extravagant love come down

*unabashed thoughts updated.*

Someone once said something like,

“To receive Christ costs nothing. But to follow Christ costs everything.”

(That someone might be Billy Graham but doesn’t matter.)

Just as I was talking about making lifestyle changes in the previous post, last night I realized that the deeper issue God was speaking to me about was discipline.

Hebrews 12:1-13

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Revelations 3:19

“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.”

God knows exactly what we are going through. And His word of encouragement just comes at such a timely hour, just when I need it the most.

But I don’t know whether He means this: “you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” metaphorically. I hope so. lol. But this is the amount of perseverance He is talking about, to resist against our flesh, our natural inclination to sin. And we know we can’t do it by our own weak human strength but His grace is sufficient. And He ONLY disciplines those that He loves as sons and daughters. (If He doesn’t rebuke and discipline anymore, that’s when the big UH-OH comes.)

It is through this road of discipleship, that we become less like our old selves, but moulded more and more into His image. The dying of our self, and the life of Christ in us. Sigh. Easy to say, but hard to do. But I know I can do it by His strength =).

The sin of forgetfulness

I realized I fall into this sin very easily. Always forget to remember what He has done for me on the Cross. Always fail to remember how He died. His suffering, the pain that He went through for me. But most of all, I often take for granted His love for me. I need the revelation of the cross, God! I need the conviction of Your love for me!

As I was doing qt last night, God led me to sing this song (see below). So that I can remember how He poured out His love for me on the cross. I don’t think anyone knows this: everytime when I watch “The Passion of Christ”, I am terrified (and touched) to tears when I have to see Christ’s hands nailed to the cross. I’ve only seen that particular scene once but I have not dared to look ever since then whenever the movie clip is shown in church/camp events. That one time I watched was on my mac, full screen, face-to-face (HD quality can). And I knew I had to watch it because if I don’t, I will never remember how painful was the death that He died for me. Bare flesh on the wood. Knock, knock, knock. Rusty, cold hard metal. First breaks apart your flesh, blood spurts out. Bones crack. Break apart. You think you wanna cry out for the world to stop. But you can’t even raise your voice. Blood continues spilling out.

All for what?

Love.

LEAD ME TO THE CROSS
(by Brooke Fraser)

VERSE 1
Savior I come
Quiet my soul, remember
Redemption’s hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom

PRE-CHORUS
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as loss

CHORUS
Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Oh lead me
Lead me to the cross

VERSE 2
You were as I
Tempted and trialed, human
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now You’re risen

PRE-CHORUS
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as loss

CHORUS

BRIDGE
To Your heart, to Your heart
Lead me to Your heart
Lead me to Your heart

CHORUS
Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Oh lead me
Lead me
Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Oh lead me
Lead me to the cross