God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood–to be received by faith
– Romans 3:25
Resonant relationship with God is predicated on sacrifice. His, not ours.
As humans our predisposition is to consider ourselves before others and to give undue weight to our own burden and sacrifice and to then assuage it by pouring sympathy on ourselves. We are a circle of one.
God is urging us out of our circle of one but in order to do so two things must be accomplished. He must give up his precious and holy Son in an act of sacrifice as defiant of our humanity as it is all-embracing. And second, we must recognize this unmatchable sacrifice as His, not ours. Nothing surrendered or foresworn in our lives can earn or match the sacrifice of Christ.
So church, today as we pray let’s focus on the sacrifice of the Son. Dwell on it, thank God for it. And if you can find a quiet place today take communion, whether it’s juice and bread or coffee and bagel, make the moment holy.
And as you dwell on His sacrifice let the burden and importance of your own sacrifices be put in their right place. The Kingdom of God is built on the circle of some, not the cirlce of one.
Let’s pray church!
Stephen