Resilience | lent devotions

“…when this Priest had offered the one supreme sacrifice for sin for all time he sat down on a throne at the right hand of God, waiting until all his whispering enemies are subdued and turn into his footstool. And by his one perfect sacrifice he made us perfectly holy and complete for all time!” Hebrews 10: 12-14, TPT

A man accidentally drove his car into a wide ditch full of water. A farmer offered to pull the car out of the ditch but said he needed to charge £50 because it was the 10th time that day he’d had to pull a car out of that same ditch. “That’s a lot of extra work for you” said the man. “When do you look after your crops. At night?” “Nope” replied the farmer. “That’s when I widen the ditch and fill it with water.”

What a contrast the cross was to the sacrifices the Old Testament priests carried out. The animal sacrifices temporarily covered human sin but could not remove it, whereas by offering himself once on the cross Jesus perfected you for all time. All time! But although you are free from the guilt of sin, you are not perfect in character (yet!). There is every possibility you will fail Jesus in some way every now and again and put yourself in a hole.

The enemy is an expert at widening ditches and filling them with water. He wants nothing more than to see you drowning in a pit because of sin or failure. But God has already provided the means by which you are saved. And he will not charge you to pull you out of the ditch because the price has already been paid in full by Jesus at Calvary.

It takes resilience to recognise we’ve failed and accept that God has provided the rescue; we cannot do it ourselves. And the great thing about God is he is not in the salvage business. He won't just patch you up an send you on your way. God is the great restorer. When he liberates you from the pit he guarantees you come out of it better than you went in.      

Let’s pray
Thank you Jesus that you are not just the one who offers me abundant life you are also the offering that secures it. Remind me whenever I fail you that you have already made me perfectly complete for all time. Forgive me for the times I have let you down. Thank you I can be confident when I ask for forgiveness you restore me fully. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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