For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” – Hebrews 9:24-28

I see you walking on the street with your head held low. You’re the girl who can’t forgive herself for that stupid mistake; that moment of weakness when you let your guard down all those years ago.

I’ve seen you rushing into the coffee shop, carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. You’re the girl who can’t forget the pain you caused; the relationships that you damaged; the hurt that remains.

I’ve seen you hiding on that college campus, with eyes that won’t meet mine. You’re the girl who doesn’t feel worthy to look up because of the shame you still carry.

I’ve seen you struggling in the pew next to me, with tears that resurface like clockwork week after week; sermon after sermon. You’re the girl who can’t accept that there’s a God who knows everything about you, yet still loves you and offers you forgiveness once and for all.

I was you once.

I laid in my bed as a little girl, asking forgiveness for the same offense over and over because I didn’t believe it could be true. I fought past memories, past mistakes, past compromises, past thoughts, past motives. I obsessed over what I could not change, and nervously worked to replace the old with a better version of me. I spent nights thinking, rehearsing, and praying that there might be a chance that the more I offered, the more would be erased.

Exhausted. Lacking. Never done.

The priests in the Old Testament must have felt this way. “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Hebrews 10:11).

Standing. Always repeating. Never resting. Never resolving.

[Before Christ, the law called for animals to be sacrificed as payment for sin. But it was all so temporary and incomplete. Another sin committed meant another animal sacrificed. What a constant, pungent reminder of the never-ending cycle of our fallen state. And what a necessary, descriptive picture of our coming King…]

Enough.

Sit and rest, you weary. Jesus has done it, once for all.

We strive and strive apart from God, lacking joy and scrambling to live in a world opposite of what we were created for – forgetting that our Savior has come. It’s time we lay down the old and begin living in the freedom of the new:

There once were many priests. Now Christ is our one all-sufficient High Priest.

There once were many sacrifices. Now Christ is the one sacrifice who took care of our sin once for all.

There once was the constant reminder and weight of the law. Now Christ has offered complete forgiveness through His abundant, freeing grace.

There once were those who stood and strived. Now Christ sits at the right hand of God as our advocate, waiting to defend us.

Today can be different, because Jesus came and changed everything.

Lift your head weary sinner, the river’s just ahead

Down the path of forgiveness, salvation’s waiting there

You built a mighty fortress 10,000 burdens high

Love is here to lift you up, here to lift you high

If you’re lost and wandering

Come stumbling in like a prodigal child

See the walls start crumbling

Let the gates of glory open wide

-Crowder

Sit and rest, you weary. Jesus has done it, once for all.

At His feet,

*Let’s talk: Today, are you ready to lift your head and embrace God’s forgiveness – maybe fully for the first time in your life? We’d love to pray for you in the comments below…

WhitneyD