Let’s not find ourselves in the Ephesians church in Revelation, having lost our first love.  You know all the junk and stuff you possess?  Are you willing to put it all up and buy that pearl, and cling to that like you did ten years ago, twenty years ago, thirty years ago, forty years ago, fifty years ago, whoever’s been saved the longest among us?  Let me remind us, the sale of all that stuff was for a lifetime; amen?  Isn’t it tragic how the rich young ruler had to hang his head and walk off because he was very rich?  “I’ve done all of these things but love You with all my heart.”  It can’t just be nine commandments that are getting fulfilled here.  “I’ve done all these things, what more can I do?”  “Just make Me Lord.  Just love Me with all of your heart.  Have no other gods before Me, because after all…,” and we don’t hear it this way but this is the truth of it, “after all, You owe Me”; amen?  “Well, I don’t think God would approach it that way.”  He’s going to send everybody to hell that doesn’t approach Him with that thanksgiving, recognizing Him as the only source and path to heaven.

I was listening to a debate between a Muslim and Catholic today.  The one Muslim was talking about that works mentality and doing better, you know, having more good things than bad and everything that goes along with one of those debates.  And the Muslim said, “So you’re telling me that Jesus Christ was God?”  “Yes.”  And he quoted all of the Scriptures.  And she thought she was going to stump him with this question but she actually set herself up.  She said, “Well if Jesus was God, why would He lower Himself to become a man?”  Hallelujah!  Good question.  Because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay; amen? And He came among us and He faced every temptation we face—every temptation—without sin (amen?) and became that sinless sacrifice.  John 1:29, “...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”  He came to die.  He came to be stained with your sin and my sin that He might impart to us His righteousness; hallelujah!  We owe Him. 

All of our talents, the gifts that He’s blessed us with physically, financially, our health, whatever; you do not deserve them, they are a free gift of God who loved you and died for you while you were still a sinner.  And sometimes we act like He almost owes us.  “You owe me: I prayed for three hours.  You owe me:  I really held my sin down this week.”  You know, when you got your telephone that said, “You used me this much this week.”  I’m not trying to put any condemnation over you but I would like to stir you to love and thanksgiving for what God has done for us.  And the closer I get toward finishing this race, the greater I sense that I have not worshiped Him sufficiently.  I have not acknowledged Him in the way that He should be acknowledged.  I’ve consumed too much of this life on things that are going to pass away, that are going to go up in flames when the final judgment takes place.

Father, stir me that I could have a heart of thanksgiving for the gift that You have freely given me.  I did not seek You, You sought me.  And so, as we look at this great work and deal with the substitutionary work of Jesus, I hope it stirs us, I hope it gives us an appreciation for His love for us.  I hope it does away with that feeling, “God, what have you done for me lately?  Where’s my joy?  Where’s my healing?  Where’s my prosperity?”  Wouldn’t you think He would have done His job if He doesn’t give you one more thing?  And we just worship Him because He is worthy.  And we worship Him because He is holy.  And we worship Him because we know what’s in here to the best we can and He loves us anyway.