I’d Be Lost
Good Morning, Arisers!
Friends, we are in the Lenten season, and there is just something incredibly special and sacred about the forty days leading up to Easter. During this time, it is often customary to give up something—to die to something in our lives so we can then experience the heartbreak of Good Friday and the glory of Easter in its fullness. There is just something about preparing our hearts and minds to receive Jesus that changes the tone of the experience.
When we engage with seriousness the heaviness of Lent, the experience of Easter is radically shifted. When we ponder the serious implications of sin in our lives and how it is pervasively rampant in our society, our need for a Savior changes.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
If you have been around church for some time, chances are John 3:16 may have been the very first verse you heard or even memorized. It is found on t-shirts, bumper stickers, the bottom of IN-N-OUT cups—it is ubiquitous in the Christian culture. But since we are exposed to the verse so often, we may have the tendency to numb ourselves to the weight of its meaning and of our very need for salvation.
The implication of this verse changes everything.
In the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, man walked with God. Nothing had the power to separate Adam and Eve from God. But then sin entered the picture. They believed a lie, and sin left them naked and exposed. God no longer walked beside them through life. In fact, His presence was no longer felt by them. Sin left them feeling utterly alone, and to this day, sin causes the same destruction.
Sin separates us from God, from our Creator, our Maker, our Father. This is no small thing. Consider the gravity of this for a second. Because of sin, God’s presence could not be experienced except under very special circumstances by priests in a tabernacle and only on certain days of the year—and by prophets who acted as God’s mouthpiece. But for you and me, we could not experience God. I hope this is as heartbreaking of a realization for you as it is for me!
But Jesus.
God sent Jesus into the world to serve as an atonement, an unblemished lamb, to serve as penance for all our sins. Through Him, we experience salvation. Through His sacrifice, we can be with the Father once again. Salvation is only possible through Jesus. There is no other way!
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes through the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
Our good deeds cannot earn us salvation, only Jesus. But scripture teaches that if we confess with our mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in the depths of our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, then we will be saved. This is the good news of salvation.
But dear sisters, salvation costs us our pride. Since salvation requires repentance, in order to receive this beautiful and priceless gift, we need to be willing to admit that we are sinners. We are not perfect, and we need Him—every day, every moment, we need Him! Make this acknowledgement in grace, not fearing condemnation. When we come to Jesus, we receive grace in return for our inequities. Jesus welcomes us with open arms and love in His eyes, elated when we return to the Father acknowledging our weakness.
Bow your heads with me and feel the weight of our desperate need for salvation:
Oh Jesus, how lost I would be without You! My sin has led to brokenness, but You, Oh Lord, are the Great Redeemer. You wash everything impure in me and make me white as snow. Lord, I give it to You—redeem it. Use it for Your Kingdom. I come to You ready to follow You, accepting the beautiful and priceless gift of Your salvation. Do what You will in me! Amen.
- Kierstin Almstrum, Soul Care Lead
About Kiersten
Kiersten is a licensed and trained Christian counselor. She believes wholeness is a journey and that, through the work of the Holy Spirit, what once was broken can become whole. Her passion is to equip others with the tools needed to start their journey.