Good Friday 2007
It occurred to me today when I was considering Good Friday, and how I am thankful for what Christ did for me on this day; what is it that Christ really did for me on this day? What is it that His sacrifice did or made possible for me? What was I saved from that makes me thankful/grateful?
For myself I began to look at a life that still, for all my years as a christian, I am far from perfection. I still make mistakes that leave my head shaking (and possibly/probably others). I still struggle with forgiving those who hurt me. I still struggle with accepting full responsibility for the impact my actions have on others. I still struggle with loving unconditionally. So doesn't this mean Christ's death was in vain?
NO!
Christ's sacrifice was never ABOUT ME, it was FOR ME and ABOUT HIM. Jesus death was to remove the yolk of guilt/debt/sins from the past and future. His intense love for you and I moved God the Father to make a way supernaturally to permanently bridge the gap between our human frailty and His Godly perfection. It was to free us to live life and to live it to the fullest.
Just imagine, you owe hundreds of thousands of dollars to the bank for your home. The bank manager calls to let you know he would like to speak with you. He has decided to pay your mortgage for you. You now owe nothing towards the ownership of the house. It is yours, not the banks. Can we agree, you would likely be bursting with joy/love/all things good, for your bank manager. Hey you might even have him over for dinner.
Christ is the bank manager, your life is your home. He has paid for it out of his own pocket (sacrifice). He has not asked you to do anything for it, it is a free gift. You could of course refuse the gift because you get this morbid delight from making mortgage payments. Frankly we would all probably consider it madness to turn down the bank managers offer. Agreed?
But here is the thing, the big misunderstanding created by religion; what was originally gratitude for this incredible gift mutated into man made controls over other men, and even controls over ourselves.
It JUST SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE that the gift is free. You must have to do something for it. So men made religion with rules because they didn't believe in the gospel. Gospel translated means "Good News". The good news is that the gift is free. Men with agenda's did not want us to be free. They wanted to create dependence on THEMSELVES, not God. Thus maintaining control. Christ came to free us with a relationship, not a religion. Christ came so we could have direct access to Him without the requirement of someone else to do it for us.
Please read any amount of the New Testament to see what Jesus himself felt about religion and religious people. In the book of James he talks about what the "true/pure" religion is in God's eyes. So if you understand that it is a free gift, and that God desires no "controls" over you, that you are free to choose what you will do with your life; knowing that your house is paid for, wouldn't you WANT to honour your bank manager? Tell everyone of how your bank manager let you off the hook for your mortgage? Invite him over for dinner?
If you are a parent; when your child chooses to obey your wishes, does that not touch you more than when they obey having been forced to?
This message is not to vilify religions with deep traditions. I myself come from a home with deep christian traditions that I will never forget. However, somewhere along the line many people allowed it to become about the traditions rather than what it was originally about. The Gospel. The good news that the gift is free. If you belong to a church with traditions, do not see this e-mail as challenging your traditions, but take it as a challenge to know yourself and know why you believe what you believe. No religion is going to get your into heaven. However a relationship with a living God will that comes from accepting the gift.
When you go to church this Sunday (if you do) consider where the traditions came from, and why they do what they do. When I remember that, it becomes a deep act of worship, and not an act of going through the motions.
I am grateful this Good Friday, because Christ's sacrifice was not about me, it was FOR ME. Because I now know it is not about what I have done or not done, I choose to accept the free gift and live my life for Jesus. Sharing the story of the bank manager who let me off the hook for eternity.
Will you consider accepting the gift today if you have not already? If you have, will you consider sharing the good news of your debt free life?
Loving you always,
Daniel
For myself I began to look at a life that still, for all my years as a christian, I am far from perfection. I still make mistakes that leave my head shaking (and possibly/probably others). I still struggle with forgiving those who hurt me. I still struggle with accepting full responsibility for the impact my actions have on others. I still struggle with loving unconditionally. So doesn't this mean Christ's death was in vain?
NO!
Christ's sacrifice was never ABOUT ME, it was FOR ME and ABOUT HIM. Jesus death was to remove the yolk of guilt/debt/sins from the past and future. His intense love for you and I moved God the Father to make a way supernaturally to permanently bridge the gap between our human frailty and His Godly perfection. It was to free us to live life and to live it to the fullest.
Just imagine, you owe hundreds of thousands of dollars to the bank for your home. The bank manager calls to let you know he would like to speak with you. He has decided to pay your mortgage for you. You now owe nothing towards the ownership of the house. It is yours, not the banks. Can we agree, you would likely be bursting with joy/love/all things good, for your bank manager. Hey you might even have him over for dinner.
Christ is the bank manager, your life is your home. He has paid for it out of his own pocket (sacrifice). He has not asked you to do anything for it, it is a free gift. You could of course refuse the gift because you get this morbid delight from making mortgage payments. Frankly we would all probably consider it madness to turn down the bank managers offer. Agreed?
But here is the thing, the big misunderstanding created by religion; what was originally gratitude for this incredible gift mutated into man made controls over other men, and even controls over ourselves.
It JUST SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE that the gift is free. You must have to do something for it. So men made religion with rules because they didn't believe in the gospel. Gospel translated means "Good News". The good news is that the gift is free. Men with agenda's did not want us to be free. They wanted to create dependence on THEMSELVES, not God. Thus maintaining control. Christ came to free us with a relationship, not a religion. Christ came so we could have direct access to Him without the requirement of someone else to do it for us.
Please read any amount of the New Testament to see what Jesus himself felt about religion and religious people. In the book of James he talks about what the "true/pure" religion is in God's eyes. So if you understand that it is a free gift, and that God desires no "controls" over you, that you are free to choose what you will do with your life; knowing that your house is paid for, wouldn't you WANT to honour your bank manager? Tell everyone of how your bank manager let you off the hook for your mortgage? Invite him over for dinner?
If you are a parent; when your child chooses to obey your wishes, does that not touch you more than when they obey having been forced to?
This message is not to vilify religions with deep traditions. I myself come from a home with deep christian traditions that I will never forget. However, somewhere along the line many people allowed it to become about the traditions rather than what it was originally about. The Gospel. The good news that the gift is free. If you belong to a church with traditions, do not see this e-mail as challenging your traditions, but take it as a challenge to know yourself and know why you believe what you believe. No religion is going to get your into heaven. However a relationship with a living God will that comes from accepting the gift.
When you go to church this Sunday (if you do) consider where the traditions came from, and why they do what they do. When I remember that, it becomes a deep act of worship, and not an act of going through the motions.
I am grateful this Good Friday, because Christ's sacrifice was not about me, it was FOR ME. Because I now know it is not about what I have done or not done, I choose to accept the free gift and live my life for Jesus. Sharing the story of the bank manager who let me off the hook for eternity.
Will you consider accepting the gift today if you have not already? If you have, will you consider sharing the good news of your debt free life?
Loving you always,
Daniel
posted by Daniel Hewton at 3:26 a.m.
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