THE SHAPE OF LOVE

It's Valentine's Day week, so naturally there is much talk about love, gifts, and hearts. It is vitally important to show our loved ones affection at all times, not just on a single day of the year. However, it is nice to set aside a focused time of appreciation.

As Christ-followers, we have a love so deep that nothing can remotely come close to- the love that God demonstrated for us through the mind-blowing sacrifice of His Son on an old, rugged cross 2,000+ years ago to pay for our sins. It's amazing how quickly I take for granted the eye-popping message of the gospel- the greatest love story ever told. "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." - 1 John 4:10.

As believers, the cross must captivate our whole being, and constantly be at the center of our lives. We never 'move on' from the gospel. If we have 'moved on,' then we can be sure that something is very funky in our relationship with Jesus right now. This is where I get myself into trouble- I tend to focus on so many other things and I take the gospel for granted. Let me just reflect on this for a second.

I, Jon Barrett, have sinned against a perfect, holy, sovereign God- the God who made me and keeps my heart beating. I have the audacity to look my Creator, my God, in the face and tell HIM that HE has no right to tell me how to live MY life. What??? Just think about how warped this thinking is. As Romans 3:23 says- "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That indeed describes me to a tee. What's even more crazy- a lot of times I tell myself: "I am not 'that bad' of a sinner" . . . whatever 'that' is, I don't know. After all, I've never murdered anyone, I've never cheated on my wife, I've never stolen anything that expensive . . . Ok, STOP. Who am I comparing myself to? Why do I constantly try to justify my sin? Am I trying to convince myself that I don't NEED Jesus??? Sounds like it to me.

The only standard we must compare ourselves to is the holy and perfect God of the Bible, who spoke the universe into being; who must punish sin because He is righteous and just. No one can possibly measure up to His standard. We ALL desperately need a Savior- Someone to bridge the eternal gap that exists between the imperfect and Perfect . . . And no, you and I cannot apply for the position. Enter Jesus. Think about something for a second- if there was a judge in a court room who just 'winked' at convicted murderers, thieves, terrorists, etc., and let them all go free, that judge would be thrown off the stand immediately! There would be an uproar! Why then do we scoff at the only fair and just Judge of the universe for not simply 'winking' at our sin? Remember, HE has the right to judge because HE is GOD. WE are accountable to HIM- not the other way around. We get that mixed up a lot of the time, don't we? I know I do. I also easily fool myself into comparing my sins to other people's in order to make myself feel better- do you ever do that? This is the problem with the human heart. We are full of self-centeredness and pride, which God opposes.

Now, comes the good news- and there is nothing you or I can possibly do, or have done to deserve it. Jesus, the Christ- the Messiah, God in the flesh, took the Father's wrath against sin (my sins, your sins, and the sins of the whole world- past, present, and future), stood in my place and sacrificed Himself for me on a torture device called a cross. Yes, GOD willingly did this for HIS creation who willingly turned their backs on HIM. Isn't that just mind-boggling??? Get this- HE paid for MY sin in full. HE took MY place.

As humans, we get shocked when we see someone pay for another person's groceries at the local Walmart but we are not in awe of the One who paid our sin debt in full. In case there was any doubt, when it was paid for on the cross Jesus declared, "IT IS FINISHED" - John 19:30. Talk about leaving you speechless. Talk about jaw-dropping. Talk about the best gift ever. But, this gift is not ours unless we accept it.

I must remind myself of the gospel daily- That I was born a sinner in need of a Savior. That my sin separated me from the God of the universe and without Him, I was a dead man walking until He called me to Himself when I was 23 years old. That I deserved an eternity in hell because I deliberately sinned against a perfect, righteous, holy, and just God. That He sent His One and only Son to earth to live the perfect life I could never live. That He was the only One who could be the perfect sinless sacrifice in order to atone for my sin. That He took my place on the cross, endured the most brutal death in the history of the world; was separated from the Father as He suffered to ransom me. That He rose from the grave 3 days later so I could live with Him now and forever more. THAT is the greatest love story ever told.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16