Wandering Sheep

“Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”  I Peter 2:24-25

Jesus died so that no one would have to pay for his or her own sins.  He was completely sinless, yet became sin for us in exchange giving us His righteousness.  Jesus proved He was God.  How could any ordinary person receive the pain and humiliation of what He suffered yet have not one iota of hatred, malice, or guile for His persecutors?  He just put Himself in His Father’s hands.

Jesus suffered for us.  He was not a myth, an imposter, or a fable.  He was a surrogate, a substitute, the Son of God, who took every sin upon Himself and bore the harshest penalty for those sins so that those sins would become dead and unable to defile us any longer, and that we, too, would become dead to those sins, leaving them behind, and never looking back.  It was the most uneven swap ever made in history.  He took our dirty, vile sins and gave us His immeasurable righteousness.  By the stripes and wounds of His suffering He healed our sin sickness.  We were as good as dead in our sins, but Jesus made us alive in Him.

Before Christ came into our hearts, we were like poor little dumb sheep wandering around without any direction or purpose.  But Jesus, our shepherd, paid the price so we could return unto the fold of God’s grace.  I don’t think most Christians truly and deeply appreciate the grace of God, at least some do not act like they do.  Grace is a truthful concept which is difficult to explain.  Many of us use the familiar acronym of G.R.A.C.E.–God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense to define grace.  Others define grace as the unmerited, unearned, or undeserved favor of God.  These definitions are correct, but so many Christians still have a gnawing feeling of inadequacy and feel like they have to do something to secure their salvation rather than just resting secure in what Jesus has done.

God loves us and calls us to be a member of His family through repentance and faith in Christ just because He desires to do so.  Why He chose you and me on which to bestow His marvelous and free grace is a mystery known only to God.  We were like sheep gone astray, but God came to rescue us just because He loves us.

We like sheep gone astray/Wandering, we lost our way/For our sin we cannot pay/Down His life, Jesus lay.

To rescue us, O happy day/He washed our sins all away/Sinner please do not delay/Come to Jesus, be saved today.