Ilia Malinin was going for gold - and he had it in the palm of his hands. 1st place on the leaderboard, and had been in the spotlight as the best figure skater in the world for the past year.
But he fumbled the ball - landing in 8th place when all was said and done. Why?
Today we'll walk through performance pressure, and where we find our worth an value, and how God tells us in the bible that our worth comes not from what we do, but from who God has made us to be and how much he loves us.
We know from the bible that even our best works are as filthy rags - they mean nothing, and can never secure us any performance points or "grace" to get us into heaven.
We DO know that God has so loved us that while we were still his enemies - Children of Satan and against Him, he died for us on that rugged cross.
Bare spine and hip bones from being whipped, beaten for so many hours that the soldiers couldn't physical go on, and then made to drag his cross from where he was beaten up the hill to the place of his death outside Jerusalem. He was hung from the wooden cross six feet in the air by nothing more than three nails in his wrists, and through both of his feet. He hung there naked as soldiers cast lots for his clothes. A crown woven from thorny vines was pressed into his scalp to mock him, and when he was thirsty he was given vinegar before his final breath.
All for you.
That is where our worth comes from; how we know we are truly and deeply loved. And I am sorry Lord for the times I forget this during my busy, hectic days.
Enjoy this episode,
Isaiah
South Africa