I was reading Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin, and there’s a bunch of noteworthy one-liners in there. Also some pretty good multiple-liners as well. One particular section made me think a lot.

“Gary had been right. I’d felt hopeless, but not hopeless enough. I knew Jesus died on the cross to save sinners from God’s wrath, enduring in our place the punishment we deserved. I understand that I couldn’t save myself. I just didn’t think of myself as a very great sinner. Which meant I didn’t need a very great Savior” (25).

And I immediately thought to that one day during my freshman year when I was introduced to this very similar concept. Non-Christians don’t recognize Jesus as Savior partially because they do not see any need for a Savior. Man is not that bad. God is not that good. Therefore the cross, which brings us together, isn’t a big deal. But. When somebody becomes a Christian, two things happen. The person starts to see more and more clearly the depth of his own sin, and the person starts to see more and more clearly the depth of God’s holiness. And the more the person sees these two positions drifting further apart, the more the person will appreciate the cross of reconciliation.

I love this illustration. The more a person grasps the power of the cross, the more the person applies the gospel to everyday living, and the more the person counts everything else as loss in comparison. The Christian therefore is not on a stagnant stroll, but he is becoming more and more passionate every day.

How can I not march onwards? How can I not overflow with His love? And how can I not leave a John Piper quote? “The longer I live the less optimistic I am that I will end without sin and the more grateful I become for the blood of Christ imputed to me. As I grow older I do not feel myself becoming gloriously holy but I find myself feeling great love for the gospel.”

– Larry