The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Galatians 5:2,
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all."
As Paul continues to point to the uselessness of turning from the gospel of grace to the law, he warns his hearers: if you do this "Christ will be of no value to you at all." This causes me to think of the value Jesus Christ holds in my own life.
Certainly the chief value of Jesus Christ to anyone is that we can obtain a right standing with God as our judge through him. He died for the sins of mankind and so his value is inestimable to any one of us.
Other things that hold value: bank accounts, possessions, retirement (at my advanced age...), family, children and grandchildren are all things that are important. My wife, marriage, our home, friends and relatives all hold value. The value of any of these things is defined by what I invest in any one of them. My time, my resources, my talents, whatever it is God has given me, help express what holds value in my life by how much I invest those things in what I deem of value to me.
In a very self-centered way, I can say that what holds value to me does so because of what it represents to me, what it brings me, how it affects my life. All I have listed here holds obvious value to me for the likewise obvious reasons. But what about Jesus Christ? Of what value is he to me? Here is someone who loves me, for no apparent reason whatsoever. Given all of my faults, my shortcomings and sins, all of the blemishes in my own character and nature, he nevertheless loves me. He loves me so much that he was willing to take my sins on himself and die a miserable death on that cross. He loves me so much, he made a way for me to become a co-heir with him of all our Heavenly Father gives him. He loves me so much he sent someone to me with the gospel message, that I might hear of him and all he has done for me. He loves me so much he sent the Holy Spirit to be my constant companion, that my life might begin to bear the fruit of what defines his character and nature. Jesus Christ has sealed me, guaranteeing my place at his Father's table, providing me eternal and abundant life!
To contemplate rendering Jesus Christ of no value to me is beyond comprehension. He is of the greatest possible value to me and certainly worthy of investing all I have for what he desires.
As Paul continues to point to the uselessness of turning from the gospel of grace to the law, he warns his hearers: if you do this "Christ will be of no value to you at all." This causes me to think of the value Jesus Christ holds in my own life.
Certainly the chief value of Jesus Christ to anyone is that we can obtain a right standing with God as our judge through him. He died for the sins of mankind and so his value is inestimable to any one of us.
Other things that hold value: bank accounts, possessions, retirement (at my advanced age...), family, children and grandchildren are all things that are important. My wife, marriage, our home, friends and relatives all hold value. The value of any of these things is defined by what I invest in any one of them. My time, my resources, my talents, whatever it is God has given me, help express what holds value in my life by how much I invest those things in what I deem of value to me.
In a very self-centered way, I can say that what holds value to me does so because of what it represents to me, what it brings me, how it affects my life. All I have listed here holds obvious value to me for the likewise obvious reasons. But what about Jesus Christ? Of what value is he to me? Here is someone who loves me, for no apparent reason whatsoever. Given all of my faults, my shortcomings and sins, all of the blemishes in my own character and nature, he nevertheless loves me. He loves me so much that he was willing to take my sins on himself and die a miserable death on that cross. He loves me so much, he made a way for me to become a co-heir with him of all our Heavenly Father gives him. He loves me so much he sent someone to me with the gospel message, that I might hear of him and all he has done for me. He loves me so much he sent the Holy Spirit to be my constant companion, that my life might begin to bear the fruit of what defines his character and nature. Jesus Christ has sealed me, guaranteeing my place at his Father's table, providing me eternal and abundant life!
To contemplate rendering Jesus Christ of no value to me is beyond comprehension. He is of the greatest possible value to me and certainly worthy of investing all I have for what he desires.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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