Continuing Reverence

The cup and the wafer represent what My Son did through salvation when His body and blood were laid down. His sacrifice was not something to take lightly, and that is why He instructed all believers to remember what He did by the way of communion. For as My children pause and reflect upon His gift, their hearts should be filled with a sense of awe as they picture what He went through so that I could have them for My very own.

So then, these times of observance should not be treated with a ritualistic approach: as something a person does because it has become a tradition of their religion. Therefore, the cup and the wafer ought to be received with more appreciation for what the Savior accomplished when He hung upon the tree. For unless He gave up His life for mankind, who could know the sweet satisfaction of forgiveness? Who could sing from their hearts the joyous songs of one redeemed? For what melody of praise should be lifted to heaven unless it carries His name within its lyrics?

Because the price He paid to save the world was so significant, then shouldn’t what He has done be heeded more than monthly, where recognition is given to His offering of love: that moment where He became the One who would carry all of man’s guilt and shame? For if it weren’t for the gift of His life, how could anyone say, “I am saved!”

So then, thoughts of Calvary and of the Cross should be a contemplative practice in the hearts of My children, where they daily remember their Savior, and as they, on their own, focus upon what happened for them through this beautiful exchange, where every stain which marked them was washed away.

Yet, it’s not about having the correct emblems that matter. What I am after is a heart that will take a moment within the day to humbly recall how it is that they became one of My children and who it was that opened the door to righteousness so that they (along with the rest of mankind) could pass through its threshold and know salvation. For He alone is the only One who should be revered, who should be esteemed, and the One My own should emulate as the true model for their lives. 

Unfortunately, in My body, it has become that some church leaders are given more honor, as many flock to services in order to hear from certain personalities: those who have been raised to stand upon a Christian platform, as if celebrities from My Kingdom. And so during these gatherings, often the focus mainly rests on the one delivering the message instead of on the One who is truly due all the acclaim.

So then because many who are leading have become the main focus, and as believers follow notable teachers because of doctrinal preferences or regard another because of a specific theology, My children often run to hear the one who will tickle their ear, hoping for a message that will solve their life issues and problems. Though I am not opposed to sound teaching or the adherence to Scriptural principles, but for My children to accurately reflect their citizenship of My realm, a continuing reverence for My Son needs to be shown. For who else among My body can stand in His shoes as the One who defeated for all time man’s greatest enemy? There is not a person around who can boast of holding this fame. It is His name alone, Jesus Christ, that bears the description of “Deliverer”. For He is the One who set every captive free and reduced the enemy to the lowest position as the one who will forever be known as defeated, with no chance of ever reclaiming his standing over mankind.

So My Son has done all of this by selflessly accepting, as His lot, the undeserved penalty of the Cross in order to purchase My children back for Me and retrieve their souls from the brink of utter darkness. Then those who are My own should be found lifting His name to heaven and commemorating on their own (apart from the general assembly) the importance of this transaction, and how it is that they now bear the title of heirs to My Kingdom, as those who are destined to both receive the inheritance of My line, and who are joined to Me for eternity. 

For once the magnitude of what was given to them through His death really resonates within their beings, taking a moment to remember the outpouring of His love will forever lose its ritualistic nature. For how can anyone who understands the enormity of His decision to willingly step into the role of “sacrificial lamb” not be humbled by His kind gesture (when He had done nothing to warrant this punishment because He alone never carried the stain of sin)?

Yet, the love He held for the human race could not have led Him any other direction than the choice to give Himself up in this way. For the fallen state of humanity filled His heart with such compassion that the anguish and suffering of the Cross was worth what it would cost Him because He knew what lay on the other side of this torture. Although He was stripped naked and beaten before He walked that long road to His death, His heart never faltered, for He had steadied His focus on what was to come. So He leveled His gaze and let it rest solely upon who would be saved once He endured this great pain. 

For He knew mankind was the prize to be won, so He willingly hung on the tree allowing those who really deserved the punishment of sin’s judgment to hammer in the nails of His fate. Yet, even when they mocked and ridiculed His name, His eyes shone with genuine affection flowing from His heart, which could only be described as “perfect”. For He did not hold a single ounce of regret over His decision to climb up that sinners hill where His offering would ensure the redemption of any who choose to follow Him. This tremendous act of surrender demonstrated His complete obedience to My will, as He knew this was the way of fulfillment for the New Covenant to be ushered in.

To free mankind from sin’s deadly grip was always what I had in mind. Even before I positioned heaven’s first star, I knew humanity would need to be rescued from itself so that man could enjoy this liberty of association again, where his soul is able to join Me in the sweetness of divine fellowship. As such, the provision I required, of a “spotless” sacrifice had to be paid.

So then, if His was the greatest gift ever bestowed upon man, shouldn’t My own be filled with gratitude over what they have freely received? For what came to each of these cost them nothing, and yet what they have gained is priceless. 

Then who is there that can truly assess the full worth of His selfless act of love?

It’s because of His great generosity (to forfeit Himself for every human being) that thankfulness should be the continual stream that flows with such a force through the hearts of My children, that His honor and praise escapes their lips throughout their day, and not just with the act of communion which is reserved for a large gathering of My body. For once My children fully grasp what has been done for them, then the level of gratitude they carry inside will rise to new heights, so that these can’t wait to acknowledge what His sacrifice accomplished in their life. 

So then, My children should not think it an odd request when I encourage them (whether or not they have the cup and wafer) to spend time alone in this grateful state of remembrance where they contemplate what it took for My Son, Jesus Christ, to become their Savior.