Stand up comedy
cracks me up. Hailee and I used to go to a comedy club about once or twice
every couple of months. We didn’t care who was there; one out of three
comedians were often great. Soon after we started doing this a show came on
called Last Comic Standing. It was
dynamite. One of my favorite summer shows. A larger man came on stage. He had
some size to him. He was talking and told about someone coming up to him and
asking him, “Why do you breathe so hard?” He quickly responded, “SO I CAN
LIVE!” It was genius and we loved it.
Life is full of
challenges. I am trying to get in shape. Today while at a hotel, I thought it
would be a great idea to spend 30 minutes running on the elliptical. I was
wrong. After about five minutes I realized that swimming 2-5 days a week is
completely different then running. After five minutes struggling to breathe, I
thought about the comedian from the story above. Getting in shape is not easy.
It takes a lot of sacrifice to succeed. Faith is a different challenge. Faith
can be watching someone else take the pain for you, it’s not easy and people
can struggle with this aspect.
Paul ends
talking to the Galatians with a tough lesson, Galatians 6:13-14…
“Not even those
who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they
may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. May I never boast except in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to
me, and I to the world.”
Christianity is
based off living for Jesus the one who was crucified, suffered a painful death
so we wouldn’t have too. A group of people kept trying to keep new Christians
from living and talking about Jesus by telling them in the past you showed you
had faith in God by being circumcised. They wanted to show the sacrifice they
made to show faith. Paul is telling these people loudly (There is a theory and
a good chance Paul wrote this entire section of scripture in ALL CAPS TO HIT THE
MARK). Faith in Jesus is about him not us. There is nothing we can do to trump
what Christ did on the cross. Yet people kept trying and convince other people
to do these good works to show they had faith. They led people astray.
There are
challenges in life, but nothing compares to Christ. Trying to get healthy is a
lot about us. What we eat, what we do to workout, making little meal sacrifices
for a greater good. There is no little sacrifice that can compare to what Jesus
did on the cross for me, for you. Paul shares that he doesn’t boast about himself
but rather about what Jesus did for him. Jesus is why I am here, Jesus is why I
do what I do. While I am not perfect and I cannot understand why Jesus thought
I was worth dying for, he did. So in my life is less about me a sinner and more
about knowing throughout all my imperfections there was Jesus. Jesus died this horrible
painful death for all of us. All we have to do is share not what we do, but
what he did.
Jesus thought I
was worth dying for. Jesus thought you were worth dying for too. There is no
action on this earth that can compare to what Jesus did for you. Starting your
journey in faith isn’t about doing the good deeds but rather admitting you aren’t
perfect, you are a sinner. It’s about accepting that Jesus did truly die for
you and you making him your personal Lord and savior. People can work so hard
to try to earn their right for salvation when Jesus is looking for something
completely different. Are you willing to make the greatest act by submitting to
Jesus? Today could be the start to a new life and it’s all because of Jesus and
what he did. Recognize the greatest sacrifice in the world was made for you.
Have a great
day.
