Tuesday, August 24, 2010
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6
Today, as I was recounting the horror of the Crucifixion to my daughter, I was reminded of our Saviour's love for me. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I told my five year old how much Christ loved those who were mocking, cursing and laughing at Him. She said, "Mom, why are you crying?" "Because Jesus loved us SO MUCH that He stayed took our sin on Himself and suffered just so we could be reconciled to God." My daughter asked me why the people there hated Him so much. That is a good question. Why do they hate Him now?
My daughter asked me another question. "Mom, why didn't Jesus get down from the cross?" That is the same question the scoffers at the foot of Calvary asked. I told her it was because He loved THEM and He loves US so much that He stayed there. If you are born-again, the Crucifixion is a familiar story to you. I must confess that I don't think about it as often as I should. I'm thankful for the Lord allowing me to REMEMBER what He did today! If you know me, you know I'm rotten to the core. I cannot understand why the King of Glory would take MY sin upon Himself, but Hallelujah He did! Imagine if you can, what all our sin must be like to a Holy God! If you are saved, I hope and pray that you will take a moment today to thank Him for doing that for you as well.
By the way, don't forget to thank Him for rising from the dead three days later! Praise Him for being a Living God! He's seated at the right hand of the Father (Heb. 8:1) making intercession for YOU! (Heb. 7:25) Robert Laidlaw said it this way, "Christ once crucified is now our living Saviour. He died to save us from the penalty of sin and now He lives to deliver us from the power of sin."Laidlaw also states, " God, against whom we have sinned, in justice sat upon His judgement throne and passed the heaviest penalty He could – the sentence of death upon the sinner. Then, in mercy, He stepped from His throne and in the person of His Son took the sinner's place, bearing the full penalty Himself, for 2 Corinthians 5:19 tells us that "God was in Christ" – not through Christ but in Christ – "reconciling the world unto Himself".