In a Peanuts cartoon, Snoopy is sitting
and shivering in a snowstorm. Charlie Brown and Linus, bundled up in
their winter coats, see Snoopy in his miserable condition.
Charlie Brown to Linus: “Snoopy looks
kind of cold, doesn’t he?”
Linus: “I’ll say he does… Maybe we’d
better go over and comfort him.”
The next frame shows Charlie Brown and
Linus hovering over Snoopy and speaking to him.
Linus: “Be of good cheer, Snoopy.”
Charlie Brown echoes, “Yes, be of good
cheer.”
The last frame shows Charlie Brown and
Linus walking away with Snoopy, still shivering in the cold, with a big
question mark in a speech bubble above him.
Reflect on this passage of Scripture:
“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one
of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but
does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same
way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”
(James 2:15-17 NIV).
Because of our sins, we are in a miserable, fatal
condition. None of us has the resources to change our condition by our
own merits. We need help.
For someone
to come along and say, “God loves you” is nice and it’s true, but these
words alone are not sufficient. We are still in our sins – miserable,
lost, and dying.
Consider what
Jesus did for us…
He came to
us.
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His
glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of
grace and truth” (John 1:14). “Therefore, in all things He had to be
made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High
Priest in things pertaining to God” (Hebrews 2:17). He became a man and
came to us to identify with us and to show us that He cares.
He saved
us.
Not only did Jesus identify with us through His humanity, He provided
the solution for our sinful condition. He died on the cross for our
sins so that we can have forgiveness. As our perfect representative, He
was the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins (Hebrews 2:17b).
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
He gave us
hope and a future.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”
(John 3:16 ESV). When we were hopeless in our sin, we are
hopeful – full of hope – because of Jesus.
God will save and give eternal life to those who place
their
faith
and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in
repentance
(Acts 17:30-31),
confess
Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are
baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of
His Word (1 John 1:7-9).
As a result, we can truly be of good cheer.
--
David A. Sargent
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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