GRACE: the great exchange

"He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." 2 corinthians 5:21

say what?

so many pronouns... i know. read it again. slowly. 

"He (God) made him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him."    parenthesis mine

the great exchange, as martin luther called it.

i've recently, in the past two years, come to grips with something that's kind of a big HUGE deal. it boils down to a few simple equations. 

samantha (me) + nothing = sick, nasty, disgusting sinner, deserving of eternal separation from God Almighty

God = perfect, spotless, clean, holy One who can not have sin in his presence

well, shoot. this is a bit of predicament. actually, it's a problem that i can't solve... because it's fair. i deserve the pits of hell because i have sinned against the King of glory. so do i have hope? the Scriptures say "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (romans 3:23). do we have hope? we are all destined to the pits of hell, which is fair due to our sin, but before we were even born, the King intervened. 

"He (God) made him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him."    parenthesis mine

here's the point: God made it so that we can have the righteousness of God imputed on us as our sin was imputed on Christ when the cup of God's wrath against us was poured out on him (Jesus) on the cross. so many prepositional phrases... sorry. stick with me. 

God took our sin and placed it on his perfect Son, Jesus Christ, on a cross outside jerusalem some 2000 years ago. then when he calls us to himself and we believe on his name, he places the righteousness of Christ who lived a sinless life on us. yes, i have the righteousness of Christ. i am a saint. Jesus Christ lived the perfect life i had to live, carried my sin, bore my shame, and was separated from his Father like i deserve to be, so that i may be justified (made right in God's sight). i can't do anything to make it on my own. my good deeds are like filthy rags. without his grace i am nothing. yet he came. for me. for his children. we can be saved. we can be set free. 

the great exchange. it doesn't make sense - who does something like that?

and the only answer i know of is this:

"but God demonstrated his own love for us in this: in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (romans 5:8)

God does something like that. because of love. oh, how he loves us. 

this good news doesn't become old news. ever. it's the best news we could ever be given. 

may i never move on from the work of my precious Savior. may i never move on from grace. 

LIFE ~ to the praise

i cried a lot on october 28, 2011. i was certain i had just played in my last volleyball game. ever.

i am so thankful my King had a different plan. 

january 20, 2012 i left my high school gymnasium, headed out for a night with friends. discouraged, hurting, and doubting, trying to forget the three months more i would have to wait to find out the status of my app to mbi. but out i was going.  

i looked down at my phone, at a stoplight, of course, to find a voicemail from coach (far left). he wanted to see me play. maybe there was hope i could play volleyball again. would i be good enough? did i really want to play again? would i even be accepted to the school? 

april 12, 2012 - "congratulations, you've been accepted to moody bible institute". could it be true? was the King finally answering me? yes. to mbi i would go. to the team i was committed. 

and now here i am. #14. on a team that has changed my view of what a team surrendered to Jesus truly looks like. 

dmc and club volleyball were great experiences. i was blessed with an amazing coach for three years on varsity and girls that could always make me laugh. yet mbi is different. 

"thank you Jesus for giving us bodies that work." a simple prayer that holds so much - a prayer the captains lead us in almost every day. bodies that work. i've had a few injuries here and there, nothing ever too major, but i've never sincerely thought about what it would be like to not be able to play volleyball because my body wouldn't work right. thank you, Jesus, for giving me a body that works.

ephesians 1:5-6 "in love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."

whoever comes to see us play will hear us end a huddle by saying "to the praise!"

by the grace of God we have been chosen, predestined for adoption. we are the "lucky ones". and now, as a team, we get to use our gifts from God, our bodies that work, "to the praise of his glorious grace". the King sure does give us good gifts - the ultimate gift of his only Son Jesus Christ. so we keep playing. we keep learning. we keep growing. together. 

all to the praise of his glorious grace. 

DOUBTS ~ "defining" me

being new is harder than i expected. approximately thirty days ago, i moved here, to mbi, as an unknown, another face-in-the-crowd freshman. quickly i began to miss my family, my home, my guy, and my identity. 

yes, my identity.

at home i was known. i was established. i was understood. 

or so i thought.

now i am here. i'm in a new city. a huge city. with lots of people. 

i'm meeting people much wiser than i, so i will not be claiming any sort of identity in my knowledge. 

i'm volleyballing with people much more athletic than i, so i will not be claiming athleticism as my identity. 

i'm eating with people much more socially exciting and conversationally riveting than i, so i will not be claiming popularity any time soon.

just who am i?

as i've struggled through the beginning stages of friendships, seeking to know and longing to be known, i've come to realize that i don't have to claim something as my identity. i don't want to claim something as my identity.

i want to be me. samantha jo. the daughter of the King. an heir in his kingdom. his beloved.

and that is enough. it is more than enough. 

He is satisfying.

i wonder why that is enough. why is it okay for me to not be exerting myself to be wiser, stronger, quicker, or funnier? it's okay because my identity is no longer found in what i do. it is found in what Christ did. that's why i can say it's okay for me to be a "nobody". it's okay for me to be a "somebody". it's okay for me to be unathletic. it's okay for me to be smart. and most of all, it's okay for me to fail. 

because no one likes a perfect person. and Jesus didn't die for me to try harder to be better. 

so as i'm struggling through who i must be,

i am learning it's really not up to me. 

for my highest King, he is good, 

and in his eyes i'm understood.

so i surrender my cares at his feet

knowing his peace, oh it's so sweet!

i'll trust he knows best

and i'll surrender this time to His good rest. 

so who am i? some may ask. it's simple really, i'm the redeemed, forgiven, beloved daughter of the King. 

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come!"
2 Corinthians 5:17

LIFE ~ a new home

from star gazing to city gazing -  a new sort of window view

GRACE ~ a poem

i stand here before you, feeling sick and unclean

you may think what you want, but i know the unseen

i'm great at pretending and putting on a mask.

in fact, i'm living an act, so that no one will ask. 

but when i stand before the God who created the stars,

he says, "Daughter, I know you, and I see all your scars."

i hang my head in shame, for i know what i've done:

i've lied, i've hated, i've set myself as number one.

in his presence i fall, bowing low on my knees.

i cry, "o great King, please have mercy on me!

there's nothing for me but to ask for your grace."

as the words leave my lips, i sink lower on my face.

then i hear, "O beloved, I don't see you as filthy.

for you my Son died, in my goodness and mercy.

I love you, my daughter, his blood makes you clean;

you're a saint, not a sinner. From your sins you are free.

"Now go to the world and rest in my love.

Quit trying to earn your way, my Son is enough.

You're not a disappointment, you are pure in my eyes.

simply seek to know Christ and him crucified."

as his words wash over my heart, i'm reminded of what's true:

that day on the cross, he paid all that was due.

so now i don't have to work or even try to repay,

because, friends that's missing the point, and the point is:

 His grace.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:1