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The Wonder


It's Easter Sunday night, and since about noon today, most of what's run through my head has been "oh man it's almost Monday again" and "I didn't get a weekend this weekend, and I won't have one next weekend..." I lost the wonder of the day by noontime.

I must confess I've been a bit spiritually dry lately. I read, I study, I pray, but I have no wonder. I don't marvel at the insane obedience of Jesus Christ to die in my place. When I see the cross, I haven't instantly seen... ME on it. I haven't seen that I deserve to be there.

Me. I deserve to be there. I deserve to be whipped, beaten, spat on, mocked, jeered and killed. Me.

No matter how many people I am nice to, no matter how many things I "sacrifice", no matter how good I am at anything, it's not good enough. It will NEVER be good enough. God demands perfection. Perfection. So much perfect that you and I can't even imagine that much perfect because we've never seen it in our broken world. Except once.

Jesus. Jesus in his fully human/fully God state had all the temptations and desires I have. He had all the human "defaults" I have- the wrong things I resort to automatically without thinking about it. Except He didn't do them. He was PERFECT.

Jesus. Took. My. Place.

Jesus died on the cross prepared for me. The nails meant for my wrists were driven into his. He listened to the scorn meant for me. He took the wrath of God meant for me.

Perfection died for filth.

That filth is me.

Take as long as it takes to grasp the wonder. Don't lose it in the rush of tomorrow.

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