Red Rocks Worship – Day Three (Devotional)
(Luke 15:11, 2nd Corinthians 5:21, Romans 5:8, Romans 3:21-23, 1st Peter 2:24, Romans 8:31)Y
ΓÇ£you crossed the distances to find my heart
and now thereΓÇÖs nothing left to say, but
oh, how i love you
how i need you
how beautiful your grace
how you love me
how you treat me
how beautiful your graceΓÇ¥
God sees us through the lens of what Jesus did on the cross. The line in the chorus ΓÇ£how you treat me,ΓÇ¥ reflects on the truth that He doesnΓÇÖt treat us as our sins deserve. When you stop to really think about that, itΓÇÖs incredible. It changes everything. He looks at us through eyes of love and mercy and sees us as the righteousness of Christ. Not the thing we did last week, not the thing weΓÇÖll do in two weeks. Past, present, and future shortcomings have been accounted for. Our names have been forever crossed out and replaced by the name of Jesus. He carried on His shoulders our wrongs, He was beaten for the penalty of our failures. So now, when the Father sees us, He doesnΓÇÖt see all weΓÇÖve squandered, He sees what Jesus redeemed. He sees sons and daughters.
HeΓÇÖs a God who leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one; thereΓÇÖs no gap He wonΓÇÖt cross to get to us.
This kind of love allows us to take on a new identity. Because of love, for love, our hearts have been won over. The lyrics of the chorus reflects an automatic gratitude once we realize the lengths Christ has and continues to go for us. HeΓÇÖs a God who leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one; thereΓÇÖs no gap He wonΓÇÖt cross to get to us. He welcomes us home before we can think of an excuse, before we even fully realize how far away weΓÇÖd gotten in the first place. He does the running. He crossed the distances between us and Him once and for all. No sin is powerful enough to undo the work of the cross.
When we come to the point of realizing thereΓÇÖs absolutely nothing we can do, or not do, to change even a degree of His love, we can finally breathe.
I hope this song is like balm for a weary, wrestling soul. A soul thatΓÇÖs tired of trying to earn its love and secure its place from performing well or checking off a list of right things to do. When we come to the point of realizing thereΓÇÖs absolutely nothing we can do, or not do, to change even a degree of His love, we can finally breathe. We can finally start to live from the position He always intended for us from the beginning of time – to be free. ΓÇ£Now thereΓÇÖs nothing left to say but oh, how I love you.ΓÇ¥ ThereΓÇÖs no other response to this kind of grace, but overwhelming praise and gratitude. How beautiful is this grace that always has and always will be shown to us. A grace all our very own.
Written by Nicole Serrano