"God is no longer my Judge; He is now my heavenly Father, who loves me with a self-generated, infinite love, even in the face of my sin. That assurance greatly encourages me and motivates me to deal with the sin.
Further, the assurance that God no longer counts my sin against me, and that in my struggles with sin, He is for me, produces within me a strong sense of gratitude for what He has done and is presently doing for me through Christ.
This twofold effect of encouragement and gratitude together produce in us a desire to deal with our sin. Make no mistake: Dealing with our sin is not an option. We are commanded to put sin to death. It is our duty to do so. But duty without desire soon produces drudgery. And it is the truth of the Gospel, reaffirmed in our hearts daily, that puts desire into our duty. It is the Gospel that stokes the fire of our motivation to deal with our respectable and subtle sins. It is the Gospel that motivates us to seek to be in our daily experience what we are in our standing before God." -Jerry Bridges, 'Respectable Sins'
"They searched his face for anger for vengeance in his stare
Instead of eyes that burned with hate a look of love was there
He prayed for their forgiveness and bowed his battered head
And no one knew the meaning of the final words he said
It is finished,
the provision has been made
It is finished,
the foundation has been laid
He paid the ransom due and tore the temple veil in two
And opened up the way for me and you,
It is Finished." -Petra
2 comments:
Love these words!
Love rejoices in the truth! Thanks for stopping by.
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