by Sandy Kirby Quandt

The cross of Jesus Christ cleaned us up, buffed us to a shine, removed all the dents and made us flawless. Do you believe that? You need to. It’s the truth, after all. His love is unconditional.

In this man-made world of beautiful people, (who are they, anyway?) seems there is always a new definition of how we are supposed to look, act, think, behave …There is always some elusive mark we are supposed to hit. And when it seems we may be zeroing in on it, the mark shifts.

God’s perfect law and truth doesn’t shift. It isn’t a moving target. It’s not some elusive thing we’ll never grasp.

In God’s eyes, and recorded in his word, all have sinned and fallen short of his standard. There is no one who is good by his own works, no not one.

So where’s the comfort in that?

The comfort comes from reading further to see we are saved by grace, not by works as men think. We are subject to God’s rules and laws yes, but thanks be to God he made a way for us to be saved through the sacrificial blood of his son.

Thank you, Jesus.

Because of Christ’s sacrifice, resurrection and eventual return, if we belong to him through the power of his blood, then what man thinks really doesn’t matter. It’s what God thinks that counts. And God thinks we’re pretty special. Even with all our warts, bumps, bruises, mess-ups and failures. Special enough to die for.

Our scratches, dents, mess-ups, missing the mark don’t define us. Those things don’t keep us from Jesus’ love and grace.

Those are things the evil one would like for us to hang around our necks like Jacob Marley’s chains when he visited his friend, “a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!” Ebenezer Scrooge.

Satan wants to keep us from believing we can be forgiven and washed clean.

This reminds me of a post I wrote awhile back relating how we are not punished as we deserve. Even though we might wallow around in mud holes, God can take out his powerful water hose and wash us clean when we come to him in repentance.

Feeling like a failure? Take heart. Christ has made us flawless.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Leave a comment below. If you think others would appreciate reading this please share it through the social media buttons.

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 (MSG)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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