All of It

"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."
1 John 2:2 (ESV)

I remember the first time I held a magnifying glass up to a pile of dry leaves on a sunny day. I was in elementary school, and I could not believe what I was watching. I tilted it just right until the sunlight collapsed into one tiny, brilliant circle on the surface of those leaves. 

Within seconds they began to smoke, and then they burst into flame. I thought that was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.

When I read 1 John 2:2, that image comes rushing back, and I realize it is a perfect picture of what God did on the cross.

Think about it this way. Above this world and all its sin, the violence, the addiction, the brokenness, hangs the full intensity of a holy God's wrath. Why is the world not completely consumed? Because on the cross, there is a magnifying glass. God concentrates every ounce of His hatred for sin onto one spot, one human being, one individual.

Jesus becomes what 1 John 2:2 calls the "propitiation" for sin, which many translations call the "atoning sacrifice." He satisfies God's anger completely. And not just for yours but for the sins of the whole world.

God's wrath against your sin is fully absorbed. When you start thinking of everything you owe, remember that Jesus paid it all. It is done. You do not have to keep carrying a debt that’s been canceled.

Your past, present and future are all taken by God at one spot on the cross. You are not still paying. That bill is settled.

Prayer: Father, where do I begin? Thank You for Jesus. I’m so grateful for the cross. Help me remember that there’s no more left to pay, that Jesus took all of my past, my present, and whatever mistakes I haven't even made yet. Help me live like someone who has truly been set free. In Jesus' Name, Amen.