Week Thirteen

Those who followed Jesus sincerely believed they had surrendered to Him. And yet…they proved that surrender was still conditional. They were willing to put up with some hard things but each had their limit. Peter was the example used, promising he would never deny Christ and then denying Him three times.

How often do I declare I’ll never deny Him and then remain silent when I ought to speak? Or do some small service but talk myself out of it because I’m too busy or some other excuse? Promise to eat healthy and then answer the beckoning call of the cookie?

Keeping my sense of humor is the only thing keeping me sane.

The week, we celebrate the culmination of The Atonement of Jesus Christ, the gift He offered each of us by suffering in Gethsemane, enduring the joke of a trial, the beating, the whipping, the crown of thorns, and the cross, all for us, in our place, so we wouldn’t have to fall prey to the adversary forevermore.

He died and was resurrected, conquering the death of the body and the spirit. None is more powerful nor more merciful than He. Because of Him, justice is satisfied by His sacrifice.

We must never fool ourselves into believing that justice ended at Christ’s death. It did not. It remains, as constant as mercy. We fall at the feet of His mercy, seeking escape from the bitterness of justice. No other way exists. Jesus knows who is sincere and who is seeking an easy way out. He does not spare us from the consequences of our actions, but He does provide a way to escape eternal darkness and despair.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, the light and life of the world. Only through surrendering to Him do we find peace and true hope. He knew what He had to do, for us, and He surrendered to the will of the Father to accomplish the task. He is only asking me to follow Him.

He said, “Thy will be done, not mine.” Will I?