Have you taken to heart Jesus’ physically painful statements made upon the cross?
12 Jun 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
Ezra 1
Ezra 2
John 19:23-42
It is finished (John 19:30).
Have you taken to heart Jesus’ physically painful statements made upon the cross?
Perhaps you’ve heard the last seven statements of Jesus from the cross preached at a Good Friday service. His last words uttered upon the cross are excruciatingly painful to speak because the physical movement to draw air would aggravate His afflictions. Yet an obedient Jesus to the Father’s will cries out, “It is finished.” The single Greek term is found on tax bills paid in Jesus’ day and carries the notion of being paid in full. John writes that the Lord satisfies the wrath of God (called “propitiation”) through the shedding of His blood and pays the penalty for the sin of mankind through His offering. He pens, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
Employment Point: Believe in Jesus, whose death pays the full price for your sin.
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Reflections
Indeed we would not have been able to start anything afresh if not for His sacrifice of blood for us. It was because He was willing to obey and willing to be the sacrificial lamb, that all our sins were atoned for.
“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:”Ezra 1:1 NIV
- When we thought there is no way out, the Lord opens doors. This time through a king that is neither from Israel or Judah but from Persia, to lead His people back to Jerusalem. Let us not underestimate our Lord God who has the ability to move hearts and change the whole atmosphere. Do not say that who and who is always like that and yet forgotten we have a Lord who has the ability to change a person and their hearts
“The whole company numbered 42,360, besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 200 male and female singers. They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.”Ezra 2:64-67 NIV
- the total number of people who returned including slaves, singers and animals are more than enough to rebuild families yet in a land that ought to be most familiar with.
“These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.””
John 19:36-37 NIV
- They indeed do not have to break his bones for Jesus had already exhibit the signs of death. Medically speaking when he thirsts, it was a sign of hypovolemic shock and happens when the body lost more than 20 percent of the body and blood supply, leading to an insufficient of circulatory volume in order to efficient pump the heart and circulate it to the organs. This will lead to organ failure. The body actively tries to signal the need to replace lost fluids and restore critical blood pressure. When they pierce him with both blood and water gushes out, that is also a sign that he is already dead.
“He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.”John 19:39 NIV
- An irony cos Nicodemus is also one of the Jewish leaders but the one thing different about him, was that he is a devout follower of Jesus and his teachings. The amount of myrrh and aloe he brings is about 30+ kg.. not something like that one would want to carry. It would have to be someone whom he cared enough to do this.
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Getting There (2)
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
June 12
They said to Him, “Rabbi…where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” —John 1:38-39
Where our self-interest sleeps and the real interest is awakened. “They…remained with Him that day….” That is about all some of us ever do. We stay with Him a short time, only to wake up to our own realities of life. Our self-interest rises up and our abiding with Him is past. Yet there is no circumstance of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus.
“You are Simon….You shall be called Cephas” (John 1:42). God writes our new name only on those places in our lives where He has erased our pride, self-sufficiency, and self-interest. Some of us have our new name written only in certain spots, like spiritual measles. And in those areas of our lives we look all right. When we are in our best spiritual mood, you would think we were the highest quality saints. But don’t dare look at us when we are not in that mood. A true disciple is one who has his new name written all over him— self-interest, pride, and self-sufficiency have been completely erased.
Pride is the sin of making “self” our god. And some of us today do this, not like the Pharisee, but like the tax collector (see Luke 18:9-14). For you to say, “Oh, I’m no saint,” is acceptable by human standards of pride, but it is unconscious blasphemy against God. You defy God to make you a saint, as if to say, “I am too weak and hopeless and outside the reach of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.” Why aren’t you a saint? It is either that you do not want to be a saint, or that you do not believe that God can make you into one. You say it would be all right if God saved you and took you straight to heaven. That is exactly what He will do! And not only do we make our home with Him, but Jesus said of His Father and Himself, “…We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). Put no conditions on your life— let Jesus be everything to you, and He will take you home with Him not only for a day, but for eternity.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray.
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Reflections
Following Christ means that we have to surrender ourselves to Him and His will. The most prominent thing in us will be removed. That is pride, self-sufficiency, and self-interest. Because all these things are things that stumble our faith and our walk with Him.
We will find it hard to follow Him when we allow pride to overtake our lives. Whoever is prideful is not a good witness as His child. How is it we tell others that we are a child of God and is filled with pride? You know these two things don’t gel and cannot make sense. Living the risen life, we will be convicted by the Holy Spirit to humble ourselves. To always choose humility over pride. For indeed also, pride comes before a fall and the Lord will not be pleased.
A sense of self-sufficiency tells others that we don’t need anything. It has high reliance on self, our own resources, our skills, etc. However, Jesus preached the exact opposite. To rely fully on Him and nothing else.. He wanted us to all live within a community or a body of Christ. None of us are meant to live in silos.
Self-interest may be rather self-explanatory. It clashes directly with His core principle of love. Loving God and loving others. It would be impossible to love others if we are focused on self-interest. Jesus wants us to culminate a life that is giving, sacrificial and full of love.
May we all be able to give up all that belongs to us and receive all that belongs to Christ.
Let’s pray:
Lord, help us to be fully aligned with You. To seek Your Will and to trust Your leading. Help us Father to put away everything that is of us and receive more that is of You. Help us to live the risen life that You have called us to. In Jesus’s name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻
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