Coffee Stains: Jump In!

Once, way back when, when I first met that lovely vision who became my wife, I had a dream. ‘Another dream? C’mon David.’

I know but I can’t help myself. I used to have a lot of dreams back then, it seems. I ate a lot more pizza in those days and there must be something in the tomato sauce that sponsors dreams. Anyway, back to where we were before you so rudely interrupted me, in this dream my lovely fell into a deep, water-filled cavern. There was no way out. I was scared for her because I knew she couldn’t swim. What to do? She was going to drown before I could get help. I figured there wasn’t much hope but I jumped in anyway to try to save her. I’m very courageous in my dreams, you see. What happened? I don’t know because the dream never finished. I guess there was a time-out for a commercial and I never came back. The heroine of the story sleeps beside me each night so I guess everything came out all right.

Now, think about my story a minute. It’s one thing to risk your life when you love the person in danger. But just suppose that the one who falls into the cavern is a stranger or worse–a mean dude that you love just enough to go to heaven but no more. I would probably go look for help, but jump in? I would have yelled into the well, ‘Don’t be afraid, I’m going to pray for you!’ But jump into the well?

This is what is so remarkable about what Jesus did for us when He reconciled us to His Father at the Cross. We see ourselves as pretty sweet, but the reality was that we were still in our sin, sin rebellion against God, and He sent His Son to pay the price that justice demanded for our misdeeds. ‘You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8, NIV) We’re saved from the anger of God because of what Jesus did. We are reconciled, brought together with the Father because of what Jesus did at Calvary.

If someone wonders if God loves him or not or if he believes that he must make himself perfect before God can accept him, that man must look at the Cross! There God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. God painted His love for us in striking, eternal colors in the death and resurrection of His Son at the Cross. We were far away from Him because of our sin and selfish life. But God came looking for us. Jesus died for sinners, you and I! So instead of living in fear, we rejoice in God because of our Lord Jesus Christ. We’ve got JOY! Think about it, saved, reconciled to the Father, received in His very own family as the children we have become! Hey, I know this is ‘abc’ for most of you but this alphabet song is my favorite song of all. Let’s begin this year thanking Him for what He’s done for us. If you haven’t asked Him to take your life, just open your heart right now and pray, ‘Lord Jesus, please forgive my sins. Come into my life and take over. I believe You are alive and at the right hand of the Father. What You did at Calvary is enough so that I can be saved eternally. My life is yours from this moment forward.’

Have a super week in the Lord,

David