Sure, I know. Christmas is over. However, since it is so fresh in our minds, you'll have to pardon the comparison I'm about to make (fa la la la laaaa, la la la la.....Oops, sorry! That just slipped out).
Ever since I was a child, I have absolutely loved the movie "A Christmas Carol." I've never found a version of it that I haven't enjoyed (and believe me, there are many versions). I love the whole Victorian era, the clothes and the language, but most of all, I love the message of the story. It's quite symbolic of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
The verse I'm using for meditation today is Romans 8:1-4:
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has FREED YOU from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
When I read this verse, I think of Scrooge as he is visited by the ghost of Christmas future. This is the most fearsome ghost of all for Scrooge (and would probably be for most of us) and the visit proves to be the most agonizing one of the night. He is faced with his own "legacy" and the rapidly approaching death that promises to drag him into a deep, dark grave leading straight to a fiery hell.
Source: www.public-domain-image.com
Not very assuring.
Remember Scrooge's deceased partner, Jacob Marley? When he first visited Scrooge to warn him of the three ghostly visits and to urge him to change his ways, Scrooge was completely freaking out. It was not because of the visit from Marley himself, but because of the magnitude of the chains he bore. They were extremely heavy, numerous, and loud. Marley had to drag them around for all eternity as a result of how he lived his life.
SNAP!
You hear the deafening sound of metal breaking as you are suddenly jerked upward like you had just opened a parachute. The wind on your face as you fly upward and out of the grave is a welcome feeling. Your feet touch the ground and as your eyes adjust to the brightness of the sun, you are able to see that your chains are gone. You are FREE!
Now imagine you see the One who had the power to do that for you. What would you do?
This is how I envision what Jesus did for us. The question is: How do we respond?
Do we take it for granted and walk right back into a life of sin or do we see it for the precious gift that it is and turn away from sin to follow the Spirit? I am so grateful that I was given that second chance and that God offered me freedom when I deserved death. One of my favorite worship songs, "In Christ Alone," says:
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me (PRAISE GOD!!!)
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me (PRAISE GOD!!!)
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
This is what being a Christian means. It means that you turned from sin to follow the Savior and he broke your chains when you were powerless to save yourself. You are FREE!
That just makes you want to shout, doesn't it?!
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