Series: Giving Thanks
Psalm 118:1 ESV
There are difficulties every person faces in life that define who we are to be and become. I’ve never known anyone who hasn’t faced defining moments where they make those choices.
I recently watched the movie The Mission. In the movie, after Rodrigo (played by Robert De Niro) killed his brother his guilt overwhelmed him. In the film he did penance by carrying an extremely heavy load up the mountain.
The load he carried was much too heavy for him but he would not let go of it.
When he got to the top of the mountain one of the native young men from the tribe cut the rope and released him from the heavy burden.
In an instant the heavy burden of his sin was gone. In the film that is a powerful reminder of what God offers to everyone
That is what God/Jesus offers us.
By God’s grace when we turn to God we are released from the heavy burden of our sin.
We do not deserve to be released.
God doesn’t make us carry it because we deserve it.
God wants to release the burden from us…that’s what Jesus died for.
We are forgiven and God releases us from our burden because God loves us.
I had seen the movie The Mission before, but I was much younger then. When I recently watched it this time and I saw that scene, I wept. I wept because I remembered when I was a young teenager God released me from the burden I carried.
While I was grateful then, I am even more thankful for God’s love and forgiveness today.
Psalm 118:1 says, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”
Forever.
I’m not sure when I was young I really thought in terms of ‘forever’ as in eternally forever.
When I was really young forever seemed like next week.
In much the same way it seems like when I watched the movie ‘The Mission’ decades ago I thought of forever being attainable, I did not remotely comprehend the forever price that Jesus paid for me. I think I was somewhat delusional about my sin. In other words I overestimated my ability to consistently make the right choice. I had heard the words that Jesus paid the ultimate price but I didn’t think of that price in terms of the past, present, and future times I would ‘miss the mark’.
Today I look back and I remembered when I was really not doing, saying or thinking what God/Jesus would do. Even today it’s difficult for me to comprehend what perfect love means in real terms.
Watching the movie this time reminded me that even when we seriously miss the mark, Jesus is ready and willing to cut the rope so we will not carry the sin.
Jesus really did and does carry all of our sins.
Jesus carried the weight of every sin of every person…even those yet to come.
There is a theology term for Substitutional Atonement and Sacrificial Atonement. It is complex (because theology is complex) but as I understand it, Jesus chose to stand in the gap for our sins. As I see it Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice past, present, and future sins.
It’s puzzling to me how that can BE, but then I am reminded (daily) that God is God and I am not.
After studying the theologians and the theories, written by men and women who have multiple PhD’s in theology, I came to the conclusion that understanding all the ‘ways’ of God is far beyond comprehension.
Yet, even though we might not always fully understand the way of God, we are offered faith.
I remembered when I was young I believed that Jesus loves me always. I didn’t know it at the time but the always included past, present, and future.
So today I smile.
I am grateful and ever so thankful that even though I don’t understand everything it doesn’t matter.
What does matter is that God loves me.
God loves you.
Jesus/God has it all covered.
Jesus really does carry all of it for everyone.
Spiritual Practice: You
Contemplate how much God loves you and paid the price of your sins for you.
In God, Deborah
Comentarios