Image source: http://www.turnbacktogod.com/good-friday-wallpapers/good-friday-wallpaper-19/

Image source: http://www.turnbacktogod.com/good-friday-wallpapers/good-friday-wallpaper-19/

This morning I was reading six chapters in Deuteronomy (I had fallen behind in my reading plan). My mind kept getting distracted and wanting to do other things. If you’ve never read Deuteronomy, it’s pretty much a recap of Israel’s history as written in the three books before it. It explains historical events and geographical situations, but unlike most history books, Moses keeps his focus on the relationship between the Israelites and their God.

In reading such a big chunk of the book, I noticed that Moses’ writing seems repetitive. In each chapter, he tends to cycle over three main themes:

  1. God’s character: Loving and faithful
  2. The people’s character: distracted and forgetful
  3. The people’s two options:
    1. Intentionally remember to love, serve, and fear (revere) God while walking in His ways and obeying His commands –> Results in long life and blessings
    2. Forget what God has done, stay distracted, and blindly drift away from reality  –> Results in being cut off from God’s never-ending supply of love

As I was reading this passage, I was ironically getting distracted. My attentions naturally drifted toward wanting to get on my computer, or wanting to worry about a meeting I have. In my mind, I actually thought something like this:

The Israelites were stupid and weak. I don’t want to be like them. … Anyway, I want to stop reading my Bible. I have other things to do… But I suppose I also know my purpose in life is to be close to God.  …Well, it’s okay. I can go do what I want, because Jesus died for me, so God only looks at me with love, no matter what. Besides, I don’t have a strong enough will or attention span to keep reading.

Yet at the same time, I was also convicted: Today is Good Friday. I should probably spend some time contemplating the cross. In fact, you know what? I claim that Jesus is my life. I guess I would be pretty lazy not to even meditate on Christ’s work for me for even a moment, and on a day that is specially designed for that.

Do you realize how contradictory I am? Here I claim to “accept” the cross as the sacrifice that restores me to God. I claim to apprehend how much of a sacrifice it was, and how utterly unfair it was that Jesus, an innocent man, was brutally slain for my freedom. And yet, giving into the attitude that “I can do what I want because God loves me” — even in the smallest sinful thought in the back of my mind — is repulsive!

Why do I say this? You might be thinking, “You’re being too hard on yourself.” Am I really?

By the cross, I have been set free. I have been restored to right relationship with God. Jesus had no obligation to rescue me from hell. And yet I pretend that He owes me something. In letting grace excuse my sin, I am saying, “It’s okay. Jesus can suffer a little more for that one. He won’t mind.”

I am saying this to myself, but also to you if you face this sinful attitude: Do you realize that, in using grace as an excuse to let your behavior slide, it is like giving Jesus one more lash with a cat of nine tails? You are reopening a wound in His back that He already did not deserve, so that you can go on living your life as you please.

Jesus died to pay for each of our sins. Should we then increase our already-infinite debt by piling on another offense? Should we offend the lover of our souls once more, just because “He can take it?”

That is, quite literally a disgrace. It is a dis to God’s grace.

As a Christian who lives in a time following the Messiah’s crucifixion, I must not take advantage of such a passionate love to satisfy my own petty, selfish wanderings. Just because I live under grace doesn’t give me the excuse to sin, no matter how big or small that sin is. I can’t let this kind of thinking allow me to live with an impure attitude and a divided heart. I can’t claim to live my life for God AND continue to covertly live so I can have my own way.

It’s hard to see how this looks practically, but I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me, and I can sense when my heart is divided, and when I am just making excuses for my attitudes and behavior.

On this Good Friday, let’s strive to be pure in our thoughts and they way we make decisions, submitting to God. We are called to “be holy,” not a mite less.

Certainly the power that raised Jesus from the dead is more than enough power to keep our wandering eyes in a book for a few extra minutes.

Certainly the power that lives in you is enough to keep you from passively wasting the time God gave you to intentionally bring Him glory.

Certainly the power that brought a nation out of Egypt is enough to transform your tendency to believe in lies about who you are and the promises God has made to you about the value of your life.

Certainly the power that lives in you is enough to keep you (even you!) disciplined in your habits.

When you have a Savior who died for you, and God’s Holy Spirit who lives inside of you, don’t you DARE claim that it is impossible for you to overcome sin in your life. Don’t rip away Christ’s dignity like that. He is stronger than you with your miniscule faith have been believing.

Do you believe that we have a big God? Or do you diminish the power of the cross and the desire He has to conquer your demons? If you worship a small god, you are worshiping a god that does not exist. Because the God of reality is the one who defeats armies, who doesn’t let even death stop him, and who FINISHES what He started.

Let this be a day of repentance for us as we do whatever it takes to intentionally focus our attention on the power of the cross.