That's My Story

"Suppose [a man] learns, as Scripture teaches, that he was estranged from God through sin, is an heir of wrath, subject to the curse of eternal death, excluded from all hope of salvation, beyond every blessing of God, the slave of Satan, captive under the yoke of sin, destined finally for a dreadful destruction and already involved in it; and that at this point Christ interceded as his advocate, took upon himself and suffered the punishment that, from God’s righteous judgment, threatened all sinners; that he purged with his blood those evils which had rendered sinners hateful to God; that by this expiation he made satisfaction and sacrifice duly to God the Father; that as intercessor he has appeased God’s wrath; that on this foundation rests the peace of God with men; that by this bond his benevolence is maintained toward them. Will the man not then be even more moved by all these things which so vividly portray the greatness of the calamity from which he has been rescued?" (John Calvin - Institutes of Christian Religion II.xvi.2)

That is my story. Abundance. I once was blind but now I see. The distance between 0 (nothing) and 1 (something) is infinite, literally. My sight was absent but now though dimly, I do see. As my vision matures, the fullness of my vision only further reveals the fullness of my blindness. I have been saved from much. I have been saved into much. I still need to be purged of much but the heavy lifting is done. It is finished. Because sin no longer reigns, because He is faithful, the rest will be completed. I will hope against hope and and He will not disappoint. This is my story and it is a good story.

There is no greater miracle than that which occurs when a heart of stone is turned to a heart of flesh. There are those who would tell us that our religion is outrageous because men do not walk on water or calm the seas, and the leprous are not healed by the touch of a hand or the dead raised by the call of a word, but they are wrong. Though we believe these things--men walking on water, the dead rising, the aspect of our faith that is truly outrageous is the reality that a holy God would forgive the sins of a wretched people. God bringslife. Sin brings death. For God, sin is His other and He cannot commune with that which is not of Himself. We are all vessels of wrath but forgiveness--outrageous, gratuitous, crucifixion-powered, resurrection-evidenced forgiveness--makes us fit for honorable use. Walking on water is a parlor trick by comparison. This is our story and it is a miraculous story.

What's your story? If you hear the shepherd and you know His voice, then your story is a part of God's story and it is, by necessity, consequential and good. Own it. Remember your story--how you were taken out of Egypt--and worship the Lord and be glad.

It is Friday, but Sunday is coming and this is good news.

Happy Easter.