Colossians 1:19-20
God himself was pleased to live fully in his Son. And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross,
so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I would not have made a good “Old Testament” woman! I cannot imagine living every day with the knowledge that I would have to make this sacrifice or another to atone for my sins…that a priest would talk to God for me and decide how I should live and what I should do to show my loyalty and honor to Him. I can barely remember to take my grocery list to the store, so how on earth would I remember all of the rules about what was unclean – and when…which days to do what…how to clean and dress this animal or that and what we could and could not eat! I have to imagine that for most, life in Old Testament days was anything but peaceful.
We don’t fully comprehend how blessed we are because of Jesus. Few of us really understand how peaceful He made life for us because of His sacrifices on the cross. We take for granted the privilege of talking directly to God… and most of us certainly lack ample appreciation for our salvation and all that it implies. In a nutshell, the incredibly horrific, selfless and complicated sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross gave our lives amazing simplicity, by comparison. Because of Jesus, all who believe in Him and call on His name are saved – forever. Because of Jesus…we can talk to God anytime we want or need, and His Holy Spirit can dwell in our heart to guide us every second of the day. Because of Jesus, we don’t have to worry about sacrificing animals or which meat is clean or unclean… we don’t have to pay attention to rites, rituals and burnt offerings. We don’t need anyone else to tell us how to worship, what to believe, or what the Bible says… we can read God’s word for ourselves and personally discover His teachings.
The beauty of finding God’s peace lies in the simplicity of a relationship with Him. We don’t have to jump through hoops. We don’t need bells and whistles… we just need Jesus. My cousin JD is preaching a tent revival in Fairview, Alabama. He and two other evangelists have held worship every night for three weeks now. A local newspaper interviewed the evangelists about the services and the hundreds of people who are coming every night to hear God’s word and find His peace and healing.
I read the interview online, along with several dozen comments submitted by other readers. Sadly, most were negative. How could these men believe that drug addicts would immediately lose their addiction at the altar? Who in their right mind would think people could really be healed by God in an instant and lay down a cane or a walker and stroll away without pain? Many said this was like many other “business ventures”… when the money (or in this case, the people) dried up and stopped coming in… the evangelists will “close shop.”
Sadly, too many people do not see the simplicity and peace that Jesus can bring. There is nothing fancy about an open-air tent on a hot June night in Alabama. There is no big choir or even a Praise and Worship Team. One man from a local congregation plays a keyboard and leads congregational praise and worship singing. People are coming for a hefty dose of one thing… Jesus… and they are getting all they asked for, and more. But many of us are skeptical. We are like the Old Testament people. We think we surely must jump through some hoops, butcher a goat, or SOMETHING! It surely can’t be as simple as trusting in Jesus… can it?
The time has come to start truly seeking Jesus...and trusting Him to give us peace. We need to un-complicate our lives and stop looking for blaring horns, fireworks and bright lights… and focus on the One who can change things forever. The answer to 99% of our stresses can be found in Jesus. Through His own chaos, turmoil and suffering, He bought and paid for perpetual peace for each of us. So why aren’t we operating in it?
When was the last time you called on Jesus… for anything? Isn’t it time to turn back to Him? God is waiting… what’s keeping you from Him – and from operating in His peace?
©2013 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment