The value of a sinner

This is about a story by Max Lucado found in his book called “No Wonder they call Him the Savior”

This brings back to me the realality of the character of Jesus Christ. The story starts out talking about these people who broke into this department store. But instead of stealing anything they did something so bazare. They swapped the price tags on everything! They swapped the price of a $300 camera and put it on a $5.00 box of paper and other items that cost little money, they put that price on very expensive items! And then they left the store without taken a single item!

Then Max goes on to explain that is exactly what we have done in our own lives today. What God considers very valuable we look at it as cheap but yet the pornography industry is a billion dollar industry! We sell our integrity for something that will saticify us a very short time. We pay for cable to watch things on television that rots our minds!

Of course the story is about what kind of value Jesus puts on a person. Even on a person that can offer absolutely nothing! A person that is even a thief and a person that can offer no ministry. A person who has probably never brought anyone into the kingdom and a person that has never prayed a prayer in his life. A person that has messed up his whole life and the only thing he has to show for it is hanging on a cross! Not to mention that when that person is at the end of himself that he feels utterly broken and the need to be saved he speeks with boldness to Jesus as Jesus himself was about ready to die on the cross. The thief boldly asks Jesus to be with Him in the kingdom! And then Jesus grants him that request!!!

Wait a minute! This thief has not done a single thing in his life to deserve any mercy much less to be let into the kingdom of Heaven with the God of the universe! But yet Jesus says “As suredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise!” He didn’t tell him that he needs to go say 10 hail mary’s or 5 Our Fallther prayers. Jesus knew that in that crook’s heart was a genuine brokenness over his sins and a heartfelt desire to be with Jesus. Isn’t that what Jesus wants from all of us …..Just a desire to have a relationship with us reguardless of the things we have done or have NOT done? If I can say it, I think Jesus could care less of the ministries that we do or any of the good things we have done if we don’t have a relationship with Him first. He holds that extremely valuable! Why else would the Father sacrifice His own Son so that could be possible?

He came for the sick! He touched the untouchable leper. He forgave the sins of a seductive selfish woman. He healed the poor blind men. He healed the man who was demon possessed throwing things at Him. He forgave the men who spat on Him and nailed Him to the cross. We can offer Him absolutely nothing! Even our surrendered lives we cannot say that it is all us because the scriptures say we love Him because He first loved us. See, its Him that draws us near Him but we still have a choice to accept it.

Have you ever come to that point? I mean where it finally clicks in your mind and your heart of what Jesus has done for you? You know I would always consider myself saved because I once said a prayer of salvation but then a week later I would be back doing the same old thing. Indulging in gross sexual sin and loving it. I was serving myself instead of God. Even though I said a prayer of salvation I hadn’t truly known what it meant to really know what I had been forgiven of. I just wanted to be free from bondage but not enough to give my life to Him. It wasn’t until I had come to the end of myself and truly gave up on myself when He started to open my eyes and ears to understand enough of what He did for me on the cross. Then I just wept over what I really was like in light of Jesus.

See, its not enough to say we believe. The question is do we believe enough to give up on ourselves and know what He has truly forgiven us for. And if you are not at that point then ask God to bring you to that point. Ask Him to draw you near Him even if you don’t want it on the surface level. On the surface I wanted my sin because it was fun and it took me to a place where I could forget about my troubles even though I was creating new ones. But deep down inside I knew I was destroying myself and I knew I needed Him so I had to ask Jesus to make me want Him. AND HE DID!!!

NO WONDER THEY CALL HIM THE SAVIOR!

-Doug McGowan