Meditations on Good Friday ~ He Understands
Apr 14, 2017 19:22:59 GMT
Post by everloving11 on Apr 14, 2017 19:22:59 GMT
Does Jesus Understand the Pain of Estrangement?
Does Jesus understand? As He hung on that cross in agony, the greatest suffering He endured was when God the Father turned His back on His only Son as all our sins were applied to Him. Such lonely, utterly dark separation. He was separated from His heavenly Father so we would never be. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (II Corinthians 5:21)
The frustration was that He had done no wrong – instead He healed, He loved, and He forgave. He volunteered to endure all this suffering for you and I --- even when we were His enemies. “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!” (Romans 5:10)
Why did He do all this? “For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) We are His joy!
Is your life unfair? He understands.
Is your life painful? He understands.
Is your life separated from one(s) you love? He understands.
Is your life broken and bleeding and marred beyond recognition? He understands.
There is absolutely nothing you are going through that He doesn’t understand. He longs to heal you, love you, and forgive you.
Perhaps, like many of my friends, you are not a Christian yet. All you have to do is accept what He already has done for you. Just answer these three simple questions:
1) Do you recognize that God is God and you are not? He is sinless and we are full of sin – He wants us to be with Him forever, but we cannot in our present state.
2) Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the perfect Son of God and died on that cross in your place nearly 2000 years ago today? He paid the ultimate price for all your sins so you will be with Him forever.
3) Are you willing to pray to God right now and tell Him that you are a sinner and you want Him as your Savior and Lord? If you do pray, please let someone else know what you have done!
Many of you are already believers. Would you encourage all of us and say so right now, please?
I’ll start ~ I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord July 26, 1967
I have not always remained faithful, but, praise God, He has! "...if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself." II Timothy 2:13
May this Good Friday be your most blessed one yet with the new insights into Christ's unspeakable gift you have gained this year, born of your own estrangement experiences and as you share in the fellowship of His sufferings --- "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death" (Philippians 3:10) "For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort."
(II Corinthians 1:5-7) He understands ~~~ and we do, too!
Does Jesus understand? As He hung on that cross in agony, the greatest suffering He endured was when God the Father turned His back on His only Son as all our sins were applied to Him. Such lonely, utterly dark separation. He was separated from His heavenly Father so we would never be. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (II Corinthians 5:21)
The frustration was that He had done no wrong – instead He healed, He loved, and He forgave. He volunteered to endure all this suffering for you and I --- even when we were His enemies. “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!” (Romans 5:10)
Why did He do all this? “For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) We are His joy!
Is your life unfair? He understands.
Is your life painful? He understands.
Is your life separated from one(s) you love? He understands.
Is your life broken and bleeding and marred beyond recognition? He understands.
There is absolutely nothing you are going through that He doesn’t understand. He longs to heal you, love you, and forgive you.
Perhaps, like many of my friends, you are not a Christian yet. All you have to do is accept what He already has done for you. Just answer these three simple questions:
1) Do you recognize that God is God and you are not? He is sinless and we are full of sin – He wants us to be with Him forever, but we cannot in our present state.
2) Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the perfect Son of God and died on that cross in your place nearly 2000 years ago today? He paid the ultimate price for all your sins so you will be with Him forever.
3) Are you willing to pray to God right now and tell Him that you are a sinner and you want Him as your Savior and Lord? If you do pray, please let someone else know what you have done!
Many of you are already believers. Would you encourage all of us and say so right now, please?
I’ll start ~ I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord July 26, 1967
I have not always remained faithful, but, praise God, He has! "...if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself." II Timothy 2:13
May this Good Friday be your most blessed one yet with the new insights into Christ's unspeakable gift you have gained this year, born of your own estrangement experiences and as you share in the fellowship of His sufferings --- "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death" (Philippians 3:10) "For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort."
(II Corinthians 1:5-7) He understands ~~~ and we do, too!
