In church on Saturday evening, I sang these words…
Beneath the weight of all our sin
You bow to none but heavens will
No scheme of hell, no scoffer’s crown
No burden great can hold you down
In strength you reign
Forever let your church proclaim
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake!
Come and rise up from the grave
And the only thing I could think was that it’s all extra.
In light of the cross and His obedience and the empty tomb and the torn veil…
All the rest is like this really amazing, but unnecessary bonus.
My husband and my son. Our house. Ryan’s job. Our health and our church, family and friends and my writing career.
It’s all just extra.
Because what Christ did on that cross? That is everything.
He defeated death.
He broke the chains and offered redemption for all that is broken and lost.
People most especially.
So often we think we need, or God forgive us, deserve something more.
Like a spouse or a child or a book deal or a promotion or a certain level of comfort and prosperity.
But man….
I know this sounds cliche and all kinds of cheesy, but the only thing we really need–the one thing we certainly don’t deserve–is Him and that empty tomb.
That is life and joy and freedom.
Everything else–every good and perfect (or perfecting) gift–is simply proof of His generosity.
Oh Lord, that You would plant this truth in our hearts. May we come awake.
Let’s Talk: Do you ever fall into the trap of thinking God is holding things back from you?
[…] post goes hand-in-hand with Wednesday’s post, It’s All Extra. God gave us everything on that cross, everything. Yet so often, He chooses to give us beyond […]
SO true, Katie! Well-said. I think I sometimes take a Biblical principle, like working hard resulting in reaping rewards, and then apply it like a promise rather than a concept. I was just thinking about this earlier with the book of Proverbs! But you’re right… salvation and a relationship with the eternal God is more than enough. The fact that God loves is more than enough. Everything else is just a blessing.
Amen!
Conviction and Inspiration all wrapped into one blog post. No lie, I’m printing this one out and reading it every day!
You know, you should try writing devotions! 🙂
LOL, more often than I’d like to admit.
This is a challenging post for me. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of “If only…”, especially when we see the blessings (responsibilities?) others have been given. Thank you for the reminder of what’s important.
Katie,
And then I think of ALL that I’m holding back from Him…
Grace.
Wonderful post today.
Blessings,
Becky
I love music and the way it can awaken something in us and show us a truth we’ve known but have never REALLY…known.
How often do we beg God for just one more blessing? He’s so patient with us. If it was me, I’d probably be like, “Hey, guys, wasn’t my son dying on the cross enough for you? Do you really need all that other stuff?”
I wouldn’t say holding back as much as I’d say working behind the scenes and delivering in small nuggets. Like a bag of Nestle Treasures. I’d rather have one at a time knowing I have a whole bag of little gems than one solid bar.
And sometimes, well really all the time, I end up glad when God doesn’t give me something I thought I wanted. Because it’s never what I needed.
LOVE the post today!
Sooo wonderful to hear these words. You’re right! It IS all extra. Thanks!
Ahhh, awesomeness in blog form, Katie. I love this. Just this morning, I was answering questions in a devotional and found myself writing, “Jesus is enough.” And I had to stop and think, do I really believe that? Do I live it? Or do I think I need or deserve all the other stuff…?? Reading your post challenged me even further on those questions.
I like Katie’s comment about the LIKE button! And I agree with her in loving Jennifer’s comment. Amen!
Timely
When I dare to ponder that God is holding things back FROM me, I remind myself that He works at His pace not mine.
I’m daily reminding myself that He holds things back FOR me.
Ooo! Is there a LIKE button for these comments? Love that, Jennifer.
Thankyou Katie.