Jesus is the Prize

This morning I want to say this, that Jesus is the prize.

Jesus is the prize.

You know, often in our Christian walk, we can come to God and in our wicked carnal state and in our absolute desperate need for God's mercy and grace, we cry out to him and he is faithful and just to pull us up out of the miry clay and to place our feet upon the rock.

But what happens as time goes on something very, very dangerous happens.

And it's a thing called familiarity.

It's when we begin to grow familiar with God.

And when we once came to Him, He was our everything.

Oh God, I just want to give you my life.

I want to give you absolutely everything.

Whatever you say, God, that I will do.

And then time goes on and, you know, season comes, season goes.

The battles come.

God's faithful.

He brings us through.

He blesses us.

He pours out his abundant riches over our lives.

And what begins to happen is we begin to get familiar with the blessing.

And it's like, oh yeah, that's almost like an expectation now.

Oh God, you actually have to bless me because I am serving you.

But you take the clock back a little bit.

Man, you were down and out.

We were gone.

Like we had no hope.

not one of us was able to get rid of the sin and the stain on our own life.

No one was able to just say, oh, you know, God, thanks for your sacrifice, but I probably got it.