I (Doug) have a confession to make: I don’t understand the entire system of good vs. evil, eternal reward vs eternal punishment, and, especially, lostness. All I know is – the God whom we served has, for whatever reason, contrived of a system whereby we need it. (Please read on to ponder with me the meaning of this system – and the resolution it took to fix it.)
Some of you recall that I play soccer. A lot. There are things about soccer I don’t understand. In basketball, the line is out. You step on it, you lose the ball. Yesterday, I watched a gifted Peruvian midfielder take the ball all the way to the end line, then cut in toward goal. It was child’s play for him to keep the ball on that white stripe. Just one meter from the goal post, he gently cut the ball back toward a teammate, who obviously slammed the ball into the net for a goal. Playing with the ball on the line is completely normal and, in fact, kind of beautiful in the beautiful game.
I don’t understand why the laws of soccer are different from the rules in basketball. I just have to accept them. I didn’t design the game. But if I’m going to play it, I have to play it by the laws.
So, if we accept the fact that we needed redemption because of what God defines as sin, then … what was the cost of that redemption?
We here in the USA observe a holiday at the end of May. It’s called, “Memorial Day.” In the USA, today is that day. Many other nations have a similar custom, usually coupled with some leader or battle in the illustrious history of that nation. All those holidays have one thing in common: In a hallowed and sacred manner, we are sobered by the cost of our freedom. Men and women died for it. Soldiers invested years of their lives, giving their utmost, just to protect and defend our privilege of freedom. It was a choice they made – and we’re all the better for it.
In the spiritual realm, there was a devastatingly more intense battle. It was fought by one Man, the Son of Man. And boy… did He win it.
So on this day, a day that U.S. of Americans call “Memorial Day,” can we utilize this prompting for another memorial, just pause long enough to say thanks to the One who paid the ultimate price? Although He was and is God, He became man. He walked among us. Then, taking on our sins and having taken on our weakness of humanity, He pioneered for us a great adventure, a clear path, a new life, and a victory.
For me, today, that’s what Memorial Day is going to be about. Thank you, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer from eternal darkness, our Savior, and our eternal Friend.
Hey Doug, I really like your article/meditation. As you pointed out, there are many things in this world that we don’t understand. It seems to me that many of the people(s) to whom we have been sent also have similar questions about God’s “system” of salvation and life.
On the surface, in man’s eyes, it doesn’t really make sense. Paul said the same thing, “Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Living in the Land among both of these categories of people makes this lack of understanding of God’s ways readily apparent. It’s why we pray and labor every day on behalf of these same people.
So, I’m joining with you to thank our Lord Jesus Christ for giving us—and those to whom we have been sent—the way out of the darkness into his marvelous (and eternal) light! Happy Memorial Day!