So Great A Cost

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace" (Ephesians 1:7).

The rain has ceased for the day, more on the way, thank you God for your life sustaining rain. I look to the West and there in the near distance is Bald Mountain with a slight powdering of snow. To the North, the majestic Mt. Shasta standing all alone, looks like a big scoop of vanilla ice cream just waiting to be eaten. To the East is Mt. Lassen high above the mountain range snow covered beautiful in the morning sunrise. Everywhere the love of God is shown. Then came that eureka moment, spun from a reading from Oswald Chamber's "My Utmost for His Highest" daily devotional that I read every morning. His statement, "Beware of the pleasant view of the Fatherhood of God--God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us;" struck a cord in me as I surveyed His beauty laid out before me. How can, I mused, a Holy God forgive me? His Holy nature is such that He cannot. His Holy nature demands that all unholiness be removed, destroyed, it is demanded by His nature. How can I reconcile that fact that God in His Word speaks of forgiveness, that He is a forgiving God. On what basis?

Through atonement, this transcendent God, the angels even declare that He is Holy, unapproachable, He is just in all His way. "The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the LORD is righteous,he loves justice; upright men will see his face" (Psalm 11:5-7).
It is on the basis of mediation, the Old Testament gives us that recognition of God's grace for it was through the mediation of men such as Moses, Abraham, the priests, that God could forgive their sins. (Gen. 18:22-33; 19:29; Ex. 17:9-13; Job 1:4-5; Ezk. 22:30; 32:30-32). The Old Testament points to the great mediator who could atone for all the sins of mankind and only on this ground is God able to forgive us.

The Great miracle of grace, God forgives us what we do not deserve, and His mercy, God does not give us what we deserve, are we able to stand before Him. It cost God the Father everything, His son to die upon the cross. We can accept that forgiveness so easily and forget the enormous cost to God. When we realize all that it cost God to forgive us, we come to a place where are held in utter amazement at the tremendous love of God. We are held and constrained by that love.

G = God's
R = Riches
A = At
C = Christ's
E = Expense

As I look at  wonder of the creation of God before me, with the above thoughts in mind I begin to sing, "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me..." This drives me to my knees, in prayer to praise God, to offer myself wholly to Him. We cannot accept His forgiveness so glibly for it Jesus paid the ultimate price, sent by God the Father, willing to come and do the will of the Father, because God is LOVE!

Daily Prayer:

Father, forgive me for taken my salvation at times for granted forgetting all that it cost you. You are holy, and I can only come to you through Jesus my intercessor, an intercessor you provided. Take me and use me for your kingdom work, what ever that may entail, I am yours, Thank you for salvation.                Amen