A cross
With marriage comes commitment.
A covenant with God is based upon faithfulness.
Mainly God’s faithfulness though.
He is more faithfull to us than we even are to our own heart.
He loves us more than we love ourselves.
His faithfulness to us starts way before we say yes to him and commit our lives to him.
From the day He created us,
No even before
From the moment He fashioned us
in his mind
He was commited to us
Fully intending to stick with us
Regardless of any choices we would make
Not to stick with him
The ultimate way He showed us his love
His unwavering faithfulness towards us
Was through dying on a cross
Did you know Jesus was charged with treason?
That He hadn’t committed
Actually we are the ones that commit treason
To the King of the universe
When we deny God’s existence
And put ourselves on the throne of our lives
Barabbas, a criminal who did commit treason
Was actually released in Jesus place
Now that is a perversion of justice right?
Yet God had registered it precisely this way
It was a picture of how Jesus took our place
The innocent Jesus, the Son of God
Died in the place of sinful man
Died for you and me
We committed the treason
He was charged with
In God’s eyes justice was now fulfilled
You see we needed to know
The consequence of sin
so we would understand righteousness
so we would learn
what is wrong and what is right
(see also Justice and Forgiveness)
But God does not delight
in the death of sinful people
He still loves us deeply
And so Jesus died instead
He died in our place
First He descended from his throne
All the way down from heaven
Inside the belly of a woman
The size of a seed
Growing like a baby
Becoming a fullgrown man
Living in the same frame
That we all came to be
Pouring out his life
Teaching truth
Doing wonders
Healing many
Setting captives free
Living selflessly
For you and I
Contrary to what you might expect
Not everyone was so very pleased
With his helping out of others
With his setting people free
Leaders were outrageous
Jealous of his popularity
Plotting to kill him
The One that lived
For you and me
His own friend betrayed him
Faking friendship with a kiss
Surrendering him to soldiers
For a small price
Yet He surrendered willingly
Being more powerfull than they
Not struggling to resist
Being taken like a prey
Yet we have to remember
He did this
For you and I
They beated him mercifully
Mocked him beyond grace
Spitted in his face
Not even a servant
Was worthy of such disgrace
But remember
He did this
For you and me
They hung him on a cross
The beams of a tree
After being falsely accused
Of threatening Ceasar’s reign
Of pronouncing himself king
He never was a threath
His kingdom was not from here
He never caused a riot
Yet He certainly was King
Remember
He did this
For you and I
They stripped him naked
Took his honor
Beat him brutally
Treathed him
Like a criminal
But remember
He did this
For you and me
You see on that cross
He took our place
And He did it
Willingly
He absorbed every sin
Every evil of mankind
All your wrongdoing
All my selfishness
My pride
We rose above heaven
We pronounced ourselves to be king
We said “there is no God
Except for me”
We took God’s place
Denied his existence
And put ourselves on the throne
That was only due to him
The one on the cross
Should have been
You and I
And yet He returned the “favor”
He willingly took our place
He took our seat of punishment
And gave life to you and I
He was declared guilty
So we could go out free
Now justice had been served
For you and me
On the third day He rose
Stepped out of the grave
Declaring
“You are now innocent
You have been saved”
Now that is the commitment of God
That is justice in his eyes
The price for our sin paid
Atonement made
Living in covenant with God means to accept the price He paid for us.
To make us free from guilt.
It’s the only requirement for entering relationship with him.
It’s confessing our sin and admitting we are guilty indeed.
God is not after our perfect performance.
Yet He is after honesty.
A pure heart.
Right intentions.
Willingness to love and obey.
Which is all an expression of love.
He doesn’t require anything we can’t do.
But He does want our whole heart.
Not one that is devided.
Still worshiping other gods.
Everything in our lives that takes the place that only God should have is another god.
That’s like being married and having an affair on the side.
This can even be a relationship.
Or a child.
Things that in itself aren’t wrong.
But they shouldn’t take his place.
God is jealous for our whole heart.
Other things will never satisfy the way only He can.
He is fully committed to us.
And now He asks us to marry him.
To fully give him our devotion in return.
In return to his love for us.
Will you marry Him?
Will you marry God?
Creator's Joy 