He is ….. a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. ISAIAH 53:3
We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we really do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives, it is rare for us to bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and science and tell ourselves and others naively that if a person will merely control his instincts and educate himself, we can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God, exhibiting meaning, purpose and joy.
But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not taken into account, namely sin – and it upsets all of our thinking and masterful plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable and irrational, regardless of all of our stated “intentions & fact – checked science.”
Ultimately, we have to realize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God, must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue – if sin rules me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin will be killed. There is nothing more basic and fundamental to a life lived well than that! The culmination of sin was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. What was true is His Story on earth will also be true in your legacy and in mine – and that simply is, sin will kill the life and expression of God in us. We must absolutely bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and also the sole explanation of the grief and sorrow we encounter in life.
Choose the abundant life today to experience your life’s new vistas and the accompanying spiritual joy propelling you far beyond merely fleeting happiness.
Stimulated by and adapted from, Oswald Chamber’s devotional “My Utmost For His Highest – June 23 Acquainted with Grief”..… merlin