Daily Devotions
In Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19
My father turned and said, “Ken, any job is easy… until you have to do it.”
Yup, that’s what he said after I, having watched a Chicago Bear receiver flub an easy catch, had shouted, “You clown! I can do better than that!”
Dad was right. Most jobs are easy until you have to do them. For example, I always thought it would be easy to teach Sunday school. I found out differently the day I tried to share the story of the Savior while, at the same time, I did crowd control on 15 five-year-olds.
Of course, I think there are exceptions to my father’s rule.
For example, I think I could do Vanna White’s job. You do know Vanna White, don’t you? She’s the lady who turns over the letters in the TV game show Wheel of Fortune. When I told my wife I thought I could do White’s job, Pam laughed and told me, “I doubt it. I think you would look rather silly in a long dress and high heels.”
Of course, Pamie’s right. Still, for $4 million — White’s estimated annual salary — I might be willing to look a bit silly.
Every job is easy, until you have to do it. That’s especially true when it comes to winning salvation.
Sure, it seems like it ought to be easy. You resist the devil’s temptations, you keep God’s laws, and then, having done both of those jobs perfectly, you never die. That sounds easy, doesn’t it? Indeed, it sounds like something everybody ought to be able to do.
The truth is we ought to do those things; we should do those things but, because of our sinful natures, none of us can manage it. That’s why the Bible tells us there is not a just man upon the earth that does good and never sins. Saving ourselves is a job we simply can’t complete — or even begin.
This is why we need a Savior. We need the Christ who did all the things we cannot do. We need a Savior who was willing to take our place under the Law, carry our sins, and die the death our transgressions had earned. We need the Savior who gave Himself completely to the purpose of removing our sins and reconciling the world with our holy Lord.
Thankfully, in Jesus, we have been given such a Savior, the one-of-a-kind Redeemer who did a job we ought to do — but couldn’t.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks for my Savior who was offered as the payment to save me. May I give thanks and praise Him for doing the job I could never finish or begin. In His Name I give thanks. Amen.