“This is how we know what
love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” 1 John 3:16a
It’s odd in a way that we know all what Christ did for us
and yet have such great difficulty allowing those events to alter our lives. We have been forgiven so much and still
wrestle with life’s entanglements. We see things through human eyes rather than
spiritual eyes. We even see Christ’s
suffering depicted in cinematic fashion and still are essentially unmoved. We’re
sad for His suffering, but it doesn’t really change us. The change needs to come on the inside, in
our heart. Once our heart changes we
begin to see things a differently. It’s
not simply believing in God. That’s not
at all what He intended. It’s surrendering
our will to the Lord and allowing the
Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out.
One’s will is the mental
faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action;
it is our inclination, our free discretion, or our deliberate intention to
think, say or do something.
Forgiveness is a gift. Accepting it is one thing, utilizing it
is quite another. We must bend our will so that we perform what I call “pulling a 180”. It wouldn’t be a 360 because that would find
us facing the same direction when we were done.
No, a 180-degree turn puts us facing the opposite direction so that we
will be walking away from our past life.
Love is this: that Christ suffered, bled and died for us
all. Jesus calls us the friends of God
in John’s gospel (15:13-14) if we obey His commands. If we do not we have no
part with Him. See the crucifixion for
what it truly is, a launching pad to a new life. Even long time believers can draw closer to
God. See Christ in all His glory and be
His representative in all you say and do in this life. Until next time, walk with the King and be a
blessing!
