Friday July 14, 2017

 

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane. Do you remember what Christmas was like for you when you were a child? Do you recall that Santa Claus was making a list and checking it twice to find out who was naughty or nice? It was roughly around the same time when we first learned about God. There was a similarity between Santa and God because we were told, “God is watching you”; seemed like God too had a list of His own. Maybe you were told as a child that if you behaved badly, baby Jesus would not bring you any gifts for Christmas. If we look back to the starting point of our faith, it is obvious that our starting point was centered on behavior; if you wanted God to bless you, you had to earn it through good behavior.

 

Once we grew up our beliefs also matured. This is when we realized that Santa Claus was not keeping a list. Our faith however never matured; we still believe that in some way, God is keeping a list. The problem is that no matter how hard we try we are unable to control our behavior; we say and do things that we know we should not say or do. Worse yet is that the things that we should say and do we fail to say or do. The reason for this is because we are sinners. Don’t be alarmed though, there is a solution and it is not a religious system or penance, the solution is found in Jesus.

 

We tend to forget that God did not send His son into the world to give us second, third, or fourth chances. We forget that God did not send His son to bring us a revised edition of the Ten Commandments. No. God sent Jesus into the world to rescue and save us from our sins.

 

Luke 22:14-15, 19 NIV

 

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

 

 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

 

“Remember me” had to have been on of the most controversial requests Jesus ever made. For almost 1500 years, Passover was the most important Jewish celebration. Each year the Jews celebrated by remembering how God saved them from slavery in Egypt. Jesus however, was now telling them that from this point forward I want you to remember what I will do for you. Not too long after Jesus had spoken these words, his body hung on a cross; the Lamb of God was offered up as a sacrifice for our sins.

 

By no means do I want to minimize the effects of sin on our lives. My intention is to remind you that Jesus is our savior and that without Him no amount of good behavior will ever be enough to save us.