If I’m honest, sometimes it’s easier for me to be affected by a Parenthood rerun than it is for me to be moved by the Gospel. I don’t know if you can relate to crying over the Bravermans every week, but my guess is there are other things that capture your heart more than Jesus. Maybe it’s your boyfriend (or your desire for one) or the pursuit of perfection physically or your friends or getting the right grades. We all have affections that can tug our hearts away from the One who should be our first love.
Last week I gave a talk at WVU’s Cru, and in it I asked a few questions. I wanted to share them with you here, and I pray they move you towards Christ today. I hope that your heart is shaken by the unfathomable love of our Creator as you reflect on these questions. But if not, pray to the Lord that He would break down your hardness of heart and once again open your eyes to the beauty of the Gospel that has saved us.
Think about how you felt when you thought about yourself in your darkest, most shameful moment?
What does it do to your heart to know that in that moment when youdeserved to be rejected, Jesus came after you?
What does it do in your heart when you realize that Christ was rejected so you could be accepted, that he was punished so you could experience his reward, that he was stricken and afflicted so you could be made whole, that everything you rightly deserved he took on so you didn’t have to.
He knew all that it would take to fix your brokenness and bring you back to him, and he still chose to do it—for you.
These questions are to help us remember the beauty of the Gospel, and even when they fail to move our hearts, it is a reminder that we can call out desperately to the God who loves us to make the Gospel alive in our hearts.
I hope you join me in meditating on these truths today. Jesus loves you at your best, He loves you at your very worst, and He loves you in the mundane. Let that bring meaning to your day as well as hope for your heart.
Think about how you felt when you thought about yourself in your darkest, most shameful moment?