 2.6 trillion pounds.  (This doesn’t include industrial waste or commercial trash.)  The United States is the top producer of “municipal solid waste” in the entire world, generating about 268 million tons yearly.

Where does this heaping mound of garbage go?  Over half (52%) ends up in landfills.  26% makes its way to recycling centers, and another 13% to waste-to-energy plants.  9% is composted.  While we probably don’t reflect on its destination much, we certainly are delighted when our rotting and reeking refuse is gone.

Hard as it is to fathom, we all produce garbage even more noxious than the bags we transport to the alley at arms-length.  Our lying and cursing tongues; our coveting, lusting and hating minds; our detestable pride or lingering despair; our countless sins of action and inaction; our incessant idolatry; and our neglect of God and the good, raise a sickening stench to the holy Lord.

The logical conclusion was for God to discard our smelly selves far from him. 

But the Lord had a different plan.  Instead of disposing of us in entirety, he determined to simply dispose of our stench, (our sin), and keep the rest of us. 

So the Lord Jesus came to dwell among us, to love us and in love to let us crucify him.  He took our place, wearing our sin-stench and bearing our sin-punishment. When he exited his tomb on Easter morning, he cast death behind him and our sins far from him (and us!).

How far has our unholy reek been removed?  The Bible provides some impressive pictures to illustrate the distance.

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives transgression?  You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.  You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea”  (Micah 7:18-19).

Just for reference, the deepest depression in the earth is in the Pacific Ocean.  It’s known as Challenger Deep, a portion of the Mariana Trench.  It dives to a depth of more than 36,000 feet.  That’s almost 7 miles deep; a significant burial indeed for our sin! 

Or how about this concept?  The Holy Spirit inspired David to write these lovely words:

“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us”  (Psalm 103:8-12).

Saying goodbye to our sin garbage is the best goodbye of all, which makes our gracious God the best Trashman of all!  Thank you, Lord!

How to Interact on This Blog

To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

To Subscribe – Go to the “Follow This Blog Via Email” column.  If you don’t immediately see that box, click on the “Comments” tag under the title, and scroll to the very bottom.  You should find it there.

The Countdown

The Countdown

We recently traveled down to Texas for our oldest son’s wedding.  The wedding was lovely, and the time with family members exceptional.  However, the travel process there and back was trying.

Nothing extraordinarily bad or even unusual occurred, and the Lord graciously granted safe journeys to our entire family.  (Thank you, Lord!)  However, traveling days … especially when done via airplanes … are always long days.  And even more so when operating on only a few hours of sleep, flying a great distance and/or changing multiple time zones.

I’m not sure if this is a personally beneficial practice for me, nevertheless I’ve begun to think of flying days as a series of steps to check off along the way to reaching our destination.  (It’s a bit of a downer early in the process with multiple hurdles still to overcome, but increasingly uplifting as we near the end of them.)  Perhaps you mentally check off the steps as well as you are working your way through the flying process?

Here are the items I typically countdown on traveling days:

  1. Stow the last-minute items in the suitcases, and transfer the suitcases into the vehicle.
  2. Drive to the airport parking lot you will be using.
  3. Register at the parking lot, receive the “upon return” information, and catch the shuttle to airport.
  4. Check your bags with the proper airline and pocket your boarding passes.
  5. Advance through airport security.
  6. Locate the proper flight gate.
  7. Grab a meal before boarding, if needed. (If a long flight awaits, it’s usually a solid plan.)
  8. Board the plane and find your seat.
  9. Say your prayer for safe travel, get as comfortable as possible and enjoy/endure the flight.
  10. De-board the plane upon landing
  11. Repeat steps 6-10 if catching a connecting flight to your destination.
  12. At your final airport, locate the baggage claim and retrieve your suitcases.
  13. Transition to the rental car facility. (Which is typically offsite and necessitates catching some mode of transportation to it.)
  14. Fill out the necessary paperwork to receive your rental car. (Hopefully you don’t have to wait in a lengthy line to do so!)
  15. Familiarize yourself with the new vehicle, program your GPS, and find someplace for another meal. (Because after all that has transpired, it’s probably time to eat again!)
  16. Finally … drive to your intended location. (Which, if fortunate, is not too distant!)

