Greetings and God bless you.
Won’t you join me today as we journey together toward our Father’s heart?
Scripture: Colossians 3:1-17
Before we look at the Scripture, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts to meet with our God.
Father, our hearts tend to harden and become crusty.
Send Your Holy Spirit and sprinkle clean water upon them.
Give us hearts as soft as baby-skin that we me hear, see, and respond to You. And Love You!
Selected Passage: (3:6)
“…Because of these things, the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience.”
Praise to You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for You are a God Who has revealed Yourself.
You have not abandoned me to trust in my own evil heart and understanding.
Who are You? You are Who You say You are. You are merciful, and just.
You are One Whose understanding is inscrutable.
You soften hearts and harden those hearts that will not be softened.
You are the great High Priest and You are the sacrificed and risen Lamb of God.
You are Creator of all things, and yet within Mary You allowed Yourself to be created.
You seek and save the lost and you momentarily felt lost to the Father on the Cross.
You created time and yet came to earth to live within time.
And You extend grace upon grace and, You also display wrath.
Lord, I do not like to think about Your wrath. And yet it is a part of Your self-revelation.
You are both merciful and wrathful. But You prefer mercy!
“Mercy triumphs over judgement.”
But if I am to know and love You, I must know and love all of You.
You say Your wrath will come upon the sons [and daughters] of disobedience. I believe you.
I also believe that Your wrath is just. Your wrath is only for those
who refuse Your mercy as given in and through Jesus Christ.
I was once a son of disobedience, but You came to me and won me to Your heart.
You showed me how, somehow, all Your wrath was placed upon Jesus.
On the Cross, he took the wrath that was due to me, (and you).
And somehow, as only the God-man could, He absorbed it.
That’s where Your wrath went. You took it upon Yourself so we could be free.
You were “crushed with our iniquities.” Crushed. Help me to feel that word.
Why? Love. Your love. Your love that loved me, a rebel-sinner who justly deserved Your wrath.
You became not only The Lamb of God, but my Lamb of God. Thank you. I no longer fear Your wrath.
“No condemnation now I dread; Jesus and all in Him is mine!”
Now, I love You. I love all of You with all of me. I want all of You. Help me give You all of me.
And may the rest of my life be about bringing the present sons and daughters of disobedience
to the threshold of the door; the door that is You, Jesus. You are the door.
Because You died for them. You bore their sins and absorbed their wrath.
You want them. You yearn for them, long for them, search for them, pant for them
And Lord-who-took-my-wrath, You call me to join You in seeking them. Whatever it takes.
“As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” Yes Lord. Of course.
Lead me Lord, I will follow.