‘Grant me never lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, the exceeding wonder of grace.’ - Valley of Vision
The more clearly I see my sin, the more it becomes eclipsed by the beauty and glory of Christ. The more clearly I see Christ, the uglier my sin becomes. When we see these two extremes, we can say with the prophet, ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!’ (Is 6:5). Like Peter, we find ourselves at Jesus’ knees saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ (Lk 5:8)
The more we behold the beauty of Christ and the ugliness of our sin, the more we are awakened to the deep grip of Grace. This is the place where wonder and worship flow. This is the place that breaks our illusions of self-justification. This is the place where we must return again, and again, and again.
Lord, forgive how casually we see our own sin - those things which sent you to the cross. Forgive how flippantly we view your glory and holiness. Give us eyes to see You, for Your glory, and our good, amen.
Looking,
AB