Contemplations while I Have Strep

From Saturday to Tuesday I had a fever, never consistently below 100-101 degrees, but it was usually higher than that. Yesterday (Tuesday) the doctor told me I have strep throat, and I was so surprised because---praise God!---I didn't have any kind of sore throat at all. The wonderful thing is yesterday God reminded me of the beauty of the Gospel. I had stopped preaching the Gospel to myself every day, and constantly I had sort of fallen from my first Love. It is so easy to compare myself to the people at school---all of whom claim to be Christians, few of whom actually care about God---and think "I'm doing fine." Do you know what I mean?

Yesterday I was listening to CJ Mahaney's sermon Gethsemane. I was so moved by what Jesus did for us on the cross because of how grieved He was in Gethsemane when he had a foretaste of what it means to be the sin-bearer. What caused Him so much distress was not thinking about the physical pain (though that was indescribably great) but God's wrath is what He dreaded the most! Jesus was so horrified at this very thought that He prayed three times for any other way...if there was any other way, God would have answered the Son's appeal. But this is the only way God could save sinners, by Jesus bearing the wrath of the Father for our sin! CJ Mahaney said that John 3:16 means that God so loved the world that Jesus asked for an alternative and God was silent. Jesus took on the cup of wrath should have been in my hand and he replaced it with the cup of salvation! If I ever doubt God's love for me, I can look back at not only the cross but at Gethsemane...the intense suffering of the Saviour. Wow.

Thinking about the Gospel, considering how much Jesus did for me---taking God's wrath upon Himself that was supposed to be given to me for my sin!---oh, why? Why would the LORD have mercy on someone like me? I feel so unworthy---probably because I am so unworthy!---and I am almost upset with God for loving me when I am such a disobedient child who loves sleep more than my Saviour, who wastes time so frequently, who gossips when I know God hates that. Oh how thankful I am for being a recipient of grace, chosen and covered. We cannot exaggerate God's love for us. It's impossible.

So I encourage you to preach the Gospel to yourself every day. Remind yourself of what Jesus did for you. Remind yourself of the victory He had when He rose from the grave. Do it. I dare you. :)