Monday, May 31, 2010

Honoring the Sacrifice

Memorial Day--It's so much more than a day to have a picnic or a day off work.  It's a day set aside to reflect and be thankful for the sacrifices made by so many for the freedom that many times is taken for granted, or worse assumed (or demanded) to be a right.

Freedom is a double-edged sword.  The very thing that gives me the ability to do whatever I want, have an opinion different from that of the government and to speak out without fear of reprisal inherently has a cost involved.  I have to be willing to give others the same freedom--even when they disagree with me. 

If we want to see a picture of the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, we need look no further than John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished:" and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

The word "finished" is a banking term meaning "paid in full."  At that point on the cross, Jesus knew that the blood debt for all sin had been paid for with his own sinless/guiltless blood and the punishment for that sin been administered to Himself in full.  There was nothing else any human owed God for ignoring Him, breaking His laws or refusing to obey what they knew in their hearts to be the right thing to do.  The price had been paid for any who would accept it.

Imagine if you were given a check to cover the balance of your credit cards (or mortgage or car payment).  Would you hold onto that check and never take it to the bank?  Would you leave it on top of the hutch to gather dust for the next 20 years?  Of course you have the choice (the right?) to do what you want with that check.  You can use it to get out of debt or you can refuse to cash it and continue to struggle in your own strength to pay the debt off.

Jesus paid the debt that we had racked up but could not pay.  He also has a plan for how to live without starting to build the debt back up again.  There is nothing in your life that God doesn't know about...and He loves you anyway!  If you want to know more about the freedom that comes from living a debt-free life and how much God loves YOU--this site will help you with those answers. 

Freedom has never been free.  But you can have freedom from guilt and shame and a wasted life.  Jesus can take the broken pieces of your life and put it back together into something so amazing and beautiful.  All you have to do is ask Him. 

Questions?  Learn more at my husband's site http://www.b4jc.com/bible/ 

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