Today (and yesterday....and tomorrow) I am profoundly thankful for this:
You know, there were three crosses on that hill that day. The Bible says two thieves hung on either side of Jesus. I have breezed over those words probably every single time I've ever read or heard that passage. They were two thieves. Criminals. These were the kind of men we might see on the 10:00 news, wearing handcuffs and being pressed into a police car to be hauled off to jail after being caught robbing a convenience store. With a gun. I'm glad they got caught, we might think. They deserve it.
One of the men taunted Jesus. "If You're really the Son of God, get Yourself down from here and....oh yeah, save ME too!"
But the other man.... The other man knew he deserved what he was getting. He had become keenly aware of his failure. His sin. The ugliness of his heart. He knew he had no hope without the mercy of Jesus.
Guess what? Neither do I.
It seems like recently I have come face to face with my own depravity way more than I'd care to. Anyone else? I feel like the tax collector in the temple, beating his chest and crying out, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner!"
And that's why I am even more thankful for this:
You see, without the empty tomb, we would still have no hope. Without the empty tomb, Jesus would have remained in the grave, just a lifeless martyr who died for.....nothing.
But the tomb IS empty! He IS risen! And because of that, you and I have been offered the indescribable gifts of cleansing, redemption, restoration, and wholeness. Healing from that horrible sense of shame the tax collector felt. Forgiveness.
This Thursday I am thankful for the Cross, for the empty tomb, and for Gods mercy toward me, a (former) sinner. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Hi, thanks so much for stopping by! I love to hear from you, so don't be shy - say Hello! (Sorry for the word verification, but spam gives me an eye twitch.)