Gratitude

This week my gratitude list is short. I am thankful for my salvation, given as a free gift to me through my Savior, Jesus Christ, so that I could be freed my my sin and reunited with the One who created me and gave me life.

Even after confessing Christ as my Lord and savior, I had a thought in the back of my mind that my sinfulness was only in the things that I had done wrong. So my goal was then to try to do things "right" - the better I could be, the more I deserved God's approval and love, right? Even then, I sometimes wondered - "I know I am saved, but what exactly am I saved from? What does "saved" really mean?" Through a series of events, good theological books, and a burning desire in my heart to really know this God I wanted to serve.... He revealed to me what salvation really is.

My "wrong" actions weren't the problem - even if I had a perfect day, in which I felt I did everything "right" - there still lurked sin.

Sin in my heart
Sin down to the very core of my being
Sin in the marrow of my bones.
Sin, that, no matter how I tried, I could not remove from myself.

Sin that was there, like a cancer silently eating away at me, despite how healthy or good I looked on the outside. Its in all of us, even "good" people. We are flawed, broken, without any way to repair ourselves. We are far from God.

I was far from God.

Only when I realized the enormity of my sin, my utterly helpless, pathetic, disgusting condition, did I understand the depths of salvation.

Only then did I see what a true gift it is.

Only then did my heart break over what my Savior did for me by laying down His life in place of mine, so that I may be reconciled to the Lord, Creator of all things.

Only then did my heart finally understand the "Joy of the Lord", overflowing with what can only be humble gratitude and rejoicing.

In light of who I was, and who I now am - only because of His incredible, beautiful, live-giving mercy and love - it becomes hard not to praise Him.

It is impossible to live my life without gratitude to my Redeemer and Lord, for who He is and what He's done.

Today, and for always, I am thankful for His salvation. How could I do anything but praise Him?