Within Our Humans Means

What does sin cause?

Sin causes separation from us and God. Such a gap that there is NO way to cross it within humans means! Interesting thought, human means.

I compare this idea with a sports analogy from when I played softball. Humor me, please! (especially those who didn't play many sports, I apologize.) I played in the outfield once I hit high school. And sometimes the fly balls made it all the way to the back fence. If they weren't a Homerun or over the fence....and if you didn't make the catch, you had a long way to throw! Especially if you had to get it all the way home.

My arm was never quite good enough to make it home...without help! I needed to throw to a cut-off man who was closer to home. There are two things that I'd like to point out in this statement......

First, I had to have a cut-off man. This makes me smile to think and see Jesus as my cut-off man!!! He is there to split the difference because there is no way, in my human physical means that I can chunk the ball that far and make it. I can try...and maybe get close...but ultimately fall short of Home. The same works with the human condition of sin. There is no way we are making it all the way to home (Heaven) on our own or by means of any works we have done!

Romans 3:23 - " For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God."

Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."

Jesus is there to help us make it home! John 3:16-17 says"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." Without him, we cannot make it!

The second point is that Jesus, our cut-off man, is closer to home. This is speaking to proximity! Jesus is closer to home because that's where He came from from. Heaven was where Jesus was in fellowship with God. Heaven, their home and our home. God sent Jesus to be our cut-off man in order to help us get home. He knows the way and he can make it!

I think of all my attempts and how I have come up short or thrown way off the mark. Both in sports and in life. And I think of all the times that I didn't want help thinking that I could do it on my own. In sports, I hurt my arm and made the ability to throw almost impossible. And in life, I hurt myself and my walk with God!

Is it worth it? Relying on our Human Means when we are not supposed to...when we don't have to??? Jesus is our help...our cut-off man! We have no need to fail in any of our attempts with Christ on our team!

I have one last visual to leave with you on this thought: A man stands on the edge of a cliff and he can see the other side. He knows that it appears to be a great distance, but he refuses to except that as an obstacle. He works day and night at making his own contraption to get across. It slowly takes shape. While he is working, he continues to get frustrated with an on looker that is standing there at the edge himself with what appears to be a board on his back. The man laughs it off, assuming the on looker is nuts if he thinks that He's going to get across on a board. The mans finishes and set his machine up, ready to extend it outward and cross the divide. The device twists and turns, makes all sorts of sounds...the man is elated as it approaches the otherside inch by inch. And then the contraption halts, it cannot go any further. It is so close...the man falls to his knees and begins to cry with frustration on how hard he worked and how close he got and how he is no better off than when he first started. At this point, the on looking that he had come to ignore, walked to his side and smiled. The man stared up with a very confused look on his face. The onlooker took the board from his back and with great ease placed it A Cross this gap. He reached to help the man up and guided him across. The man was amazed at the on looker and when he reached the otherside and peered back the expanse looked even greater and down hill a bit. The man went to examine the board that took him safely across...and when he looked down upon it, it was not just a single board...but two boards nailed together in the shape of a cross.

This is our Beautiful Jesus! Our cut-off man! Our Savior! Our Lord! Don't strive with your humans means only to fall short! Let Jesus lead you to the Cross...He knows the Way!!!!!!!!!