The wonders of His goodness never cease. And may they never grow dim for you, dear friends.
Sin does indeed darken our vision--making our awareness of reality become obscured by the gaudy haze of delusion wrought to even enter willingly into sin as though it could fulfill. We have to entertain and live lies in order to opt for sin, rather than opting for obedience.
And this isn't a matter of rote, mechanical submission. But a matter of delighting in Him, delighting in His law. And not as a matter either of submitting to the Levitical code.
There is a way that seems right to a man which leads unto death. Obedience for the sake of completing a task isn't loving endeavor to please one's Beloved. And we know that the system of law was outlined to be a schoolmaster leading to Christ, whereas the sacrificial system was likewise--as the blood of beasts cannot take away the sin of man. But the sin of our faithful, perfect elder brother and God, Christ...His blood atones. Once, for all.
Yet we have to come to Him. To Him. Not merely and only to His Word, the Scriptures, which speak of Him, testify of Him, and direct us toward Him--we must go to Jesus. Himself. Seeking, asking, knocking. Ongoing. Not a solitary instance of turning, but a reorientation unto Him which ever further and more completely aligns one unto Him more completely.
Knowing Him. Walking in submission to the truth that He is God, come incarnate, who was born as the Passover Lamb which would take away the sins of the world. And yet for those who don't come to Him, who reject what has been said of Him, and who reject Him and His salvation throughout this life--whether pushing out of mind as to deny need or overtly and consciously rejecting Him?...He said they have already been condemned (John 3:16-18), that their sin remains (John 9:41). He died for the sins of the world, and yet in order to be cleansed and redeemed, we must come to Him in spirit and truth and receive of Him forgiveness and righteousness which isn't our own.
Pondering this just a bit ago, with what limited understanding I have of these things, I was reminded of something learned while studying hospitality management regarding perishable commodities. There are some commodities--like hotel rooms, airplane seats, event seating--which each have perishable states of availability. A room in a hotel for tonight will either be "sold" tonight or it won't--once tonight has passed, the room will never again be able to be "sold" for tonight. Same of an airline ticket for a particular flight, or seating for a scheduled event--once that flight has gone, once that event has taken place, it's not possible for revenue to be gained for that instance of prior availability. Future dates, future events--yes, so long as still in operation. But this is all just to give example of something which is a tangible commodity which has intangible properties related to time and space.
What Jesus has done for us isn't a commodity. Who He is cannot be comprehended utterly. He has given us His Word by which we can come to know Him--seeing of Him, learning of His nature: learning who He is, what He's done, how He's interacted with His creation in the midst of our rebellions and our fidelity. He has revealed His heart to us, and His thoughts, in so much of what He has given. That we may know Him, intimately, by coming to Him via His Word--on His terms, yet in our terms...He has made Himself accessible. And He will give His Spirit, too, that we can understand. And that we can be united to Him, in truth and Spirit.
None of this is precisely quantifiable, though He has distinctly described many of the aspects of the nature of how this passes. Precisely in that it's coming to Jesus Christ, Himself, which makes the difference in being able to know God, period. And not just coming to Him, but coming to Him with a contrite heart, knowing our guilt in the presence of a holy, sovereign God. And further, seeking mercy. Not with a hardened heart.
And this isn't a completed thought right now, but I need to go to sleep. The Lord bless you and help you to seek to know Him more deeply and revel in Him more wholeheartedly. He is good and kind and loving. And He is ever enough. Beyond all imagining.
No comments:
Post a Comment