To Encourage You

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Sometimes things seem almost too good to be true. Do you know anything like this? This past Friday night I watched an NCAA tournament basketball game between the 15^th seeded St. Peter’s Peacocks and the 3^rd seeded Purdue Boilermakers.  Already St. Peter’s has defeated two other higher seeds, 7^th seeded Murray State and 2^nd seeded Kentucky.  As such they became the only 15^th seed in history to make the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. That’s why they call the tournament “March madness.” You never know when such wonderful Cinderella stories will emerge. 

Turning this up a notch in my own personal life, I remember 40 years ago when I was engaged to marry my wife. I thought it was too good to be true. I had to remind myself in the days leading up to the wedding that this was really going to happen.  I couldn’t get over it. And it did happen! It’s been one of the greatest blessings of my life.

And the same was true when my children were born. I couldn’t believe I was going to be a father. It was almost too good to be true. But it WAS true, and I have been richly blessed. I thank God daily for such gifts.

But let’s turn this up, way up, to the best news that’s ever been told to the world.  It’s the message in the passage above from 2 Corinthians 5.  It sums up in just a few words the wonderful message of the gospel. It’s one of hundreds of places this same message is told in various ways throughout God’s Word. It’s the message of redemption for sinners made possible by the cross on which the Son of God died.  It was by this act that this perfect One took upon Himself all of our sin and died to pay its penalty. It was by this act that God made it possible for anyone who put’s their faith in Christ to be forgiven and clothed with the very righteousness of God. It all seems too wonderful to be true.  And in fact, most people don’t believe it.  They’ve either never heard it, not given any thought to it, or heard it and rejected it because they, incredibly, would rather hold onto their sin. But for those relatively few that embrace this message and believe, the message of the gospel has drastically changed their lives.  It’s the ultimate Cinderella story, but thanks be to God it’s no fairy tale. It’s the good news of the gospel, and, wonderfully, it’s very true. So have you heard about it? Do you understand?  And have you believed? Do you want to be part of this story that’s almost too good to be true? Then turn from your sin to the One Who became sin for you, and embrace the incredible righteousness of God.