There is a place where Jesus was crucified “outside a city wall”. As we head closer to the Easter season, I contemplate on how much Jesus really loved all of us to be willing to die for us. And how much did Heavenly Father love us to give His only Son to be crucified for us?
When I travel through airports and see most of us focusing on our phones, and such, I think about how sad that makes the Lord feel that we are not focusing on HIM.
In the New Testament, it talks about Jesus “bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha;” I don’t know how much Jesus suffered on Calvary. I don’t think I can fathom it. But I believe it was for us, “he hung and suffered there”.
So, apparently Jesus was the only one who was “good enough” , to pay the price of my sins. He was perfect. He didn’t need to repent. But I, being nothing better than human must repent every day of my sins, so I can stand before Him clean, or at least having done my part to repent and make amends to those I have harmed.
Part of my repentance process is to learn to “love my neighbor”. I had a neighbor who lived next door and we had words and bad feelings around dogs; my dog, her dog, it doesn’t matter. But she eventually moved across the green belt, I think to get away from me. When I started my “cleaning house” phase of my life, my experience with her was a “thorn in the flesh” memory that I knew I needed to make amends for. It was amazing how once I opened myself up to making amends to others, God provided the opportunities, sometimes miraculously.
One day, as I was walking along the street where she lived and she was, if I remember correctly, pulling out of her driveway in her car and God said, (in so many words) “now is the time, Lisa”. So I caught her attention and I apologized to her for how I had treated her and/or her dog. The weight of regret was lifted after my apology and I went on my walk much lighter and happier. She was most gracious and the amends only took a moment.
As I continue to review my life, the Lord brings more and more incidents to mind that I need to inventory and see my patterns of behavior and make restitution to others for. Most of my “sins” were born of long term patterns formed in my early childhood. However, it doesn’t matter when they were formed or why, I still am responsible for the harms caused from my actions.
To show reverence for the Lord’s ultimate sacrifice on Calvary, all I can do is make my own “demonstration” in repenting and living in service to others………..
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