In surfing through the TV channels a couple of days ago, trying to find something compelling to watch, I sailed past MTV – Music Television! I chuckled to myself remembering the day when it actually aired music videos. Long before the internet and YouTube were even dreamed about, MTV stood as the lone ranger in the world of music. We thought, “now we can not only hear our favorite songs, but we can watch our favorite groups singing them. Gnarly!” Music Videos were revolutionary. A whole new platform all together. I vividly remember the agonizing anticipation awaiting the release of “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. And as is so often NOT the case, it shattered my expectations. It was ground-breaking! Another video I absolutely loved was Jump (For my love) by The Pointer Sisters. It wasn’t that the song was so great that I loved it. I loved it because it highlighted clips of world-class athletes in different forms of jumping; high-jumps, long-jumps, monstrous slam-dunks & more.
Nowadays, via Facebook, YouTube, and other media outlets, viewing those seemingly supernatural feats of athleticism has become almost common place. (Although I admit I can easily get sucked-in to binge watching dozens of them at a time when I stumble upon them online.) There is something captivating about watching someone do what seems to be impossible. Unfortunately though, they always remind me of the dramatic difference between their athletic ability and my own. They are at their peak, and I am, well let’s just say “past my prime”.
This week’s Bible Memory Verse for Life Church made me think of the long-jumpers from the “Jump” video; Romans 3:23-24- “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”. I was reminded that the chasm between us and a perfectly righteous and loving God is far too wide to bridge on our own. It would be like trying to long-jump across the Grand Canyon. I could probably jump out about 5-6 feet. Some who are more athletic could probably jump 10-12 feet, or more. The world record holder, at his best, could jump 29′ 4 1/4″ out towards the other side . . . and every one of us would plummet straight to the bottom, well short of our goal.
It is the same when trying to reach God through our own righteousness. It’s impossible! But thank God, literally, He had a plan. Though we have “all sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” He gave us His one and only Son to bridge the gap. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become reconciled to Him completely and fully, now and forever. My prayer for those who don’t yet know Jesus is that you’d recognize the separation that our sin has caused between us and God, and invite Him to close the gap. And choosing to step down from the throne of your own life, proclaiming Him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings!
Be Blessed!
~ Pastor Mitch