Atoning Sacrifice

What type of message/ bible study or book did you engage in this week at church or through ITunes, on line or personal study? It seems as if there are many messages and books about me. For example, "How to become a better You", "My best life now", "Finances-God's way" Those might, I say might, make me feel good, but they do nothing for my salvation, and in today's scripture the Bible tells me what is most important.

Scripture

1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Observation

Atoning Sacrifice-is that a phrase that I have used or heard this week? No. I heard how "I" could become better. Forget how "I" can make myself better, here's how I get better, because Jesus was sent by God to atone for my sins, so I could have a relationship with him.

Application

If I studied and understood the fullness; the depth and breadth of the atoning of my sins I think that would take up most of my study and church time, and all the things that have to do with me would be light years behind me. In my mind I just heard myself answering a question from a Christian Friend saying, "that God is guiding me, watching out over me, that I am blessed". That is all nice and good about "Me", but what if the next time someone asked me how I was doing my answer was THE most important answer, "I'm loved by God, and Jesus has atoned for all my sins". And what if I not only said that, but lived in a way that demonstrated the Praise and Thankful to Jesus for atoning for every dirty, fretful sin I have committed. That would "Make me a better Me", instead of a 10 step program about things I have to do to be better for God.

Prayer

Father, You alone could bridge the gap between us. You have sent your Son Jesus to atone for every sin I have in my life. I praise you for that. Nothing I do matters. What matters is that I have accepted your gift of Jesus, and the complete cleansing, wiping clean, purified, eternal forgetfulness atonement of my sins that Jesus provided on the cross. Amen.