None of this is typically difficult.  But all of this combined usually makes for an extremely lengthy and exhausting day.

As we were traveling back from Texas, I was pondering my travel check list (and our place on it), when it occurred to me that while Jesus was “traveling” into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey foal, he had his own upcoming events checklist on his mind.

But his list was much more important than any flying day list, and much less appealing!

While there were certainly some upcoming activities that Jesus eagerly anticipated, such as the last days of teaching his disciples and instituting the Lord’s Supper, there was a bevy of extremely unpleasant ones in the Savior’s immediate future.

The complete list would be too extensive, (and probably too heart-rending), but here are the key aspects, beginning four days later:

  1. In the depths of Thursday night, Jesus begs his Heavenly Father to find another way to save sinners. His anguish is so intense that his perspiration includes blood, and an angel from heaven appears to strengthen him.  Meanwhile his disciples sleep instead of comforting him.  There is no other alternative to save sinners, so in love, Jesus acquiesces to his Father’s will.
  1. Early on Friday morning, Judas the betrayer, one of Jesus inner twelve disciples, leads a mob to arrest him. The rest of Jesus’ disciples and followers abandon him.
  1. Jesus endures two illegal “trials” before the former high priest and the official one.
  1. As day is dawning on Friday, Peter denies Jesus for a third time.
  1. Jesus is convicted of blasphemy for claiming to be God (a true assertation!) and judged worthy of death by the Jewish ruling council. He is mocked, spit upon, blindfolded and beaten with fists.
  1. His enemies escort him to the Roman governor, Pilate. Pilate sends him to Herod who is eager to see miracles.  Jesus does none so Herod and his soldiers dress him in a robe and mock him.  After entertaining themselves at Jesus’ expense, Herod sends him back to the governor.
  1. Pilate tries to release Jesus, but with a potential riot forming, he finally condemns him to crucifixion.
  1. Jesus is stripped and flogged.
  1. The entire company of the governor’s soldiers gather to torture him. They place a scarlet robe on his shoulders and a wreath of thorns on his head, which they then beat upon with a wooden staff.
  1. Finally tiring of the “fun,” the soldiers place the beam of a cross on Jesus’ bloodied shoulders and lead him toward the crucifixion hill. In his weakness, he stumbles under the weight.  Another man is “recruited” to finish the task.
  1. Reaching “the place of the skull,” Jesus has nails driven through his hands and feet, and is lifted into place on the cross.
  1. Jesus has to push his torn back up against the wood of the cross each time he needs a new breath.
  1. The physical pain is excruciating … a word which actually has its origin in the crucifixion process.
  1. The Father abandons the Son as Jesus endures the horrors of hell itself … the just punishment for our sins, though He was sinless.
  1. Jesus is mocked both by many below his cross, and by one who is crucified beside him.
  1. Jesus gives up his spirit and his physical body dies.

Jesus’ Palm Sunday checklist is far more radical than our traveling one.  Just as we are glad to mentally cross of our last items on a long day of transitioning from one place to another, imagine Jesus’ joy on Easter morning after safely arriving at his “destination,” his resurrected body leaving the tomb.

How incredible that he was willing to make that trip.  How wonderful it is for you and me!  It checks off a number of items we would never be capable of achieving on our own.

Atonement for our sins?  (Check!)

Forgiveness?  (Check!)

Reconciliation with God?  (Check!)

Salvation?  (Check!)

Peace?  (Check!)

Joy?  (Check!)

Security?  (Check!)

Purpose?  (Check!)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hebrews 12:2
For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 9:26
But [Christ] has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Ephesians 5:2
… Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

How to Interact on This Blog

To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

To Subscribe – Go to the “Follow This Blog Via Email” column.  If you don’t immediately see that box, click on the “Comments” tag under the title, and scroll to the very bottom.  You should find it there.

