| WEDNESDAY | May 13 |
A Change of Heart
The unparalleled manifestation of divine compassion and grace on Calvary has changed millions of hearts. From the very moment He hung dying on the cross, people were changed by beholding the love of Christ. One of the criminals crucified with Him noticed that Jesus was someone special, with a future beyond this ignominious death (Luke 23:39-43). And even the Roman centurion noticed that Jesus was no criminal (vs. 47).
How should our lives be changed by beholding Jesus and what He has done for us? 2 Cor. 3:16-18; Heb. 12:2, 3.
"Let the repenting sinner fix his eyes upon 'the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world' (John 1:29); and by beholding, he becomes changed. His fear is turned to joy, his doubts to hope. Gratitude springs up. The stony heart is broken. A tide of love sweeps into the soul. Christ is in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. When . . . we behold Him in Gethsemane, sweating great drops of blood, and on the cross dying in agony,—when we see this, self will no longer clamor to be recognized. Looking unto Jesus, we shall be ashamed of our coldness, our lethargy, our self-seeking. We shall be willing to be anything or nothing, so that we may do heart service for the Master."—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 439, 440. (Italics supplied.)
How well do her words reflect your own experience with Christ? What could be holding you back from a deeper experience with Him? How much time do you spend contemplating Calvary?
Theologians propose various theories of the atonement. But when everything is said and done, there is no one theory or combination of theories that will do justice to the marvel of God's grace (see 1 Cor. 1:20-25). It is good to talk together about the passages of Scripture that reveal different aspects of Jesus' sacrifice. But what Jesus did for us should be not only a topic of debate but prayerfully contemplated and experienced. Though there's much we can't understand, we have been given enough so that we should marvel at what God has done for us in Christ.
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