The Reason for this Season



 The Reason for this Season

Grace – unmerited favor, receiving something, which I do not deserve.

Mercy – forbearance, not receiving something, which I do deserve.


Genesis 22: 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.

Hebrews 2:  17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.


What a great message this past Sunday. Thank you David for delivering.  For years, I have read and heard others teach about Abrahams’ faith, his willingness to obey God even to the point of death of his beloved son. However, it seems I missed the “other” story, which is Isaac, and how he was “saved”. God provided a Ram for a burnt offering in the place of his son (Isaac).

The Bible tells me that the wages of (my) sin is death (ROM6:23). The Bible is really clear that I daily work to eternally separate myself from God. Further, that the “payout”, at the end of my laborious days is being forever separated from a loving, almighty, and sovereign God.  In a sense, I am Isaac, a dead man walking (away from God).  

BUT Romans 6:23 says more, “BUT the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. “ “BUT”, the big easer within our vocabulary, it possesses the ability to negate the prior statement(s), wipe clean the words penned proceeding it’s insertion. Thank God for the BUT found in this passage, God gave to me a free gift of eternal life.

Romans 5:8 tells me that while I was still a sinner Christ Died for me. This means that the “BUT” found in Romans 6:23, the free to me gift of eternal life, actually cost Christ his life. That Jesus the Christ, gave everything He had to pay for the “free gift of God”.

In the message David delivered on Sunday, he drove home a great point that I was born to live, to experience life each and every day, BUT Jesus was born to die. As I tied and placed myself on the sacrificial alter, to pay for my own sin, God in his Mercy gave me a “substitutional” sacrifice, the Lamb of God (John 1:29).

In the early 80’s Christian songwriter and musician David Meece, released the song, “We are the reason”.

Words & Music by David Meece Copyright 1980 Meece Music (admin by) WORD Music



As little children we would dream of Christmas morn

And all the gifts and toys we knew we'd find

But we never realized a baby born one blessed night

Gave us the greatest gift of our lives



And we were the reason that He gave His life

We were the reason that He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live



As the years went by we learned more about gifts

And giving of ourselves and what that means

On a dark and cloudy day a man hung crying
in the rain

Because of love, because of love



And we are the reason that He gave His life

We are the reason that He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live



I finally found the reason for living

It's in giving every part of my heart to Him

In all that I do every word that I say

I'll be giving my all just for Him
For Him



And we are the reason that He gave His life

We are the reason that He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live


Sunday’s message was a sobering reminder, that while I am celebrating the Christmas season, the birth of Jesus the Christ, on a holy night, that I should NEVER forget that His birthday was actually the first day He sat on death row to pay for all of the sins I decided to commit. HUMMM!!

Maybe a more fitting Christmas Carole this season for me should be:

“Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!”

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