{Part III} Two Words for 2012

It’s the final day of our three-day series on Going Deep in 2012. So far we’ve talked about going deep in the Word and going deep in community. Now, we’re going to tackle my favorite one… Going Deep in The Gospel. This topic is dearest to my heart right now and I pray that never changes.

The Gospel is simplified as this: Christ’s death, His burial, and His resurrection. Simple. Yet daily I sit in awe of what those events mean. The fullness of Christ's love is too lofty for me to grasp. It seems easier to grasp His love for everyone else. Why? Because I know me.  I know how broken I am, how sinful, how fallen… and to think that He offered salvation and reconciliation to me is pretty overwhelming. This idea of grace… this supernatural grace, which is extended daily, seems too deep for me to dive into. And at church when I sing, “I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross…” I always mean it because I know I still haven’t fully grasped the weight of this incredible Gospel.

Pastor Aaron once told me that he firmly believes we don’t need to gain more knowledge. We just need to gain a greater understanding of the Gospel we already know. I agree. I long for that understanding. I sit at the feet of God and plead for Him to show me how wide, and long, and high, and deep His love for me is. “Help me to see, Lord, because sometimes it’s hard for me to believe!”

As I wander through this life, one step at a time, one day at a time, sometimes feeling lost, sometimes feeling misplaced, I pray that God will show me how secure I am in Him. {Finding me in Him!} And today as I pray that for myself, I pray the same for you.

I'm excited about what this Gospel means for me in the every day details. Much of my life has been centered around the approval of people and their opinions of me. Because of that a works based mentality has grown up like a weed in my daily grind. Though I’ve tried to uproot it, I always seem to find that same ugly weed sprouting it’s little head where I least expect it.

Work hard --> Gain favor.

Work hard --> Gain acceptance.

Work hard --> Find love. 

But with God, we are already loved. He loved us and sent His Son to die for us while we were still in sin. While they rejected Him, Jesus interceded for the people, as they killed Him! That’s some crazy unconditional love. Who does that? 

Though we I struggle daily with focusing on WORKS, WORKS, WORKS… God is simply saying BELIEVE, BELIEVE, and BELIEVE! He wants us to believe the work He did is finished. We don't have to keep striving. He wants us to believe His promises are true. He wants us to believe the love letter He left us—the Bible. He tells us that righteousness comes to us by believing Him, not by working hard our way up the ladder into Heaven! But that seems so unnatural to grasp. This world teaches us to work hard to get ahead. I'm not saying we should be lazy. I'm simply pointing to this...

"What does scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness." - Romans 4:3

We are made righteous, given favor, forgiven, accepted, and given eternal life when we put our faith in Him. Sometimes it seems that working hard is actually easier than fully surrendering to God in faith. Doesn't it? Submission isn't easy. There's a dying to self that happens--a relinquishing of control. But as I walk through 2012 I want to give up the try hard life. I just want to believe Him. The rest will fall into place.   

Lord God, in 2012 please give us a greater understanding of the Gospel so that we might know your love that surpasses knowledge—that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Let the power of this crazy gospel reach into every area of our lives this year and forever. Amen.

Got my scuba gear on… ready to dive deeper into the Gospel this year. The water’s fine! Will you join me?

P.S. Ephesians 3:17-21

Monique Zackery