Jesus suffered not only in the crucifixion, but the horrific scourging prior to carrying His cross up Golgotha’s hill. He was bruised, bleeding, and exhausted from one unlawful nightly trial after another. He was thirsty, and weary to the bone. He fell under the weight of the cross and the soldiers conscripted an onlooking citizen to carry it for Him the rest of the way (Matthew 27:32).
The simplicity of the message of Calvary’s cross bears witness to our hearts of the amount of love Jesus has for the whole world in willingly laying down His life for us (1 John 3:16). Then, He took His life up again (John 10:18), and He emerged from the tomb with dynamite power to take back the earth from Satan’s dominion and to deliver it back to our Father God (John 1:12; Revelation 20:2-3). This man of sorrows is our soon coming King.
Yet, with all that He suffered in His 33 years on the earth, Jesus was not a sorrowful man. He did not major on His grief and compound His sorrow with anxiety and stress. He constantly spent time with our Father, and He walked in spiritual maturity with His focus on doing God’s will (John 4:34). He is truly an example to us of how to endure life while living in the Spirit.
Jesus made His life’s mission about healing the sick, rescuing the brokenhearted, redeeming the sinner, and giving us His righteousness in exchange for our iniquity. We can focus on the joy that is set before us, just like Jesus did (Hebrews 12:2) – the seed for a miracle that God plants in every trial.
Jesus was despised and rejected by His family, friends, and neighbors. He was falsely accused, insulted, and met with ingratitude for the miracles He performed for those who came to Him in need (Luke 17:11-19). Let us not be guilty of treating Him the same way. Praising His deeds for us, showing gratitude for His miracles in our life, and accepting His sacrifice for us, will bring Him reverberating blessings and joy.
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for easing Jesus’ suffering when He spent time with you during His prayer time, and His ceaseless prayers throughout the day (Mark 1:35). We are so sorry that our sins caused His suffering and death, but we praise You for giving Him the power to come forth from the tomb as our conquering hero. Thank You for teaching us to consecrate our life to You as Jesus did, and how to keep our focus on Your perfect plans for us each moment of the day.
Remind us not to live for our self, but to make Your will our top priority each day. Help us to discern the ministries for Your Body and our community that You called us to accomplish and to bring You glory through it all (Matthew 5:13-20). You give us spiritual gifts to use to further Your Kingdom on the earth, to love everyone You bring into our life, to genuinely care for our self and others, and to lay down our life as You call us into Your service.
Thoughts for the Day:
We are God’s Church, and if we see a need in our church family, our community, or the world, we are reminded that God may want us to serve in this area rather than expecting someone else to fill the empty spot. As we give Him our entire body, soul, and spirit for His use, we find fulfillment, peace, and joy like nothing life in the world can provide.
- Colossians 3:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:23