A Shocking but Enlightening View

A Shocking but Enlightening View

WARNING: Portions of this story will be shocking and unpleasant.  While just a story, I believe it to be an accurate representation of God’s truths and the immensity of God’s love for us, and therefore, I pray, also enlightening.  Finally, (and as always), I pray that these words are spiritually encouraging … as unsettling as some of pictures they portray may be.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Being a Christian shouldn’t be this difficult!  Yet Benjamin was struggling.  He knew God was real, and he believed Jesus was his Savior.  But “the devil was in the details.”

When was he converted?  Was he fully converted?  How did it happen?  Had he personally done enough to cross over the sacred line of faith?  Was there more he needed to do? 

How could he know with conviction the answers to any of these questions?

Ben was an avid reader of theological books and an eager listener to Bible preachers, teachers and pod-cast speakers.  And the input he was getting supplied different answers.  They all sounded knowledgeable and convincing, yet they drew different conclusions!  Who was right?  Whose “take” should he take to heart?

Being a conscientious guy, Ben struggled to find peace.  He knew the Lord desired … even promised … peace to him.  Yet it was elusive.  Repeatedly he begged, “Lord, give me the peace you promised.  I long for it!   I need it!”

After yet another prelude of agonized prayer, tossing and turning on his bed, Ben’s exhausted body finally fell into a troubled sleep.  In the deepest recesses of the darkness, as his mind settled slowly into the heavy mists of slumber, a gentle, soothing voice called out to him. “Benjamin.  Benjamin.”

Ben’s befuddled brain slowly cleared, and his awareness heightened.  He recognized he was still wrapped in sleep, yet he was fully conscious.  “Benjamin,” the voice called again.  “Dear Benjamin.”

“Who is calling me?”

“It’s me – Jesus.  I am here to give you peace.”

Ben was incredulous.  Overwhelmed.  Was the Lord really speaking to him?

“Yes, Ben, I Am.  And I’m really speaking to you.”  There was a brief pause.  “Do you recognize what I just did there?” Jesus asked with a smile in his voice. 

“I do,” Ben answered merrily.  The Lord had put him at ease so easily.

“Good for you!” Jesus continued.  “Well, Ben, I’m here to bring you the peace you have prayed so earnestly for.”

A flurry of emotions swarmed Ben.  Astonishment.  Awe.  Joy!  A bit of trepidation.  A surge of hope.  But remarkably, no fear.

“I have something to show you, Ben,” Jesus stated.  “It will be one of the most disturbing experiences you will ever endure.  But you must take it in.  All of it … for this is the way to peace.”

Ben hesitated.  “Can I handle it, Lord?”

“I will never give you anything you can’t handle, Ben.  And we will be with you.”

“We?”

“My Father, my Spirit, and me.”

“Of course!  I’m sorry.”  Ben was embarrassed he didn’t make the obvious connection.  “I will trust you, Lord.  Show me what I need to see.”

A slight breeze began to nudge the shadows past him.  They carried an odor on their currents – the unmistakable stench of death.  It began as just a whiff, but rapidly increased in intensity until it became almost unbearable.  At the same time the view became clearer; the murk dissipating and Ben’s focus becoming more fully defined.

He wasn’t prepared for the scene before him.

A rotting carcass lay face down on the grassless soil – the decomposing body leaving a slimy film of liquid leaching into the dirt around it.  The body was unclothed, and seemed to be subtly writhing, appearing almost as a hologram.  But then Ben realized with horror that the movement came from thousands of maggots consuming the flesh.  The stench was overpowering, and Ben gagged and retched. 

Intuitively he knew that the body was his.  “O no!  I’m dead!  I’m dead!”  Ben was nauseated not only from the sight and smell, but from the ramifications.

“Yes, Ben, that was you.  And you were dead in unbelief and sin.”  Jesus paused, then continued.  “But now observe.”

For a moment nothing changed.  Ben found himself riveted to the macabre scene, unable to look away; his horror escalating.  Then movement caught his eye as a figure slowly approached the grisly corpse, walking forward from a position previously behind Ben.  “Watch out!” he shouted, concerned the man would inadvertently stumble over the rotten mess, though it would be nearly impossible for it to go unnoticed. 

