I Gave Up Everything I Loved That I Might Gain Your Love
April 16
Romans 8:31-32 “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
I am a creature of habit. I like - thrive - on routine. My days and weeks follow a familiar and predictable pattern. During the week, I’m up early for a mile walk followed by a cup of coffee with the right amount of the “right” creamer heated in the microwave to a hot enough temperature so that it’s still warm on the last drink. The same breakfast every morning is followed with devotions and then out the door to work by no later than 7:15. Once home from work, the routine and familiarity continues. I make my way to a nearby rec center where I go for a run and then a workout. The days alternate between runs and a walk. I prefer one treadmill - it’s my favorite, and there’s always a set amount of miles to run each time and a weekly goal of miles. My workouts in the weight room follow a familiar pattern working groups of muscles in the same order. The weekends also tend to fall into a familiar pattern or exercise, rest, a little work, and church. Yes, I am a creature of habit. Yes, perhaps my life is a little too structured. Yes, at times - perhaps more than I realize - I miss the “little things” in life because I’ve been lulled to sleep with the routines and familiarity of my life.
Maybe you can relate to routine, structure, and familiarity? It’s not all bad, and it is good to have some structure and predictability. But, as I type this, I am challenging myself to consider the extent to which I let the familiarity of the Bible lull me to sleep that I miss all the things God wants to show me. While it is true that I’ve developed a structured routine of daily devotions in the morning, I pray that each morning God awakens my spirit to see what He wants to show me. One of the guys in my weekly recovery group uses the phrase, “life is like an onion - there’s always another layer to peel back and explore/discover.” The same is true of God’s Word. One can read the same story or passage many times, and something new can be revealed each time. There’s always something new to learn from God’s Word. May I never tire of reading His Word or become so familiar with the stories that I lose the depth of God’s character through them.
In a couple of days, we will observe Good Friday. For Christians this is the day God showed how great and deep His love is for the world. On this day, God sent His Son - His perfect Son - to the cross as a sacrifice for all of my sins. It is through the death of His Son that my sins - and my debt - are paid. It is on this day that Christ took my place. It is on this day that the Lamb of God hung in my place. It is on this day that the nails that should have pierced my hands and feet were used to hold my Savior on a wooden cross. God’s anger and wrath toward my sin were satisfied when His Son, the precious and spotless Lamb, hung on the cross experiencing an excruciatingly painful death. God gave up His Son so that He could gain my love. God sent His Son to earth knowing he would take the sins of the world - and the punishment I deserve - to the cross. God did this so that He could gain my love. I need to let this sink in.
May I never lose the magnitude of what was done on Good Friday. May I never allow the familiarity of Holy Week and the Easter story to cause me to miss what was accomplished on that day. May I never lose sight of God giving up everything He loved so that I would love Him back. I pray each time I hear the Easter story I am in awe of what was done on the cross. That I experience in a fresh and new way the incredible distance God went to show His love for me…a distance I could never have bridged on my own. That I grasp more deeply what He gave up to gain my love. Father - help me to see the Easter story in a new way this year. Help me to more fully understand the incredible and life-changing love You have for me and the distance You went to show me the depth of Your love.