Posts tagged: repost
post 2 of 3… I haven’t arrived in life. I’m still on a journey of restoration and redemption. The cross covers all the wrongs I have ever or will ever commit and all the heart issues I have had to work through, need to work through or will have to work through. That is the beauty of what Jesus did when He died on the cross. He uttered the words “It is finished”. Jesus doesn’t lie. Jesus doesn’t pull a fast one on you like your favorite uncle used to do when he’d tease you with the notion that he had your nose. That isn’t the style of Jesus. He’s not out to con or trick us. Those three words are at the heart of the Gospel. I don’t have to do it. I can’t do it. Only Jesus can. Oh, and He already did it. In all of the Bible, in all of the words that we have recorded from Jesus, these three might be my favorite. There implications are vast. The past couple of days these words have been my comfort. My heart and my head are separated by a mere 18 inches on my body, but right now my heart and my brain are separated by mere miles. My head, intellectually, knows what it needs to do. That I need to be full of love and forgiveness, compassion and mercy – but, it is so much easier to give into the heart which simply wants to get even, an eye for an eye, or even revenge. I hate where my heart is at. So, I get mad and beat myself up over the fact my heart doesn’t want to do what I know I need to do is. It distracts me. Pulls me off mission. I bottle it up. I take it personal. Thus doing more damage then the initial wound that caused the pain and brokenness that put in this place in the first place. It is here, in this moment, right now, that I get to remember that “It is finished”. What I don’t need is love, forgiveness, compassion or mercy – but simply Jesus. Because not only has He already made me right in His eyes but He is love, forgiveness, compassion and mercy incarnate. I sit and remember. “It is finished”. Jesus, I can’t do it. You need to do it. Just do it – please… What situations in your life do you need to remember that “It is finished”?
These next several postings were written a year ago, after this situation happened. They are probably, three of my favorite, written things ever. If you have questions, ask away.
Intellectually it is easy to remember Jesus has done it all and I cannot do it. Though, the heart usually takes some time to catch up – even when I remember “It is finished”.
That’s where I get drawn back to why and how Jesus was able to say “It is finished”.
(Think about that phrase and all it means for a second before you read the next part…)
See, Jesus is everything we are not: without fault, loving, humble, compassionate, merciful, wise, etc. Yet, He is still fully God and man (a mystery I don’t know if I ever want to fully understand). Which means He has the ability and capacity to make up for every way in which we have missed the boat – because He didn’t miss the boat. Ever.
Not only does this simply mean we have a ticket to heaven now or even get our sins cleansed in His eyes – it means in this present life, we get help.
Jesus understands where we are and what we are going through because He has experienced it too.
(Don’t just move past that, interact with that, engage with that, what does that mean?)
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16
Simply, for our purposes, this means, Jesus understands. As my head and my heart battle it out for dominance – I draw near to Jesus and remember He understands.
In this instance, I know Jesus understands the ultimate form of betrayal. Judas sold Him for a mere thirty pieces of silver and Judas was in the select club of twelve, traveling with Jesus for three years. That is betrayal.
Jesus knows denial. One of His trusted compatriots denied Him three times in the most crucial time of need. Before the rooster crowed three times, Peter had denied Jesus. Broken the bond of trust that should have been established.
Jesus knows my pain.
He understands.
He knows what betrayal and broken trust feels like.
He understands.
Do you understand just how beautiful this is?