But the person continued easing closer to the body, undaunted and unwavering.  He knelt in the liquidy slop near the head.  “No! No! No!” Ben moaned.  He wanted to turn away, but couldn’t. The kneeling man turned toward Ben with a loving smile.  It was Jesus!  Then he turned back toward the reeking carcass and leaned close.  The maggots wriggled frantically away as Jesus’ face drew near. 

Then he kissed the dead Ben’s cheek as the observing Ben gasped.  “I love you, Ben,” Jesus stated softly, as he lifted his hand over the decaying Ben’s head.  A vibrant red drop of blood formed under the wound in that hand, gradually growing larger until it separated and cascaded downward, landing with a splash on the deceased’s forehead. 

Meanwhile, a gleaming white dove circled closer and closer to the body, trailing a fluorescent wake.

Then another voice, rich and full and resonant, announced, “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.  I will put my Spirit in you and you will live.  Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it.”  

Simultaneously, the dove plunged into the corpse, which immediately began to twitch and spasm and glow.  Then the transformation began in earnest.  The white, writhing maggots grew still, turned brown and then shriveled black, finally disintegrating altogether.  The liquid pool around the body was drawn back into the frame and the sallow, sagging flesh firmed up, taking on a healthy tone.

Jesus flipped his extended hand over, his fingers splayed wide.  There was a flash, and a brilliant robe of white enveloped the body – a purple sash encircling its waist.  The ribcage rose and fell as breath filled the lungs.  Previously opaque eyes began to glimmer; eyelids blinked; a grin formed, followed by a gleeful laugh.

Formerly dead Ben lifted his head, pulled his arms and legs underneath him, and pushed himself up to a kneeling position.  Jesus gripped his arm and helped him to his feet.  At that moment, the observing Ben’s viewpoint changed; suddenly he was seeing through the eyes of the newly quickened Ben.  And he was looking at the joyous face of Jesus.

“Do you understand now, Benjamin?  You were spiritually dead; there was nothing … absolutely nothing … you could do to change your condition.  But we brought you to life.  Your spiritual life and your salvation are not dependent upon you, but upon us.  Totally upon us!  It is our gracious gift to you.  So do not get too caught up in the words and views of people; immerse yourself in our words.  The truth is magnificent, yes – but it is also simple.  We have done it, so it is done!  Be at peace, Ben, and live in joy for us.”

The Lord embraced Ben, then held him at arm’s length.  “You now live, Ben.  And you are always loved.”  Jesus released him, smiled once more and then disappeared. 

Ben woke with a start, his eyes rocketing open.  He sat up and reflected on what he had just experienced.   “That was wonderful,” he thought.  “But was it real?”  (It sure seemed real.)

He became aware of something in his right ear.  He reached up and plucked it out.  It was a blackened, dried maggot.  As he stared at it, it dissolved. 

Tears flooded down his cheeks as he poured out his thanks to the Lord who loved him and had given him life.  A glorious peace filled his heart; the gracious Lord had done great things in him … and for him!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ephesians 2:1-10
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.

He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ”

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet — a vast army.

Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.  I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’ ”

Ephesians 5:14
This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Isaiah 26:19
But your dead will live, LORD; their bodies will rise — let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy — your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.

John 1:12-13
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes …

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

How to Interact on This Blog

To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

To Subscribe – Go to the “Follow This Blog Via Email” column.  If you don’t immediately see that box, click on the “Comments” tag under the title, and scroll to the very bottom.  You should find it there.

Even Me?

Even Me?

This is a post I shared a few years ago.  I thought I would dust it off and share it again.  I pray it blesses you!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We humans have the capacity of character to demonstrate extraordinary things.  And especially Christians!  Things like courage, kindness, commitment, compassion, dedication, selflessness, love. and so much more!

We can even forgive others who have wounded us deeply … whether physically, emotionally, or both.  The Gospel can heal our heart and time can ease our pain to the point where we can perhaps pardon even those who have hurt us most and move on with our life.

It’s extraordinary character indeed, and a wonderful gift of God, to be able to mentally maneuver beyond the wrong someone has done to us and settle in a better place!

