As I ponder this word, so many things come to mind. I think of Esther who was chosen above all other women and invited into the courts of the king. I am no different. I have been chosen, in fact I was created specifically for the purpose of serving the greatest King of all. It is He that has invited me into His courts to know Him and be known by Him. How beautiful! I have an invitation by the Lord of the universe. And He knows everything about me. He sees more than King Ahasuerus did, more than a pretty face, brown hair and green eyes. King Jesus sees my everything. He sees character flaws, imperfections, hurts, disappointments, bad attitudes and works in progress. And yet, amidst all these flaws, amidst Him knowing there will be times I disobey and fail, He still invites me.
He tells me to come and take part in all the extravagant gifts He's purchased for me at the price of His own blood. He wraps me in mercy I do not deserve and grace I could never afford. He removes my covering of shame and replaces it with a crown of His glory. He pulls away my cloak of disappointment and gives me His hope.
The immensity of His generousity is too much for me to bear! His is a Kingdom of order instead of chaos, light in place of darkness, joy instead of mourning, beauty for ashes, peace in place of confusion and life rather than death. If there's anywhere I deserve to live, it is not here. Not amidst this beauty and this grace. Yet this is the place that I am invited to spend my life. In this place, my King has built me a home. Though I am not perfect, I am privaledged. I do not deserve a king's love, yet it's the One who's called love that is beckoning me. He would rather die than live without me, though He knew that it was my wrongs that would kill Him. Oh the love of my King! My heart will never understand it. I don't know why I was invited, the mystery of love is beyond my grasp. Yet I know that I dare not miss this invitation by the One who knows me through and through.
Archive for December 2011
Invited...
Beautifully Purchased...
I love getting new clothes. There is a certain excitement about getting to wear a new garment right after you purchase it. As silly as it seems, most will probably admit this simple pleasure. It's not an excitement that is instantly lost either. More often than not, the newest addition to my wardrobe is my favorite. I get anxious to wear it the first few times, but then something starts to happen. Slowly, after a few times of wearing it, the excitement starts to slip away. Every t
ime that I take it from the washing machine, through the dryer, and back to my closet, a little more time passes before I wear it again. Over time, it gets lost amidst other garments, hung on a hanger and blends in with all the rest. That does not mean that I no longer like it either. It's just I don't hold it nearly as dear and my attention turns elsewhere. I would still care if it was damaged or lost, but I don't find myself reaching for it as quickly when I get dressed in the morning.
ime that I take it from the washing machine, through the dryer, and back to my closet, a little more time passes before I wear it again. Over time, it gets lost amidst other garments, hung on a hanger and blends in with all the rest. That does not mean that I no longer like it either. It's just I don't hold it nearly as dear and my attention turns elsewhere. I would still care if it was damaged or lost, but I don't find myself reaching for it as quickly when I get dressed in the morning. As a Christian, this is sadly how I sometimes treat the blood of Christ. When I was first saved, how dear I held it! Yet over time, though I know it covers me each day, it's beauty gets lost amidst all the other things on the hangers of my life. It's color fades in my eyes, and though I still am glad it's there, I'm not as anxious as I don it in the morning.
How quickly I forget the importance of what Christ has done for me! Yet unlike many garments, I forget that I did not purchase this one for myself. This was purchased for me. It's price tag was far above my pay grade and nothing I could have done would have bought it for me. How could I ever think that this one thing could compare to anything else? Yet so often, I have muted the blood of Christ and not let it affect me as it should. As I sit here, I am overwhelmed by the love of Christ. I cannot stop the tears over the beauty of what has been purchased for me. I cannot allow myself to ungratefully shove the blood of Christ to the back of the closet of my mind.
Today in my prayer time, I spent a great deal of time just thanking God for the blood of Jesus. I know that I couldn't do it. I, in my selfishness, would not have died. Yet if was for me, in my selfishness, that Christ died. I could not begin to thank God enough. It pains my soul that I can't even begin to give Him the love that He deserves. How dare I disgrace Christ's blood and mark it in my mind as common. So easy it becomes to accept Christ's sacrifice and move on. When we write off the blood as common, we also only allow it's power to be that of something common. No more will I write off this purchase. I was beautifully purchased by the precious blood of Christ. This sinner, this heart, was bled for undeservedly. And it is with this heart that I will aim to give the greatest praise. Thank you God for your sacrifice. I could never give you back even a fraction of what you have given me. How I love you God! Thank you for your blood. Let your blood, your sacrifice, never grow dim in my eyes. It is by your blood that I live. And it is with my life I will praise you.
