Bless the Lord~

"O teach me what it meaneth;

That Cross uplifted high,

With One, the Man of Sorrows, Condemned to bleed and die.

O teach me what it cost Thee

To make a sinner whole;

And teach me Savior, teach me

The value of a soul."

"When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the cross of Christ my God;

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood."

"Jesus Christ is risen today,

Our triumphant holy day,

Who did once upon the cross,

Suffer to redeem our loss~Hallelujah~"

Psalm 85:10 "Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other."

~That scripture reminds me of the finished work of Christ on the cross. In my reading today, I read a short chapter out of John Piper's book "The Passion of Christ" Today's title was "Christ Suffered and Died...TO BRING US TO GOD."

"Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God." 1 peter 3:18

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:13

He writes..."When all is said and done, God is the gospel. Gospel means 'good news'. But what is the ultimate good in the good news? It all ends in one thing; God himself. All the words of the gospel lead to him, or they are not gospel...salvation is not good news if it only saves from hell and not for God. Forgiveness is not good news if it only gives relief from guilt and doesn't open the way to God..."

"...Many people seem to embrace the good news without embracing God. There is no sure evidence that we have a new heart just because we want to escape hell."

Thus the greatest thing Christ died for is that "he might bring us to God."

"... we were made to experience full and lasting happiness from seeing and savoring the glory of God. If our best joy comes from something less, we are idolaters and god is dishonored. Long before Christ came, God revealed himself as the sourse of full and lasting pleasure ( psalm 16:11) Then he sent Christ to suffer "that he might bring us to God."

Hear then the invitation: Turn from "the fleeting pleasures of sin" (Heb 11:25) and come to "pleasures forevermore." Come to Christ."

~The Passion of Christ~ John Piper

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" Romans 8:1