“Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of Lights” James 1:17

How can I not thank and praise my Savior for His perfect gift of allowing me to see my need and His sufficiency through this illness. The untold spiritual treasures that I have been freely given far outweigh any temporary light affliction I may have to endure. He even gives me the gift of resting faith, where He has confidently assured me of my healing. I do not have to worry about my body, He always provides (Mt 6:25)! He has paid the perfect price for my spirit, soul and body on the cross.

My salvation was by grace and not by works, it was not because of any goodness in my character that I was saved, but it was by the goodness of the character of the Father and the death of his Son that I was saved. 1Jn 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Jesus died in my stead; When I should have been punished for a life of selfish sins, Jesus bore my sin instead (1Pt 2:24); when I should have been forsaken by God, Jesus cried to his Father, Mk 15:34 “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me;” When God’s justice could not look upon sin, He laid “on Him (on Jesus) the iniquity of us all (Is 53:4-6). Jesus died, a righteous man, for me the unrighteous, “The just for the unjust” (1Pt 3:18). My sins had to be punished, therefore God punished Jesus. Jesus came to save sinners, since I was one, He therefore saved me (1Tm 1:15).    

“Jesus came to save the lost (Lk 19:10) I was lost, therefore He rescued me. Because Jesus was my substitute, my sins passed over on Him. When He died, He died as a sinner, and I was that sinner. When He was buried, I was buried. When He arose from the dead, I arose from the dead. When He ascended above all principalities and powers of evil, I ascended. His resurrected life became my life. My selfish life was taken upon Jesus. His unselfish life was reckoned to me. Once I worked for God to save me, now I work because He has saved me. Once I worked to earn a gift, I now work because I have been given a gift. I once worked for some thing I selfishly wanted, but I now work because of something I have undeservedly received. I once worked to earn eternal life; I now work because I have it. I expected to be saved by works; I was saved by grace. I thought salvation was to be earned by goodness of character; I found it was a free gift, independent of character. and because I identify with Him by dying with Him Rm 6:6, He freely gives me eternal life (Jn 3:15).” Author Unknown 

My life is no longer about me, because I am dead. Nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ that lives in me (Gal 2:20). 

This entry was posted on Monday, May 28th, 2007 at 12:19 pm and is filed under Journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.