As I return to my writing, I thought it would be encouraging to speak about the magnitude of what Jesus has done for us. January started with reading the Bible in a year. There are several reading plans available that include the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, etc. I just like to start at the beginning in Genesis and read through Revelation. I could read it like this all the time. What I most like is the story of Israel and God’s relationship as it unfolds. Most important and why I deemed the name of this post “grasp the magnitude” is the struggle we as humans have in giving it all to God, truly not fully appreciating and understanding the true depth of His love for us.
The Israelites really did struggle and Judges shows the return of evil again and again in the sight of God. The evil is truly turning your back on Him and choosing other “gods”, whatever they may be. Only you know what you have given your heart to. As I read, I reflect on what Jesus truly did for us. Between the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and feasts as well as the cleanliness protocols, I tend to flinch. I am not sure that I would have been okay. But what Jesus did when He died for us and rose again is give us the option to choose Him and let Him do the rest. Can you imagine giving your child everything he may want for Christmas and then act like you did nothing? The attitude of insignificance and no big deal would drive us nuts.
Grasping the resurrection and us receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit in us as a real deposit for eternal life is magnificent. All God wants us to do is worship Him and He promised to provide all of our needs. That includes physical, emotional and spiritual. How awesome is that! Simple, but not easy. We are so easily distracted by the world and things that we forget that He created the world and things through us. We make the thing created more important than the Creator.
Each time I start reading the Bible from the beginning, it moves my heart more towards God. Not saying I am always diligent in keeping it that way, but I do love God and desire to worship Him only. I have experienced God changing my heart on things I was holding to and found difficult letting go. Grasping the wrong things instead of His heart about those things. Intangible objects can do nothing. It is our heart towards those things that make us move to do what we do not desire to do. Paul really did have a clue. Grasping that we have the power within us, the Holy Spirit, to change that is just the tip of the iceberg. Is it so impossible to fathom that we have a God that loves us so much that He cared for us and loved us in and through our mess to give us not just a more abundant life here on earth but eternal life as well?
Can you grasp that?