But many of us, (even Christians, who should know better and do better!), often have one drastic flaw in our makeup.  We might be able to forgive horrible wrongs others have done to us, but often enough can’t bring ourselves to forgive the wrongs we ourselves have done.

We forget to forgive ourselves.  Probably more accurately stated; we refuse to forgive ourselves.  The mistakes we have made are inexcusable … at least in our own minds.  We consider them deplorable, indefensible, unmentionable and unpardonable.

We know Jesus has secured God’s forgiveness for us.  (At least we as Christians should know this, because that’s the recurring theme throughout God’s Word!)  The Scriptures tell us, “… everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43).  This is clear Christian doctrine – the heart of the Gospel and the heartbeat of our faith!

Yet all too often we struggle to forgive ourselves.  And if we struggle to forgive ourselves, the next logical step is to struggle to recognize God has forgiven us too.

To which I ask … how did we get bigger than God?  When did we take over the “allocating forgiveness business?”  Are we somehow and suddenly the king or queen of grace?  The answers are: no, we didn’t … no, we haven’t … and no, we aren’t!  Spiritual forgiveness is God’s territory.  Always has been; always will be.

When God writes to us, “Dear children, your sins have been forgiven on account of Jesus’ name” (1 John 2:12), he is writing as the ultimate authority on forgiveness, and he was referring to you and me and all who look in faith to Jesus as their Savior.  That’s full forgiveness, fully provided by God and fully effective!  Signed, sealed and delivered by Jesus … according to the Lord himself.

I’m convinced that our gracious God supplied us with so many vivid illustrations of his forgiveness in his Word because he knew that our “drastic flaw” would be forgiving ourselves.  Guilt would linger in us and harass our hearts; shame would discourage us and foster despair in our souls.  So the Lord was determined to provide us with concrete metaphors of his forgiveness that would be cemented in our psyche.

How does God describe our forgiveness in the Scriptures?  God calls it “forgiving our debts” (Matthew 6:12), “blotting out our transgressions, and remembering them no more” (Isaiah 43:25), “hurling all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19), and “removing our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).  Not to mention the oft-repeated pictures of redemption (bought back), justification (declared not guilty), and sanctification (made pure). 

Sinner, take these lovely pictures to heart, cherish them and pull them out repeatedly to gaze at their beauty yet again!  In Jesus, you are forgiven!

The simple point is this:  God has worked our forgiveness; it is accomplished!  God has spoken our forgiveness; it is fulfilled!  It is what our God and Savior has done and said that matters, and not our point of view.  We might try to conclude that we are forever tainted.  Thanks be to God; he says we are eternally clean!

It is time for us to stop crucifying ourselves; Jesus was crucified for us.  That is more than enough – even for you and me!

How to Interact on This Blog

To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

To Subscribe – Go to the “Follow This Blog Via Email” column.  If you don’t immediately see that box, click on the “Comments” tag under the title, and scroll to the very bottom.  You should find it there.

When Red Makes White

When Red Makes White

As I type this, the snow is gently falling outside.  The light carpet of white over the green grass in the late hours of the day means that technically we experienced a rare white Christmas in Tacoma this year. 

While “gently falling” sounds innocuous enough, the expectation is that it will continue to “gently fall” through the night and into the morning.  Which means that everything will be thoroughly white in the morning … including the streets! 

Certainly beautiful!  But around the rolling topography of western Washington, also treacherous.  Especially since the temperatures are forecast to remain below freezing. 

Which means that our worship service in the morning will almost certainly be cancelled.  So I share this special post in place of the message I planned to share personally in church.

Contemplating the lovely white that is gradually accumulating overnight, I recalled the striking words of Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

If one pauses to consider the Lord’s words, they seem to offer a strange contrast.  Red sins becoming white?  Why those choice of colors?

The comments in the preceding verses offer some clarification.  Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord is sharing some harsh but crucial criticisms to his people.  He informs his supposed followers that their many sacrifices to him hold “no pleasure” for him (1:11).  Their offerings to him are “meaningless,” their incense “detestable to me,” their assemblies “worthless” (1:13), and their religious festivals “I hate with all my being” (1:14).

