I did so because that's when I became aware of His great love.
His great love for ME!
That's when I became aware of the gift that is salvation.
A gift He he had created for ME!
That's when I realized that He had a plan for my life.
That's right - the creator of the universe had a plan for ME!
Those are all the reasons I became a Christian. But, it's only been recently that I realized that there's much more to the equation than just that. Yes, He had all those things for me. And He gave them freely.
But, He also wanted more from ME.
More accurately (lest anyone think that our works are what get us into heaven, or that God wants to engage us in the drudgery of spiritual slavery in exchange for our salvation), Jesus wanted ME to want more for HIS sake.
I believe it is profoundly healing and healthy to accept the realization that if I would have been the only one who needed it, Christ would have climbed up onto that cross anyway. Just.For.Me.
That's how much He loves me. I am what He did it for. I am what He was thinking about that day. I am what He longs for. In fact, I am the reward for his suffering.
Think about that - there was no other prize at the end of the cross, resurrection, and ascension except for me. (Well, ok... there was eternity with the Father in heaven, but He already had that.) No brass ring. No pot of gold. No winning lottery ticket. Just me. Just you. Just humanity.
I am entirely and completely and utterly undeserving of the gift of salvation. I pray that it never ceases to bring me to tears when I consider what Jesus did for me.
But, He is deserving. Entirely, completely, and utterly deserving of my love. Of my adoration. Of me. And of you. And of all of humanity, which is all that He longs for.
When I feel shy or uncomfortable, and would rather pass on sharing the gospel with a stranger...
When I start feeling content with my accomplishments and resentful of having to do more...
When I feel discouraged or tired, and am ready to give up on this whole 'missionary' thing...
That's when I remember my Jesus - peering down to Earth - loving each and every person I come into contact with just as much as He loves me.
Desiring to give them the free gift of salvation, just as He desired to give it me.
Longing for each person to be a part of His eternal reward, just as He longed for me to be a part of His eternal reward.
How can I not share the gospel with strangers? How can I not go the extra mile for His sake? How can I not go to Guatemala to tell the people there about Jesus?
It is not about me, and what I have gained. It is about HIM, and the fullness of His reward that He will lose if I choose to give less than everything for His cause.
He deserves the full reward for His suffering.
He deserves an eternity with every person He died for.
He deserves them all...
And it must become my highest goal and privilege to see that He gets everything He suffered for... everything He died for... everything He deserves.
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