Our sins have been absorbed...

"And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." 1 John 1b-2 NKJV According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the word "propitiate" means to appease & "propitiation" means something that propitiates; specifically: an atoning sacrifice. Think about that--Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. It is difficult for me to imagine a love so deep, a love so pure, a love so sacrificial that it would compel someone to give Himself to death in order to save others. Yet, Jesus willingly gave Himself to do just that. It gives me reason to be thankful for the fact that GOD loved me so much that He sent His only begotten Son to, in effect, serve as a sponge and absorb my sin. Just as a sponge absorbs liquids, Jesus Christ came to soak up the sins of the world--my sins, your sins, everyone's sins. One man, one sinless man, served as the substitute & took the penalty for the sins of the entire world. As His precious blood drained from His tortured & tormented body, hanging there on the cross of Calvary--it covered our sins and as the earth soaked up that blood, our sins were totally & completely done away with. Logically, it is hard to wrap one's mind around that fact. However, logic plays no part in faith. Faith calls us to believe that which seems illogical. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Therefore, we have hope. Lamentations 3:21-24 affirms that saying, "This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" All we have to do is accept His free gift of forgiveness & surrender our lives to Him. Why do so many refuse that gift? Why do so many despair? Why are so many fighting addictions, joining gangs, living in torturous torment at the hands of the devil? They are lost, dead in their sins because they have not allowed the Jesus of the cross to take those sins from them. As Christians, it is our responsibility, our duty & GOD's expectation of us to reach out to them--to tell them about the Jesus who died to atone for those sins, to show them the way of reconciliation & the hope they have in GOD. I am well aware of my shortcomings in witnessing for the Lord & I pray daily for boldness to speak openly of GOD's faithfulness & the forgiveness that is available through Him. He has delivered me from so much. Without Him, I am nothing. I desire that my life is a mirror that reflects the love & mercy of GOD & tells those I come in contact with that Jesus is the sponge that absorbs the sins of the world--theirs included. What are your thoughts? Blessings! Tony