If that wasn’t severe enough, the Lord goes on to state, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.  Your hands are full of blood!” (1:15).

Now the contrast between red and white becomes clearer.  God’s own were following God’s instructions on how to worship him, but “their hearts were far from him” (Isaiah 29:13).  Consequently, their hands were red with the blood of pointless sacrifices, and their hearts and lives full of iniquity … including the blood of fellow humans who suffered through their loveless actions.

To which the Lord in love offers an incredible offer: “Turn to me and I’ll settle this matter – I’ll make your scarlet sins as white as snow!”

Of course, many (most even) disregarded the Lord’s merciful proposal and continued to simply go through meaningless motions in their worship and their lives.  But some took God’s words to heart and rejoiced in his loving and graceful promise.

Yet the faithful couldn’t begin to understand how the Lord would bring it about.  They didn’t realize that all those countless lamb sacrifices God commanded pointed ahead to God’s own ultimate Sacrifice of his Son – Jesus, the Lamb of God.  Jesus would offer his holy life as the all-atoning Substitute for the sins of sinners on the altar of the cross.

Jesus bloody birth in a barn was his first step to the bloody cross.  His life on earth began in blood and ended in holy blood … so that he could remove the unholy blood from all of our hands and our lives. 

Thanks be to God for the red blood of the Savior which turns our hands and hearts and lives clean and white!

Yes, the snow is lovely.  But not nearly as lovely as pure souls.

How to Interact on This Blog

To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

To Subscribe – Go to the “Follow This Blog Via Email” column.  If you don’t immediately see that box, click on the “Comments” tag under the title, and scroll to the very bottom.  You should find it there.

Summarizing the Incomprehensible

Summarizing the Incomprehensible

How does one put it into words?

God himself, existing in absolute glory and worshiped by throngs of angels, willingly left the wonders of heaven to dwell on a very unglorious earth.  That’s astounding enough.  But he didn’t come down just to live on earth, to hang out a while and teach us some important truths, and then quietly extricate himself again.  Jesus arrived here with the express purpose of dying here.  And not simply dying a quick death, but a slow, excruciatingly torturous one!

The Apostle Paul describes this wonder with these words:  “Christ Jesus, … being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8).

Why?  Why would Jesus do that? 

Well, first of all because he loved us that much.  And secondly, because the Lord realized that there was no other way sufficient atonement for our transgressions could be made, and no other way that sinners like us could transition into heaven one day.  Only his perfect sacrifice would suffice.

So Jesus entered our world to accomplish what only he could accomplish – the saving of sinners.  It was an act of boundless love, but it cost him dearly.  It was a price he was willing to pay.

Jesus’ birth led to his death; his death led to his resurrection; his resurrection led to his ascension, when he returned to his rightful home in heaven and resumed his proper seat on a throne of glory.

Paul continued his summary of Jesus’ life and death in Philippians with these words: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

The Apostle summarizes the incomprehensible quite well, doesn’t he?  Which set me to thinking; how would I summarize the events of “Holy Week” in a few words?  Here’s a few attempts:

The perfect example of love demonstrated by the Perfect Example of Love.

The greatest love story ever told.

The most significant week in the history of the world.

The culmination and focal point of the entire Bible.

The Gospel put into the profoundest action by the Lord himself.

A sacrifice too great to give, but given anyway.

Events beyond belief.  (But believe them anyway!)

No greater carnage; no greater blessing!

The Holy One became “unholy” so the unholy ones (you and me) could become holy.

The Lord experienced hell so we could experience heaven.

How the wrongs were made right again.  That is, the Second Adam (Jesus) undoes the damage of the first Adam.

An unpayable debt … paid in full.

Holy Week: an occupied cross and then an unoccupied tomb.

“It is finished!”

Clearly I’ve only scratched the surface; there is so much more that could be said.  How would you summarize the incomprehensible events of this week?  Please share.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

How to Interact on This Blog

To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

To Subscribe – Go to the “Follow This Blog Via Email” column.  If you don’t immediately see that box, click on the “Comments” tag under the title, and scroll to the very bottom.  You should find it there.

