Lost in Translation

Recently I had to make a return at a local discount store. I hate making returns. I always feel guilty for some reason, like it's a personal insult to the cashier. I'm afraid they are going to be mad at me. Crazy, I know, and just one of my many hang-ups. The lucky cashier, who got my dysfunctional self as their customer, was friendly enough but apparently had just moved here from 'Couldn't-pronounce-it-if-I-wanted-to-stan' where English is clearly not their primary language.

While I was quite impressed with her ability to understand most of what I was saying and even speak to me in broken English, I had a difficult time understanding everything she said.  I tried hard to listen, not wanting to embarrass her by asking her to repeat herself.  She was trying so hard to communicate but my ears were not catching on.  My uneasiness excalated tenfold as we tried to mime our messages to each other. Awkward!

There is a truth in scripture that is often lost on us.  God is saying something important but we don't always have ears to hear it.  I think we read it in passing without giving pause to it's overwhelming message.  This being the day before Easter Sunday, I want us to stop and really listen to what God is saying. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 is crazy Truth - "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Read that a couple of times and let it sink in.  It ought to give us chills.

A line in Chris Tomlin's song, "Here I Am to Worship", says, "I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that Cross."  He's right.  We could never comprehend what it cost the Creator of the universe or His only son to bear the consequences of our sin.  Isaiah said it best, (Is. 64:6), "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags."  Yep, that pretty much sums us up. 

From the Pope to the hooker on Bourbon Street, we're all destitute!  From Mother Teresa to Lady GaGa, we are all depraved and in desperate need of a Savior.  Even the Apostle Paul, who labored tirelessly and suffered greatly for the gospel, realized his greatest efforts to please God were no more than rubbish compared to the righteousness of Christ.

See Philippians 3:7-8, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

We've got to stop and really think about this.  The impact of the resurrection has got to go beyond our head and sink deeply into our heart.  Jesus experienced the wrath of God, which is more painful to endure than anything we will ever experience EVER.  Oh that we would walk not in guilt of this glorious gift but in life.  May we live in the freedom of Christ! May we show our gratitude through obedience, humility and service for this righeousness that we have recieved so undeservingly.

Do you have ears to hear God's message to you this weekend? It's a foreign concept for an innocent man to give his life for a guilty one but that's exactly what He did. No matter what country you are from, no matter what language you speak, ask God to help you truly hear and receive the crazy truth of His limitless love. Happy Easter.