(by Kevin O’Shea)
Today “I heard his voice”, so here it is.
Not like literally, but you know, you hear it. Because when you come to the reality of Jesus and invite him into your life, you get a person, you get a counselor, you do not get religion. You get a relationship you can rely on.
We all spend a lot of time “in the wilderness” apart from God, stressing and straining about BS we encounter and it’s very easy to think that this is all there is, and that it is up to us to muscle through it. But it is not up to us. It is simply up to us to receive, to believe, to become children.
The essence of The Great News is captured in the culmination of the famous exchange between the woman caught in adultery as her accusers one-by-one depart and Jesus says to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Not, “Go, sin no more, behave like this, and I will accept you,” but rather “I don’t base my love on your behavior, go and base your behavior on my love.” (Tim Keller)
Unconditional. No strings. Radical freaking grace.
Or maybe better summarized by John Newton (Amazing Grace dude); “To see the law by Christ fulfilled and hear His pard’ning voice, transforms a slave into a child, and duty into choice.”
Duty to choice. Too cool.
May we all listen for his pardoning voice this Christmas – and be transformed from slave to joyful child.