"He stumbles and falls," writes our author. Immediately I thought about what it means to me to stumble and fall. When I think of stumbling and falling, I think of sin - my preoccupation with myself, my focus on my own agenda, my selfishness of putting "me" before others, before God. We call the first time sin entered this world, "The Fall."
Yet Jesus was without sin. His stumbling, his falling, was due to his body's weakness after being tortured so that he was unable to carry his cross up to the place of his crucifixion. What caused him to even be in that situation was my sin, and your sin. Essentially, as the author writes in the prayer, Jesus stumbled under the weight of our sins.
Tonight, I need to remember and RELY ON that sacrifice to cover yet another of my many shortcomings. Focusing on Jesus' love and sacrifice for me is what will help me enter into rest tonight without a huge load of guilt for missing a deadline, perhaps a seemingly small or even "justifiable" mistake. But it is the result of a focus too much on myself, and not enough on God or others. It is still sin. I missed the mark.
What is it that you are carrying around with you, tonight? How have you stumbled today? Or did you flat out fall on your face? Maybe what you are feeling guilty for didn't even happen today. It may have happened days, months, or years ago. WHATEVER it is... it was nailed on that cross with Jesus. Confess it to your Lord. Drop the crossbeam, the guilt and weight of your sin. Your price has been paid and your guilt removed.
THANK YOU JESUS!
I so identify with this. Jesus, thank You for the understanding & forgiveness of my weakness. Help me to better use the abilities with which You have entrusted me in order that I might response in accord with the abilities You have given me & thus be response-able.
ReplyDelete