Do our hearts align with the heart of our savior?

When we read the bible, we sometimes have a hard time relating to the stories we are reading. Maybe it's because they were just so long ago that we feel too far removed. I know some people actually believe that they are just stories, and not actual historic accounts. Whatever the reason, if we don't try and actually place ourselves in the situations, it's hard to experience the full weight that these stories carry. Let me explain what I mean.Lately, God has been taking me into a deeper understanding of a very specific account in the bible. It is when Jesus is on the cross, and He says to His Father in Heaven in regards to the people who placed Him there, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." If we are not careful, we can just read over this quickly as an inevitable response from the all loving savior of the world. However, if we take a step back here and really ponder what Jesus is saying, we will remember that Jesus was a man as well as God. He understood what betrayal felt like. He was not immune to the emotional pain of being rejected and falsely accused, and He was not immune to the physical pain of this gruesome crucifixion. This man was hanging from a cross in physical agony, and, in all likelihood, experiencing an emotional agony that far exceeded that physical pain.Jesus is the only person in the history of humanity who had the right to look up at God and say, "Father, you know I am right, and you know they are wrong. You know that I am being unfairly punished, and you know the evil in their hearts. Please save me from this agony, and punish them for this! Don't forget what they have done to me!" But we all know He didn't. No, Jesus looked at his persecutors with love and compassion, and even while they tortured Him, His greatest concern was their standing before God.If we aren't careful, we can miss what is going on here. We are seeing a beautiful picture of God's heart. When we really get this picture, it has the power to convict us in a way that we never imagined. When we understand what's happening here, our eyes will be opened to some things about ourselves. For example, we might start to wonder why we curse people who inconvenience us while we drive. Yet, God sincerely loves those who would brutally torture and kill him. We hold grudges against people who wrong us to the point that we may not talk to them for decades, and Jesus immediately forgives those who hate and falsely accuse Him.Rather than a request for action, today I simply want to pose a question for reflection. That question is, "How does your heart align with the heart of your savior?" Is your relationship with Christ merely based on a religion that gives you a sense of superiority to others, because you have checked off more spiritual items than they have? Do you find yourself saying things like, "Can you believe that person screwed up in the same way again? They deserve what they get!"Please don't misunderstand the point here. If you have said things like that, you are in the majority. Even those of us who don't say things like that out loud still think them from time to time. The goal is not perfection. However, when we we truly attempt to calibrate the alignment of our hearts with the Heart of Christ, we once again see just how misaligned they really are. Understanding that misalignment convicts us of our need for God. It reminds us how badly we need Christ in our lives.My prayer today is that as we reflect on this question, that we receive a revelation of how much God loves us. I pray that we see how even though our righteousness falls so far short, that God was willing to impart His righteousness to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Friends, as we stop relying on our own righteousness, and start depending on His righteousness, we will begin to outwardly display the heart of Christ. That is the only way that we can even begin to love others in a way that bears witness to His unselfish, unconditional love!