This week, while reading through Holy Week passages with our church, I was struck by Jesus' love for me in John 17. After praying for Himself, that he would carry out the will of the Father, and for his disciples, Jesus prayed for you and I. He prays "for those who will believe" in the gospel message, that we would be close with the father and close with each other. Before Jesus was arrested and went to the cross, he thought and prayed for me! Wow. This realization has helped me to understand more fully that he died personally for me and brings new meaning to the following words in Ephesians 2:8-10.
What a gracious gift for Jesus to give up his life! With this verse in mind, listen to these words from Church Colson's book, The Faith:
"The Bible tells us our salvation is by faith alone, it is not a faith that is alone. (Too many people stop reading after verses 8 and 9; verse 10 tells us we are saved "to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.") This is where it gets costly, for true Christianity is counter cultural. It means death to self, giving up self-control." (p. 116)
There truly is no other response to Jesus' sacrifice than to live a life of service to Him. Colson hits this nail on the head a page earlier.
"Christianity is about a lot more than what God can do for you... it's about God.... The more we know him the more we want to be like Him. And this will drive us to act like Him. Jesus, remember, emptied Himself of the godhead's glory in order to call us brothers - and we are called to imitate His humility in putting ourselves at other's service." (p. 115)
This is why you and I do what we do. We don't live, work, or go to school for ourselves, but so that we can serve others in love the way that Christ has served and sacrificed for us. We can have no better reminder today, on the eve of easter, than the body of our Lord than lay dead in a tomb for us many years ago. Tomorrow, celebrate His life and the life that you now get to live for Him.
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