Boundless!

Boundless!

This week my wife and I were able to spend a few days out at the coast.  What a blessing!  And really, there is nothing quite like the ocean.

Here are a few fun facts about the oceans:

Approximately 70 percent of the planet is covered with ocean, and 97 percent of the earth’s water can be found in our oceans.  In fact, the oceans contain 328 million cubic miles of water.

The average depth of the oceans is more than 12,400 feet. (That’s over two miles deep!)

The deepest and longest “valley” in the world is in the western Pacific Ocean.  It is called the Mariana Trench, and stretches over 1,500 miles long with an average width of 43 miles.  The maximum known depth of the Mariana Trench is over 36,000 feet.  (About 7 miles deep!)

In addition, the longest mountain range in the world (the Mid-Oceanic Ridge) is also under water.  This chain of mountains runs through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and into the Indian and Pacific oceans.  It extends more than 35,000 miles and it makes up 23 percent of the Earth’s total surface.  Some of its peaks climb higher than those in the Alps … except that these heights exist below sea level.

Humans have explored less than 5 percent of the Earth’s oceans, which obviously means that 95% of the ocean is unexplored.  In fact, scientists own better maps of Mars than of the ocean floor.

But this post is not about the amazing wonders of the oceans.  Rather, it is about the amazing God who created the amazing wonders in the ocean. 

As mind-boggling as some of those ocean facts may be, what I find amazing about the ocean is a bit simpler.  The ocean waves never ever end. 

If you have been fortunate at some point to stay at a place along the ocean, you know that the roar of the ocean never stops.  You can shut the sliding doors onto the deck and close all the windows.  You can even turn on the fireplace or dial up some soft music.  You can be eating your breakfast in the morning, sitting on the coach in the middle of the day, or wake up in the middle of the night. The roar of the ocean waves is always there; it never ends. 

That’s because the ocean waves never stop rolling onto the beach.  Those 328 million cubic miles of salt water just keep lapping up on the shore.  The stronger the wind, the greater the whitecaps, but even on the stillest of days the thunder of the pounding waves continues.  They never cease.

And so it is with our Lord.  His mercies and blessings never stop rolling into our lives.  God’s goodness and love are as immense and unfathomable as the water of the ocean, and as unending as the waves of the ocean.  In a word, boundless.

The prophet Jeremiah was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these words:  “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness, [O Lord!]”  (Lamentations 3:22-23).

The Lord and his mercy are like the unending waves of the ocean.  His great love for us keeps him from consuming us.  His compassions never fail, but are new every morning.  Like the waves of the ocean, the Lord’s loving actions toward us are continually rolling into our lives every day all day.  They never end.

The prophet Micah shares a powerful illustration with us.  Speaking to the Lord, he writes, “You will again have compassion on us; you will … hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).

Instead of keeping a record of our wrongs or mounting our iniquities on permanent display before him, the Lord hurls all of our sins into the depths of the sea.  The Lord throws our mistakes into the middle of the mighty ocean.  All those transgressions plummet down 12,000 feet to the ocean floor. 

No!  Even better than that! The Lord casts our wrongdoings down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench – 36,000 feet down – and buries them there where no one can see them or reach them!

How can this be that our sins are buried in the fathoms?  Because of this nearly unfathomable truth: Jesus, the Son of God, suffered for us.

How awesome is our God!  How gracious and merciful!  How incredibly loving!  How patient and kind and good!  His compassions never fail; they are new every morning.  And so are God’s mercies, faithfulness, forgiveness, and his blessings; they are like the ocean waves.  Boundless!

How to Interact on This Blog

To Comment – Please share your thoughts!  (Commenting is the fun part!)  To do so, click on the “Comments” tag under the title.  I, and many others, would love to benefit from your insights!

To Subscribe – Go to the “Follow This Blog Via Email” column.  If you don’t immediately see that box, click on the “Comments” tag under the title, and scroll to the very bottom.  You should find it there.