What if I gave all my math students 100% for the final grade regardless of how they are doing now? And I told them so, therefore they know their final grade is an A no matter what. And what if I told them that to make that happened, I stripped myself of all my college degrees and even my high school diploma? How many of them would still work at math?

I would guess that some of them would work on math harder than before. Especially those who had no hope of getting an A might work harder to understand it. But I’m sure there will be those who will never look at math again since they already have an A in it.

Why the silly hypothetical pondering? Because it illustrates what God has done for us.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. (Col. 1:21-22)

You are holy and blameless before God. In other words, you have received a 100 on the entrance exam to heaven! But this cost Jesus His own blood, even His death!

Now, how will we live? Will we be like students who will never work on math again because their teacher gave them an A? Okay, I guess this is where the analogy breaks down because frankly math is boring and it’s not that useful. But Jesus is not. He is delightful and makes everything else delightful. He is worth giving our entire lives to and then some.

Become who you are. You are a child of God, if indeed Jesus is your Lord. Now, strive hard to live up to the standard of being a child of the king of kings and lord of lords!

PH