Monday of Lent 1

Just as I am without One Plea LSB 570

John 1; 29; 6:37; Revelation 3:17

Just as I am, without one plea

But that Thy blood was she for me

And that thou bidd’st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come

This popularity of today’s hymn reached its highpoint in the second half of the twentieth century when Billy Graham used it for his altar calls. Many churches adopted it, making it a tradition at the end of services when people were invited to “walk down the aisle” and declare their lives for Jesus. How sad. None of us can give our heart to Jesus.  It is cold, dead, lifeless, and full of sin. None of us can “get their act together” or make things right with God.  By nature, we are blind, dead and His enemies. “There is none righteous no, not one.”- Romans 3:10 “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”- Romans 3:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23

If there is anything, we can claim to be our own it is our sin. Sin has driven a wedge between God and man. Gone is man’s perfection. Now is the loss of the divine image. Absent is man’s perfect knowledge and understanding of God’s Holy Will. “But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”- 1 Corinthians 2:14 “But if you have bitter jealousy and shellfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.”- James 3:14-15

God does for us better than what we could do for ourselves. When settling the issue with sin, He acts alone. He will deal with the issue of your unworthiness Himself. Period. With no help from anyone. He sends His own Son to the cross. Jesus will bear your sin. He will carry it alone. To the cross of Calvary. There He will die for you. There He wins salvation for the entire world. And, on the third day, He will rise from the dead to prove to you that this freedom has been credited to you.  

Almighty God, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts that He may rule and direct us according to Your will, comfort us in all our temptations and afflictions, defend us from all error, and lead us into all truth that we, being steadfast in faith, may increase in all good works and in the end obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.[1]

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[1] Lutheran Service Book, Collect for the Holy Spirit; © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis