Why did You give Your life for mine?
One day as I was reading
A verse from the Word of God
A message from the Old Testament
Zechariah seven five
When ye fasted and mourned
in the fifth and seventh month,
even those seventy years,
did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?
And when ye did eat,
and when ye did drink,
did not ye eat for yourselves,
and drink for yourselves ?
This got me thinking
What have I ever done
That is truly for the Lord
Any offering? Or any sacrifice?
I have made promises to God
Only to have reneged on them
Or even conveniently forgotten
A lackadaisical attitude personified
I read His word and my mind tends to wander
I am in prayer and my mind tends to wander
I worship with song and my mind tends to wander
I am thinking about Him and my mind tends to wander
Even the simplest acts expected
I am unable to give it my all
Distractions abound
I berate myself only sometimes
A purpose has been granted
For me to accomplish
I have dragged my feet
My time and efforts spent elsewhere
That has been the story of my life
My time, efforts and skills spent in pursuit
Of the various pleasures of the world
My mind dwelling on everything but You
The very few times I’ve fasted
It’s been for reasons for You to bless
Not giving up anything for You
But abstaining that I might obtain
It’s a limited minuscule number
If I have done anything for Your service
There was nary a sacrifice made
Where I did not aim to gain
As I hang my head in shame
As I think and contemplate
I am filled with immense fear
At what’s been going on all these years
I recollect these past decades
My life flashes before my eyes
I am feeling downright queasy
As I take stock of this uneven exchange of love
You my Lord has been there every single time
To hold me when I free fall
You my Redeemer has forgiven uncountable sins
However dreadful or however base
You my Lord has wiped away copious tears
When I’ve cried desperately in despair
You my Comforter has comforted and held me
When my heart was squeezed in pain
Your words my Lord have never ever let me down
They have been a balm to my soul, a guide to my life
You my Teacher has encouraged me
When I was beaten down and debased
You my Lord has spoken to me so gently, so kindly
When I’ve deserved nothing but reproach
You my Rock has rescued without fail
From the many grave errors I’ve made
You my Lord has given me strength
When my heart quaked in despair
You my Counselor has been my shining light
When confusions surround me from every side
You my Lord has held my hand and led me
When I found myself in unfamiliar paths
You my Savior has protected me
When evil or danger sought to harm
You my Lord has blessed me
So abundantly with the best
You my Provider has taken care
Of my every single need
You my Lord has made me shine
When so many others better than me were there
You my King has raised me up
Giving victories, glories, blessings and undeserved praise
You my Lord has made promises
Of more good things to look forward to
You my Alpha and Omega has shown me
That you are in complete control of my beginning and my end
You my Lord has held me close
At my every low point and rescued me
You my Lord has gloriously blessed me
At my every high point and given me joy
As I look back on your ceaseless love for me
Your mercy and grace covering my sins and dark deeds
Your richness in blessing me with manifold benefits every single day
Your kindness in understanding me with all my blemishes and wicked ways
What can I say to all these that I have felt
Experienced first hand from the time that I could speak
And what can I say as I ponder at what You have done
To redeem me from destruction and the grave
You came to this world just for me
In human form so you can rescue me
From a terrible end that awaited me
A plan set in motion before the world began
Suffering, pain, betrayal and shame
You took it all on You without a complaint
You bore the cross and wore a crown of thorns
Beaten with bruises and hands nailed down
Forsaken by the Father
As You bore upon the sins of the world and mine
The punishment You took on
Giving Your life for mine
Greater love hath no man than this
That he lay down his life for his friend
But You didn’t just stop with laying down Your life for mine
This ultimate sacrifice released us from death’s very decay
By your blood shed I have been cleansed
You took on my punishment so that I can escape a miserable end
By Your resurrection after three days in the grave
You have defeated death so that we may have life in this world and the next
When I think on all of this that You have done
Not just for me but for everyone
This love that continues to pursue me
When I am entirely not a bit worthy
On one hand is me the worm making a mess out of living this life
On the other hand is You Jesus with Your unfailing love and all that You do for me
There is no way I can even begin to comprehend and expect to reciprocate
This great love where you willingly gave Your life for mine!
– By SAP for almondtreerod.com