The Everything Became the Nothing

Since January, my Community Group has been going through Jesus + Nothing = Everything. Over Spring Break I was reading chapter 6, and wow, what a chapter I need to be reminded of daily! The chapter is called "News - The Biggest and Best", and Tchividjian is talking about how we really need to be aware of our sin in order to see the greatness of the gospel. I loved what he said in the closing. That whole last page in my book is pretty much underlined. He says;

"The more we reflect on the gospel, the more we let our hearts and minds soak in it, the more we see how the gospel is saturated with the dynamics of nothing and everything. This Jesus who is so infinitely everything -- this same Jesus "made himself nothing" (Phil 2:7) .... The Everything became nothing. Four our sake. On the cross, Jesus took upon himself our sin -- our corrupt, fatal nothingness -- then placed upon us his righteousness, his everythingness. It's what has been called "the glorious exchange." .... "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him" (1 John 4:9). A restored relationship with God never happens by our climbing up to him; it happens only in Jesus, who came down to us. Grace is descending, one-way love! .... This vast gospel, in its fullness, is now ours to fully know, to fully experience, to fully embrace." 

What a glorious exchange! The moment I read that, I was about to jump out of my skin. He did that for me! He was everything, and became nothing, so that He might place His everything on me. I LOVE the song "We Have Been Healed" on the SGM Risen cd. 

"We have been healed, justified. Made alive in the life of Christ. Righteous blood covers every sin." It covers every sin. "Risen Lamb, heaven's light. Crucified and now alive. In Your love You have drawn us in .... All our sin for Your grace. What a glorious exchange."I'm speechless. And it's not cuz it's 2:00am. He did that for me. I was nothing. Nothing. On my way to hell. But He turned me around. All my sin for His grace. What a glorious exchange!!!