Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


9.07.2006  

Thoughts on God: Precious Blood

In the summer of 2005, I was reading through 1 Peter a lot. This summer, Ephesians has been the spread from which I've feasted most. Through it all, however, I kept coming back to one thing that Peter tells us, one thing that undergirds who we are and how we live: "You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ."

Dustin and the other guys were still in middle school when I first asked them if they'd think it would be cool to get a Playstation for Christmas. I told them that they could toss in every single PS game that ever was or ever would be made, too. The mere mention of that very improbable gift was enough to light up their eyes and make their lips let loose a nearly silent, "Oooohhhh!" They then pondered this unimaginable gift amongst their adolescent selves, talking excitedly about the various exploits they could indulge in through mere bits and bytes. Every so often they'd stop and ask me if they could have some other miscellaneous item tossed into the package as a part of the gift; when I answered affirmatively, they barely acknowledged my involvement in the conversation, immediately launching back into their energetic dialogue.

My follow-up question was less than inspiring, at least in regard to the decibel level in the room. I asked them why they were so excited about something like a Playstation, something that would break with time, something that they probably wouldn't even care about in another five years, yet they didn't get nearly so excited or animated when they spoke about Jesus.

It wasn't as though my question was meant to do any holier-than-thou pointing of the finger. Hardly the case. I was telling Dave this morning that I can be a brutally blunt person when I put my mind to it. Yet, by God's grace, a lot of times that burtality comes not because I'm standing on solid ground, telling someone they're struggling to get out of a pit of sin. Rather, it comes because I find that I'm in that same pit with them, struggling to get out of it myself. There is a dose of compassion there that has been hammered into me, the fruit grown from the seed of frequent and frustrating failure watered by grace.

Even if that second question was met by silence, it was a thoughtful silence. They were puzzled by their reaction, just as I was always puzzled by my own lethargic reaction to who Jesus is. I wanted them to think about that, to think about why they'd get so enthused about a video game console, something that was obviously of little worth in the big scheme of things. Even more, I wanted them to think about the worth of Christ, the worth of the precious blood that He had spilt.

These days, my bible college experience has helped to clarify just how precious Christ's sacrifice is. How so? It's taught me what I already knew: I truly have no idea of the worth of Christ's blood. My life reflects this very clearly. I mean, how can I, a finite man, comprehend the infinite worth and beauty of the Son? My capacity to delight in Him is filled and drained far too quickly, far too easily. What's more, how can I comprehend the meaning of Christ's spilt blood? It's not as though we have a Savior that redeemed us from afar; hardly! When we speak of Christ's blood, we must realize that we speak of blood that He shed, blood that was shed purposefully, blood that we are not worthy of. Such blood represents all the wrath we deserve but do not receive as well as all the grace we do not deserve but do receive. Both, just as the worth of Christ's blood, are infinite.

posted by Bolo | 10:42 PM
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