The person who knows the agony of darkness is able to feel the glory of freedom. Better that than to be oblivious to the darkness, and thereby ignore the light. You cannot need Christ until you know the absolute pain of your sin, the hopelessness of your station, the bleakness of your situation. Until you have a sense of the terror of Hell, you will never comprehend Heaven.

It works the other way too, you know. Until you have a sense of Heaven, you will never comprehend Hell. You have got to know both. To know Hell is to know yourself. Hell is full of selves. To know Heaven is to know Christ. Heaven is Christ.

The wonder of it all is Jesus Christ, who came to earth for sinners. He came for the murderers of the world. The people filled with so much hate they scream at their kids in the streets. He came for the lust filled of the world. Those who are addicted to sex and pleasure, getting it any way they can, degrading women and men and children. Christ came for the people who gossip. The ones who can't keep their mouths, ears, or hearts quiet.  He came for the people who don't respect their parents. It doesn't matter that He put them together for a reason; these people are leaving it. He came for the idolaters, the ones who can't live without the [person] [thing] or [feeling] in their life. Christ came for the people who hate Him, who despise Him and aren't even looking for Him, don't even want Him. 

He came for me. He came for you. 

And He came without expectations. He didn't expect you to open His book, listen to Him, talk to Him, serve Him endlessly in some ministry, love Him. That is true love. That is what love looks like, in its infinite, purest form. No add ons, nothing in return, just sacrifice. That is the kind of love that begets love. 

So the question is, how much love do you have for Christ? Not how much human love, because your love is tainted at best and non existent at worse. No. How much of Christ's love are you returning to Him? Praying because you adore Him and would talk to no other, reading His Word because your heart cannot hold any other Words whereby to live, serving Him because you are passionate for His glory, His fame, His heart to be shown. Christ came to be your Saviour, to have a relationship with you, and so that you in return can have a relationship with your Creator, the lover and pursuer of your soul. A relationship is two sided. Christ has shown tremendous, unmerited Grace to you. He has extended His arm of friendship and love to your battered, sinful being. And what a friend He is; the dearest friend we have is Jesus. 

Saviour I come

Quiet my soul, remember

Redemptions hill

Where Your blood was spilled

For my ransom

Everything I once held dear

I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross

Where Your love poured out

Bring me to my knees

Lord I lay me down 

Rid me of myself

I belong to You

Lead me, lead me to the cross