Have You Received?
He Did it For Me, He Did it for You. He Gave. Receive.
Good Friday is upon us. A day of remembrance of why Jesus ultimately came down to earth. Who can truly fathom what it cost Him? Who can truly fathom the depth of love it took for the Father to send His only Son to die so we can be reconciled to Him? He gave Jesus to be crushed so we could live with Him forever. I know sometimes I don’t live in the conscious reality of the mercy, grace, and love that has been bestowed upon me.
I recently read a book that catapulted me into imagining Jesus’ death more personally than ever before. It was from the perspective of the penitent thief on the cross. He talked about being right there next to Jesus on the cross as he watched Jesus suffer in agony. It was Jesus’ blood that shook him to his core. He knew he and the other thief had done wrong and deserved to die, but Jesus did not, He was totally innocent. He listened to Jesus; he watched Jesus. As he watched Jesus’ blood flow, the thief realized it was flowing because of all the wrong that he had done. God Himself was paying the thief’s debt so he could be forgiven. Jesus, God, paid it all.
When Jesus cried out, “Why have you forsaken me?” the thief knew that it was because when the Father looked down, He was seeing him, his own (and our) guilt, and Jesus was being crushed, deserted, and left all alone because of it. It was Jesus being forsaken to carry the burden of the thief’s sins—of all our sins. Luke 23:42 tells us that the penitent thief asks Jesus to remember him when He comes into His kingdom. In the book, the thief then tells that he awoke in Paradise to be with Jesus forever, just as Jesus had promised.
I would like to invite you to envision yourself hanging on your own cross next to Jesus. You are there because of your own sins, and there is nothing you can do to save yourself. You are imperfect, sinful. Now look and see Jesus right there next to you. He is perfect, without sin. His blood you see is being poured out for you. He is rescuing you. He is willingly sacrificing Himself so that you can be with Him forever. Take in that truth. Take in that love. Yes, He gave. Have you received?
When I partake in communion each week, I look at the bread and I think of Jesus’ body, tortured, given for me. And when I look at the juice, it symbolizes His blood that was shed for me. He did it for me. It’s very personal. He did it for you. It’s very personal. You are valued, loved, and wanted. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are redeemed, a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Living out that love of God looks different for each one of us. We are each called to be a light to the world and to live out our faith. God has gifted each of us with certain talents, passions, and abilities. If we truly do live in His love, His redemption, we will shine for Him.
Stephen Ministry here at GPBC is a ministry of love and compassion. We are Jesus to those who are going through a difficult time. If you have been given the gift of presence, of listening, of caring, please consider being part of the next Stephen Ministry training beginning in January 2025. We need more committed people to help serve the hurting in our community.
Sunday is coming!!