“Thank God for Jesus”

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Our daily Bible reading program is nearing its completion. We have almost read through all the narrative sections of the entire Bible, and it has seen a lot of ups and downs.

One striking realization as we read through these stories is that all of the human characters are flawed in some way. We don't have to get all the way to Romans 3:23 to know that all humans have sinned and fallen short of God's glory—we have already seen that truth demonstrated many times over in the stories of humans and God. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Moses, Samson, Naomi, David, Jonah, Peter, and so many others... They all live out the truth that humans are flawed and that our need for God's righteous deliverance is a dire one.

And that's what makes the story of Jesus the Redeemer so truly wonderful. He gave himself up on our behalf, "although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth." (Isa. 53:9) He "has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Heb. 4:15) He is the first human character in these Bible stories who can be trusted to accept life on God's terms and let God perform his good will toward humanity. All others—including ourselves—have rebelled, but Jesus walked by faith in God's promises and in submission to God's kingship. And as a result, he is the reason that we can be saved from sin and from our own self-destructive choices.

Here's an activity that all of us can do to help us more fully accept the gravity of this marvelous story: Make some time to say a prayer that focuses exclusively on thanking God for Jesus Christ. With all the background of the story of lost humanity and God's grace upon grace sent to save us, take some time today to just say thanks to God aloud for the incredible gift that he has given us in Christ.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:16-17)

- Dan Lankford, minister 

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