Day 33
Today’s passages
John 3:16, 1 John 4:10, 2 Corinthians 5:21
Experience
The cross. You can barely go a few minutes without seeing one on a tombstone, on a church steeple, hanging from a chain around someone’s neck, tattooed on someone’s arm. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity, because Christ’s sacrifice for us came down to that one moment. But it’s a strange symbol, if you think about it. The cross is literally a tool of torture. Would we wear little electric chairs around our necks? Or frame a picture of a hangman’s noose? No! The difference for us as Christians is that although the cross signifies death, it signifies life even more.
God chose to forgive all of His children through one gigantic sacrifice, that of His only Son Jesus. Jesus showed us how to behave, have morals, and love people, but Jesus really showed us life when He died. With the death of Jesus, we as Christians get to experience the love and life God has for us. The verse in 2 Corinthians tells us that Christ never sinned, He didn’t deserve any of His punishment, but as we learned yesterday, He willingly took our sins on His back so that we wouldn’t have to pay for it. God, who punishes sin, should release His punishment and wrath on your mistakes. But Jesus took the blow so that doesn’t have to happen. The sin is punished, but you are safe—in the shadow of the cross.
Could you give up your life for someone? Not just lowering your standards so someone could lead a better life, but literally dying for someone. Most of us couldn’t fathom that, especially if we had to do it for a person we didn’t know. Jesus didn’t have names on His list either; He didn’t need to. His list was blank, because His sacrifice wasn’t limited to anyone, it was for everyone. John 3:16 tells us who Jesus loved enough to save…“the world.” Jesus died for humans. All of them. That verse doesn’t say “For God so loved the rich” or “For God so loved the thin” or “For God so loved white, middle-class Americans.” Instead we simply (and happily) read “For God so loved the world…”
Okay, so God loves everyone, but you’d think there’d be a limit to that love, a couple of rules that make or break God’s love for you. But God’s love isn’t exclusive. David the adulterer and murderer never found the limit. Paul the persecutor never found it. Peter the liar never found it. When it came to life, they hit rock bottom. You may have felt that before, too, or you will at some point. But when it came to the love Jesus demonstrated on the cross, they never experienced a limit of God’s love through Jesus, and neither will you.
Back in the days before Jesus was born, the animals people owned were extremely important to them. They were sources of food, currency, and sacrifice. So when God asked the Israelites to sacrifice an animal to act as a payment for their sins, this was no small thing. Once the animal was killed, the blood from the animal was taken and sprinkled on the altar. In God’s eyes, the sprinkled blood covered the sins of the people, and God say only the blood, not the sin. When Jesus died, He was the lamb that was sacrificed to reconnect people to God.
While Jesus was hanging in pain from the cross, all the sin of all people throughout all time was absorbed into Him. When He died, all the sin that separates people from God was taken away.
When His blood splashed to the earth after He was stabbed, God took some of His blood and sprinkled it on an altar in heaven. His blood covers all the sinful acts that will ever be committed by anyone. When God looks at that altar, all He sees is Jesus’ blood. That’s why Jesus has another name: the “Lamb of God.”
Today there is no need for anyone to sacrifice an animal to be reconnected to God. All we need now is to believe and accept that Jesus died so our sin could be taken away. Then we are born again and become citizens of the kingdom of God. If we make the wrong choices after we are born into God’s kingdom, we only need to ask to be forgiven and out sinful actions will be covered with the blood of Jesus.
Because Jesus is the Lamb of God, we can live our lives free from sin and receive forgiveness for our sinful actions. We can be totally connected to God and live our lives as we were meant to – completely alive and filled with all the good things that are ours as citizens of God’s eternal kingdom.
Jesus is the perfect example of what it means to sacrifice. He gave His life to others while He walked the earth, then He gave His life so the world could know God.
Sacrifice is difficult to understand, but it is even harder to practice in your own life. Giving up things that are important to us or that we really care about is never easy. But if we want to live like Jesus and follow His example, we need to be willing to give, even when it hurts.
See if you can think of a way to give something to someone else that will really be a sacrifice for you. Maybe you could sacrifice your time and volunteer to look after your brother or sisters to give your parents a break. Maybe you could sacrifice going somewhere with your friends this weekend and give your time to someone who could use your help. There are many things you could do. Ask Jesus for ideas. After all, He is the expert.
Like I understand what your saying but I don’t get why they wanted you to like scarifice animals I mean yeah there worshiping GOD but like now we wouldnt want to give up our animals so why did they have to. I know that I could give up basketball for maybe um for 4 or 5 days but I mean I really should do something I love and GOD gave me the talent of good playing basketball so shouldn’t I use it! Really I mean would Shon give up his music or his his guitar and burn them and never git it back I mean everyone has an opinon and not all opoins are okay but I really think GOD want’s us to be happy and by doing the right things, I’m not sure if he wants you to stop our lifes to give up basketball or any other sports! MAN IF I HAD A GUITAR SIGNED BY JOHNY CASH I WOULDNT TREAD IT FOR ANYTHING AND I BET SHON’S WITH ME ON THAT!!!!
-HEE HEE Jennifer Stewart B-)
In John 3:16 when he says ” For God so loved the WROLD that he gave his one and only son…” makes my mind go CRAZY!! I mean he didn’t have to say that, but he wanted too. He loves everyone, the sinners, killers, and non-believers. He could of said that he only loves believers, but he didn’t, he said the WHOLE WORLD!! That just shows you how great of a God we have. I am SO greatful for that too. Knowing that someone loves me even when Im a sinner makes me want to jump for joy!
Thanks God, I love you too.