Jesus succeeded in His mission by choosing to die for his friends. Like a marine diving on a grenade to save his squad members, or a fireman rushing up the stairs of the world trade center to get one more out as the towers fell — Jesus was willing to put it all on the line, take it all the way, and give everything that He had to reach you, to save you, to bring you eternal life, and to perfect His will for your life by fulfilling His promises to bless you, provide for you, heal you, restore you, comfort you, and take you places you have never even dreamed of.
No pressure.
It’s just that the creator of the universe cared so much about saving you that He was willing to go to the furthest extremes to reach you and provide for you. He chose you. He created you. He loves you.
Strange, right? Seems like if He wanted to reach you so much, He would just smack you upside the head and say, “Hey you! Listen to what I’m telling you! You matter to me! Stop making a mess of yourself and start accepting the gifts that I have been giving you!”
I mean, here you are, like a child at a birthday party, with presents littering the ground around you, the wrapping paper freshly crumpled underfoot as you move from one blessing to another, not fully cognizant of the love and care that went into the selection of each gift or the full depth of the offering of the parent or the sibling or the friend that went the extra mile to save up for the perfect gift or search from place to place for that one thing that they knew would give you the most joy. Some of the gifts may even be discarded or broken in the jumble simply because you don’t recognize them for what they are.
Too often, it seems that getting caught up in the pressure, the guilt, the complications, the stress, and the negative voices of the enemy rightfully pointing out that you don’t deserve any of it, appears to be the more compelling choice than simply accepting what God is offering you. Ignoring the blessings, the opportunities, and the abundance of good things coming your way, you may feel that blessings are passing you by every day. It may make sense to you that you have screwed up too many things to make it right again. Or that in some way success, happiness, abundance, prosperity, peace, satisfaction, love, and joy are concepts that belong in movie scripts, but not in real life.
This is why Jesus chose to die for you. He didn’t want there to be any doubt about how far He would go to provide for you. Jesus didn’t want any mistake about how much He cared or whether or not you were worth it to Him. He chose to die to overcome the voice of the enemy, the accusations of those who would have you live defeated and anyone who would tell you that those who are for you are less than those who are against you. Jesus knew you were coming. He knew the conflict and the battle that would be facing you today. And most of all, He knew that He created you to be an overcomer. You are a hero, armed with the power of God. He didn’t put you on the field to be conquered by your circumstances, but to rise, like He rose from the grave, coming back from the impossible to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
So many times, after sharing the gospel or preaching the good news, I have had people come up to me afterwards to ask if I really believe that what I said could apply to them. “I mean, it sounds so simple, but you don’t know my life. I’ve been divorced two times. I was abused as a child. I have been sick for years. My spouse and I haven’t had a meaningful conversation in months. etc. etc. etc.” You know your story. God does too. There is nothing hidden, nothing forgotten, nothing missed. And He has a plan for you.
You have been prepared for a great purpose. You have a mission that is yours if you want it. It may sound counterintuitive and the enemy will certainly try to tell you otherwise, but there is nothing, not anything that can happen to you in this life that will take you beyond the reach of Jesus Christ, the one and only God, who created you on purpose for a purpose, and who is able to turn every negative experience, every error, and every defeat into a foundation for your future. Your past does not define you. Your creator defines you. And no matter where you find yourself today, your place in His kingdom, as part of His mission with a key role in making this world into a better place because you have lived in it, is ready for you.
What you see as your weaknesses can be God’s strengths. Where you have failed, He can succeed. What you see as defeat, God sees as His greatest opportunity for victory. Maybe you aren’t very good at relationships, then as you come to know His answers for your life you are going to see His super-abundant favor start coming into your connections with other people. Maybe you aren’t strong in the face of drugs or alcohol, then as you come to understand His power to save you are going to start seeing His super-abundant blessings come into your rise from addiction. Maybe you aren’t very good with money, then as you come to see His simple disciplines for life you are going to start experiencing His super-natural abundance that He has planned for you.
When you are defeated, success can seem counterintuitive. So, when you find yourself in those moments, when you hear the voice of the enemy condemning you and holding you back, let it go. Stop accepting it. Stop receiving it. Stop sheltering and defending the obstacles in your life. They don’t define you. God does.
You are a child of God created on purpose to bring the kingdom of God to earth. There is nothing God won’t do for you. Jesus chose to die to save you, to reach you, and to set you free to experience the overflowing abundance of His favor on your life. So, let go the reasons you aren’t ready for His blessings, and start living the life that God has in store for you. You are more than you may believe. You are a child of God.
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