A Refreshing Matter of Magnitudesfeatured

We have now completed Lent, Holy Week and Easter Sunday.  As always, revisiting Christ’s journey to the cross and out of the tomb always seems to re-awaken, refresh and even deepen my gratitude for the mercy and grace that we have been given in Him.  Once Easter is over, however, I seem to lose that sense of fresh awe and wonder at the magnitude of God’s love for us.  In 2 Peter 1: 12-13, Peter shares the importance of refreshing our memory: “So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.  I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body…”   I think Peter may have been thinking about refreshing our memories more than just once a year at Easter!

What gets in the way of maintaining that fresh appreciation for what Christ suffered for us?  My problem, I think, is a problem of maintaining a proper perspective on magnitude; the magnitude of my need for a Savior and the magnitude of the love and mercy I have been given.

It is very easy for me to take it all for granted.  When I dig to the bottom of that issue, what I find is a problem with minimizing the sin in my life.  Our culture tends to categorize sin by size (white lies vs. whoppers!).  I’m not sure that the Bible supports this perspective on sin!  James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”  This leads me to believe that from God’s perspective, any sin is abhorrent to Him, regardless of how big or little we may think it is!  I like to think that my little missteps here and there are nothing compared to the “whoppers” like Hitler’s crimes or the suicide terrorists in Sri Lanka.  It is hard for me to maintain a fresh perspective and continually recognize that Christ had to die on the cross for my sin that, by the way,  is just as ugly to God as the next person’s.

It is only when I “refresh my memory” about my sin and my need for a Savior that I can have a fresh perspective on the reality of the amazing grace that God provided through the cross and the tomb. Although Romans 5:8 is so familiar (“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”), my taking that truth for granted trivializes the magnitude and cost of His gift.

When I was painting the picture above (“Sonrise”), I was thinking about challenging myself to take a moment each morning to refresh my thinking about “magnitudes.”  2 Peter 1: 19 says, “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts.”  Could it be that doing a quick reality check on the magnitude of my own sin and the awe-inspiring mercy, grace and love of Jesus, could be part of what Peter wants me to pay attention to? 

I love the thought of Jesus, our Morning Star, rising in my heart each morning as I do that quick check.  What better way to keep the fresh gratitude and joy of Easter in our hearts!  I pray that through the power of the Holy Spirit, each of us can daily re-experience the wonder of the resurrection in our hearts so that we can be lights “shining in a dark place.” [jetpack_subscription_form]