Daily Devotion: April 10
Happy Good Friday!
It’s FRIDAY BY THE WAY! And this is the day that we Christians celebrate all over the world as the day that our God, our Savior, our Hero Jesus died on a cross.
I say “celebrate” because regardless of how brutal and senseless the death of Jesus was it was also necessary and planned before the foundation of the world. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.
It is a somber celebration because we are aware of the truth that were it not for our guilt, Jesus would not have needed to die. And yet the Bible tells us that Jesus was willing to die for the joy set before Him. The joy of you and me being in a relationship with Him, having our sins forgiven and having the hope of heaven.
John 19:28 Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
What was finished and why would Jesus use the little bit of energy He had left to speak those words out loud?
The Bible tells us that we have all fallen short of God’s perfection. So we are either condemned to death or God would have to provide a way. And that is exactly what He has done.
Before the world was even created, God determined to offer His perfect life for ours. About 2000 years ago that is exactly what Jesus did when He died on a cross.
God planned it before the world was formed.
God spoke it before it ever happened.
God worked all of human history to make it so.
Then Jesus became One of us.
Then Jesus died for all of us.
And now whoever puts their faith in Him will have eternal life.
It is finished: Everything necessary for you and me to have a relationship with God, to have our sins forgiven and the hope of heaven is accomplished.
So why did Jesus use the little bit of strength He had left to say these words? The Bible doesn’t say, but knowing the heart of God I’ll make this guess. It was worth it to Jesus to use the little energy He had left to proclaim that salvation to the whole world was possible.
I imagine in the midst of all the horror of the cross and carrying the weight of the sins of the world, Jesus relished the moment to shout out- “It is finished.”
I hope you have a GREAT good Friday!
Please join us online at 6:30pm for a bilingual Good Friday service. We will be streaming live on all of our platforms!
FOR YOUR KIDS
Explaining Sin and Salvation
Supplies needed: Two mats (or construction paper or throw pillows); a large room with enough space for your children to jump around.
Place the two mats on the floor (or use pieces of paper, or pillows.) Choose one mat to represent people and another to represent God. Have your children stand on the "people mat" and leave the "God mat" open. As you talk about how people were created to be close to God, move the God mat close so your children can easily step back and forth between the two mats.
When you mention sin and our separation from God, move the God mat far enough away that your child can’t jump to it, representing our inability to fix what sin did to our relationship with God. To illustrate how Jesus’ death and resurrection paid the penalty for our sin, create a "bridge" between the two mats using pillows or paper and let your children walk freely across.
It’s FRIDAY BY THE WAY! And this is the day that we Christians celebrate all over the world as the day that our God, our Savior, our Hero Jesus died on a cross.
I say “celebrate” because regardless of how brutal and senseless the death of Jesus was it was also necessary and planned before the foundation of the world. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.
It is a somber celebration because we are aware of the truth that were it not for our guilt, Jesus would not have needed to die. And yet the Bible tells us that Jesus was willing to die for the joy set before Him. The joy of you and me being in a relationship with Him, having our sins forgiven and having the hope of heaven.
John 19:28 Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
What was finished and why would Jesus use the little bit of energy He had left to speak those words out loud?
The Bible tells us that we have all fallen short of God’s perfection. So we are either condemned to death or God would have to provide a way. And that is exactly what He has done.
Before the world was even created, God determined to offer His perfect life for ours. About 2000 years ago that is exactly what Jesus did when He died on a cross.
God planned it before the world was formed.
God spoke it before it ever happened.
God worked all of human history to make it so.
Then Jesus became One of us.
Then Jesus died for all of us.
And now whoever puts their faith in Him will have eternal life.
It is finished: Everything necessary for you and me to have a relationship with God, to have our sins forgiven and the hope of heaven is accomplished.
So why did Jesus use the little bit of strength He had left to say these words? The Bible doesn’t say, but knowing the heart of God I’ll make this guess. It was worth it to Jesus to use the little energy He had left to proclaim that salvation to the whole world was possible.
I imagine in the midst of all the horror of the cross and carrying the weight of the sins of the world, Jesus relished the moment to shout out- “It is finished.”
I hope you have a GREAT good Friday!
Please join us online at 6:30pm for a bilingual Good Friday service. We will be streaming live on all of our platforms!
FOR YOUR KIDS
Explaining Sin and Salvation
Supplies needed: Two mats (or construction paper or throw pillows); a large room with enough space for your children to jump around.
Place the two mats on the floor (or use pieces of paper, or pillows.) Choose one mat to represent people and another to represent God. Have your children stand on the "people mat" and leave the "God mat" open. As you talk about how people were created to be close to God, move the God mat close so your children can easily step back and forth between the two mats.
When you mention sin and our separation from God, move the God mat far enough away that your child can’t jump to it, representing our inability to fix what sin did to our relationship with God. To illustrate how Jesus’ death and resurrection paid the penalty for our sin, create a "bridge" between the two mats using pillows or paper and let your children walk freely across.
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