No guilt. No condemnation. Only vision.
He gives us His eyes. His compassionate eyes for the hurting, the broken, the suffering, and the oppressed. Over and over we read of Jesus, "moved with compassion." As He transforms us, from glory to glory, to look more like His Son, compassion flows.
Basic level needs permeate our world--water, food, shelter. They are everywhere. And we as His children get to become the givers, the extenders of Him, to a need-infested world.
And though physical needs saturate our surroundings,
the spiritual needs weigh with heavier cost.
the spiritual needs weigh with heavier cost.
Bottom line, we as people cannot live up to God's holiness. As Kim said yesterday, even if we perfectly checked the boxes on the Proverbs 31 "list," we would still fall short. Our hearts still rebel into self. And unless something is done about that, we will forever live separated from our Maker.
So God designed this wild plan even before time began. He declared that without the shedding of innocent blood there can be no forgiveness of sins--no intimacy with Him.
In His universe, He makes the rules.
In the "fullness of time" Jesus came onto the scene in tangible form. The Father clothed His divine son with humanity and He stepped physical foot into this needy world. To die. A sacrificial death. For you and for me.
But that grave--death--could not keep Him in the ground. He defeated it. He rose victorious and now reigns on high.
What do you do with Jesus?
It's scandalous, this story of redemption. Based upon His relentless love. And until we come up under it, until we agree with God that we are desperate with need and believe the work of His Son, then we are dead (wo)men walking. There exists no life apart from Him.
No life.
But the story continues. Once His by faith, we remain desperate for His filling. He slowly reveals that we cannot live obedient or honoring days on our own--just ask my kids to testify of their mommy. So He graciously seals us with His very own Spirit. And through faith, moment-by-moment, He fills. Fills.
Then we spill His love forth.
This Proverbs lady did not move about by her own good volition. She believed Her Father and reverenced His authority. She responded to His love. He then spilled forth onto those around her, onto the poor and needy. He transformed her vision and gave her boldness and insight to step out and provide.
And He will do the same for us.
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Sister-friend, if you have never accepted Jesus' sacrifice as payment for your own sin and you desire "life abundant," as Jesus describes, then please email me. I would absolutely love to walk with you into true freedom. The chains loosed.
You are precious.
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