Devotional
Costly Freedom
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
1 Peter 1:18-19
1 Peter 1:18-19
This week we commemorate Anzac Day. Recently, on a driving trip I stopped at a small town and read the lists of people inscribed on the cenotaph. So many names from such a tiny town. There were several surnames repeated across multiple wars. The thought came to me, “What a waste.” How wasteful is it for good men and women to die needlessly so that others can advance their political agendas.
This week we also remembered another death. Yet, this one was not a waste. The Lord Jesus carried the sins of the world in His body on the cross and died in order to free us from condemnation. His death, one death for all time, stands in stark contrast to the wasteful loss of war, because by His one death, heaven’s gates are now unlocked to all who believe.
Two public holidays, two lots of remembering, both designed so that we do not forget what has been paid. Those who have never known or experienced the horrors of war can sometimes struggle to appreciate the true cost of freedom. And just like them, we who have become so used to the story of Jesus can also struggle to appreciate the true cost of grace.
The gospel of Jesus Christ should always capture our hearts, should always evoke in us a worshipful spirit. May we never take it for granted.
God bless you and your family,
Brett
This week we also remembered another death. Yet, this one was not a waste. The Lord Jesus carried the sins of the world in His body on the cross and died in order to free us from condemnation. His death, one death for all time, stands in stark contrast to the wasteful loss of war, because by His one death, heaven’s gates are now unlocked to all who believe.
Two public holidays, two lots of remembering, both designed so that we do not forget what has been paid. Those who have never known or experienced the horrors of war can sometimes struggle to appreciate the true cost of freedom. And just like them, we who have become so used to the story of Jesus can also struggle to appreciate the true cost of grace.
The gospel of Jesus Christ should always capture our hearts, should always evoke in us a worshipful spirit. May we never take it for granted.
God bless you and your family,
Brett
Posted in Devotional