How 'bout a hug?

Luke 23:33 And when they came to the place that is called the skull, they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on His right and one on His left. 34 And Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do". And they cast lots for His garments.

Eli and Luke are now in the habit of taking showers with me in the morning as they are early risers along with their old man. I love it! The only bad part is that I have to share my coffee with them now that they have joined the tradition of java in the shower with daddio. Part of our routine is me holding them and praying for them and blessing their day. It is powerful. Yesterday morning Eli turned to Luke and said with arms wide open, "Luke hug me, I want to hold you". Luke, being a bit of a stinker these days, rejected the offer of a loving embrace, walking away from a disheartened Eli. What a picture of man's natural reaction to the Gospel of Christ! Jesus with arms wide open on the Cross being murdered by evil men so that he could save them, and them being preoccupied by their gambling for His clothes.

It takes two to hug. Salvation and following Christ is much the same way. The triune God has fixed in eternity their part of the "hugging embrace" if you will. the question is: Have you embraced His forgiveness, rule over your life and control over your life's purpose?" All of this is led by the spirit, but simply knowing what Christ did is no marker of Salvation. Many people have misinterpreted the passage above to mean that "Everyone is simply forgiven- no matter what". That theology doesn't require anything from man except a slight nod of acknowledgement of the Cross. That theology doesn't even put you on even footing with the devil and demons themselves as they have a terrifying fear of Christ. That theology is also contrary to the redemptive history of mankind found in the bible where the faithful are always a fractional remnant. Jesus himself says "Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those that enter it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those that find it are few.(Matthew 7:13-14) That should give us all pause and force us to take a step back to evaluate our souls disposition to Jesus offer of salvation from the Cross with open arms.

Have you turned from your sin and leaped into His arms not only as Savior, but as God over your life? Can you see the pain that your sin has dealt Him on an intimately personal level? Do you see the goodness in His reign and control over your life? Do you praise the Glory of Him recreating Christ in you?

Do not glance this over. The story of man proves most people are just like the guards at the foot of the Cross, too busy with life's details to turn and embrace His offer of Savior King. We need God's grace to even see what Christ is truly offering us as our sin nature aims to deceive us to see what the offer of Embracing Christ truly means. Go embrace the Savior King on His terms, for His Glory and Your Satisfaction.