So Great a Salvation

This week in a Lenten Reader that prepares us for Holy Week, I read this quote about Mary:

"Then there's Mary, standing there to the bitter end; the mother of God, who gave up her womb, her reputation and finally gives up the One for whom she gave it all."

She gives up the One for whom she gave it all. That hit me like a ton of bricks! So many times I feel like God has asked a lot of me, has put a lot on my plate. Somewhere in my subconscious I even start to believe that He owes me for what I have sacrificed or given. I forget about Mary, and Esther, and Moses, and David, and the ones that Hebrews 11 says:

"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." They each said yes to God's call on their lives to join Him in His bigger story and each paid a high price for it.

As I get ready to celebrate Easter, I cannot bypass Good Friday. I cannot forget that my freedom and my salvation came at a very high price.

"How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him." Hebrews 2:3

"It's crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we've heard so that we don't drift off. If the old message delivered by the angels was valid and nobody got away with anything, do you think we can risk neglecting this latest message, this magnificent salvation?" Hebrews 2:3 (The Message Translation)

I will probably never fully understand the price that Mary paid by saying yes to God when she was blessed and chosen to be part of His plan to save the world. I will never know how she felt at the foot of that cross as she "gave up" all that she "gave it all up for".

But I do know that I will never give to my Savior more than He has given me. He will never ask more of me than He gave for my freedom and salvation. I do not want to ignore so great a salvation or let my heart drift from remembering how costly this free gift really was.

He owes me nothing and has given me more than I could ever deserve: such a great and perfect salvation!

Happy Easter
Angela