The Moment of Impact

Have you ever felt the oppressive weight of guilt that accompanies sin? Have you lain awake in bed wondering why you made the choice that you made and feeling that gnawing feeling that follows a departure from the will of God? As I was sitting in church this morning, the preacher mentioned the fact that Jesus was born and was without sin and died as a result of taking our sins upon himself. This may not be news to anyone reading this, but I hope that the feeling that it prompted in me casts a new light on this event for you. Let's refer back to the feeling of guilt that comes from our sinful decisions. Let's apply it to the story of Jesus. We know that one of the great causes for pain in Jesus was the spiritual separation from his Father in Heaven. Let's think, however, about the physical, human existence that Jesus led. We know he had hunger, we know that he had tears, we know he felt alone. What about guilt? Did this man who had done nothing to deserve our guilt get hit with the guilt that rightly belongs to all of a sinful mankind? Can you imagine that terrible feeling after you know you have done wrong multiplied endlessly and then bearing that weight of all those feelings you never deserved. We as sinful beings have no trouble earning our guilty feelings. Jesus did not follow this path. He took those feelings from us and bore them on the cross. On this week before Christmas, when the beginning of the sacrifice takes place, think about the mind of Jesus as he was tortured and killed. That mind may have been weighed down by the lie that you told, or the sinful way you talked to your family, or a whole world of sin that flashed through his mind. Yes, sin separated us from God, and it separates us from God as well, but think about all of the guilt of the world's sins being included in that misery. Do not take your sin lightly as the guilt attached to it is shared by one who is far greater than yourself. He did not deserve your sin, but he took it because He loves you. Know this and let it impact the choices that you make.