Draw Near

In the aftermath of this week where I didn't understand why I was down, God has shown me that I have been grieving.  And He has been healing.  

When I gave birth to my oldest daughter, I vowed to make sure she would know I love her. I don't know if you realize the power of an inner vow but they can rule your life and make you miserable.  And until this week, my heart has carried the weight of that vow.  

Wanting my girls to do well in life has also been one of my expectations.  And when my either of my children made a choice that I didn't think was a 'good' decision and it had a bad outcome, I immediately assumed it was my fault because I was a lousy parent.  

Now, I know in my head that every person on the earth is responsible only for their own choices.  But somehow, my heart thought that didn't apply to my girls.  When they messed up, it became my fault.  In making that inner vow so many years ago, I had set myself up to be a prisoner to guilt.

When I would share about my girls and whatever they had done, I would feel like I had to give an explanation for why they chose poorly. I felt responsible for their bad choices and actually tried to carry the weight of their burden for them.  This is not healthy parenting.

Loving your children is expected as a parent.  But love doesn't assume the responsibility of another person's poor choices, or does it?

John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His Son, Jesus, to assume the guilt of our bad choices. He took on our sin and carried the weight of our guilt.  When He took that from us, He gave us His good standing with God.  

As human beings, we cannot carry another person's guilt and give them good standing with God or man.  That is a job that only Jesus Christ can do.  The only way for guilt and sin to be removed is through blood and according to God the only way to be forgiven is through the shedding of blood.  

Now if you remember your Old Testament laws, you know that every animal offered by the priests had be spotless and without a blemish in order to be accepted by God.  The priests serving in the temple had to first offer a sacrifice for their own sins before they could make any offerings on behalf of the people. 

Jesus lived on this earth as a human being. He was tempted, pressured, and rejected just like everyone else except that He didn't sin.  His sinless nature is what qualifies Him to be an acceptable sacrifice on our behalf.

The only way sin and temptation can be overcome is with the help of God.

Jesus who is God's only begotten Son, was born to a virgin and lived as a man.  His humanness didn't limit His holiness in any way.  His humanness did, however, allow Him to take the full responsibility for our sins.  

Jesus became the sacrifice that makes atonement for the sin of all of man kind.  He did it once and He did it for all.

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple that separated the Holiest of Holies from the other priests and people, was ripped in two from the top to the bottom.  That may not sound like much to you but keep in mind that curtain was over 20 feet tall and over three feet in thickness. Ripping that curtain in two was not something any human could do!

The tearing of that curtain symbolized the new personal and intimate relationship that every person could have with God.

From that moment on all those who accept Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for their sins, could live freely with God.  The blood of Jesus washes away your sin and makes you, in the eyes of God, guiltless and blameless.  There is no longer a separation between you and God because your sin has been erased. 

God is as close to you as you want Him to be. 

As a believer in Jesus, you can come boldly to God.  You can enter His Holy presence and know Him for yourself.  You can draw near to God.

          Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 

                             Hebrews 10:19-22 ESV

This morning, whatever has happened in your past, whatever you may be struggling with, whatever you are celebrating - you can draw near to God.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Heidirn