Yesterday was a full day from start to finish. It was a day filled with fun and laughter, as we had Tanya and Viktor’s best friends with us for the day (Yulia and Yuri), along with sweet Katya. A day of jumping off rocks and swimming in the Dnieper River. A day of hanging out and enjoying each other. A day of tears and heart-to-heart conversations, as trust continues to be something to work on, and we are forced to deal with the reality that all of us needs second chances.
The Gospel has two sides as I see it, the good news and the bad news. The good news isn’t very good until you know about the bad news. The bad news is that all of us are mistake-makers, sinners, people in need of repentance and forgiveness. We are all selfish at the core, and usually look out for ourselves first. We desperately need to be made right with a holy God. We have no hope of trying hard enough to be good, because as good as we could ever be, we are still so desperately far from the mark of being perfect.
The Good News is that our holy God has made a Way for us. He has given us his most precious treasure - his very own Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to earth to live the perfect life that none of us could ever live, to become one of us, a human who understood temptation and struggle. Yet Jesus was also fully God, completely perfect and holy and righteous in everything he ever did. Fully God and fully human....seemingly impossible but true.
But Jesus didn’t just come to earth to be an example for us, to show us how to be good. He came to pay the price that we could never pay, and he paid it with his very own life. You see, the Bible says that “While we were still sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.” Not only did he pay the price, but he took our place on that cross. We were the ones who deserved punishment by death, but our God who is so rich in mercy, chose to stand in our place, take the beating for us, and wipe our slate clean. More than that, he exchanged our mistakes and selfishness, and traded it for his very own righteousness, making us full sons and daughters through faith in Him.
We have had the privilege of seeing the Gospel in action here in Ukraine. We have had the privilege to ask for forgiveness and to receive it, as well as lovingly discipline our children, and point them to their need for repentance. We have been able to give and receive second (and third, and fourth) chances, to wipe the slate clean, to offer forgiveness and restore our children to right standing again. We can offer forgiveness and mercy because we have received it, and the joy of what Christ has done for us overflows in our hearts.
Our day ended sweeter than ever. Scott’s amazing cousin Martha has come to visit us for a few days because she wanted to meet the kids. She lives in the Middle East now, but thanks to the years she spent in Russia, she is fluent in Tanya and Viktor’s mother tongue. How amazing it was to see her hanging out, laughing, and talking with our newest children, making instant bonds with them as she pointed out the family members in the picture of the very large Lawry family, and as she told animated stories in perfect Russian. I think we are in for a few wonderful days with her!
The Gospel has two sides as I see it, the good news and the bad news. The good news isn’t very good until you know about the bad news. The bad news is that all of us are mistake-makers, sinners, people in need of repentance and forgiveness. We are all selfish at the core, and usually look out for ourselves first. We desperately need to be made right with a holy God. We have no hope of trying hard enough to be good, because as good as we could ever be, we are still so desperately far from the mark of being perfect.
The Good News is that our holy God has made a Way for us. He has given us his most precious treasure - his very own Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to earth to live the perfect life that none of us could ever live, to become one of us, a human who understood temptation and struggle. Yet Jesus was also fully God, completely perfect and holy and righteous in everything he ever did. Fully God and fully human....seemingly impossible but true.
But Jesus didn’t just come to earth to be an example for us, to show us how to be good. He came to pay the price that we could never pay, and he paid it with his very own life. You see, the Bible says that “While we were still sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.” Not only did he pay the price, but he took our place on that cross. We were the ones who deserved punishment by death, but our God who is so rich in mercy, chose to stand in our place, take the beating for us, and wipe our slate clean. More than that, he exchanged our mistakes and selfishness, and traded it for his very own righteousness, making us full sons and daughters through faith in Him.
We have had the privilege of seeing the Gospel in action here in Ukraine. We have had the privilege to ask for forgiveness and to receive it, as well as lovingly discipline our children, and point them to their need for repentance. We have been able to give and receive second (and third, and fourth) chances, to wipe the slate clean, to offer forgiveness and restore our children to right standing again. We can offer forgiveness and mercy because we have received it, and the joy of what Christ has done for us overflows in our hearts.
Our day ended sweeter than ever. Scott’s amazing cousin Martha has come to visit us for a few days because she wanted to meet the kids. She lives in the Middle East now, but thanks to the years she spent in Russia, she is fluent in Tanya and Viktor’s mother tongue. How amazing it was to see her hanging out, laughing, and talking with our newest children, making instant bonds with them as she pointed out the family members in the picture of the very large Lawry family, and as she told animated stories in perfect Russian. I think we are in for a few wonderful days with her!