I was going through my notes and came across something amazing that my pastor shared in his sermon last summer. He said, “Jesus was held on the cross by the cords of love, for His Father and for us”. I like this way better than, “He was held on the cross by our sin”. I think both are accurate. The second makes me repentant but the first makes me grateful beyond measure. Grateful that he would love me so much.
This got me thinking, would I die the way Jesus died to save me? I do not think my life is as precious to me as to God. I cannot answer that, this is an age-old question beautifully articulated in the hymn, “How deep the Father’s love”, especially in the lines,
"Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart –
His wounds have paid my ransom."
Our doors to eternal life were closed, we were lost, we had no hope and there came our Messiah and swooped us out of the deathly grip of evil. He set us up for a lifetime of peace and purity. Such an amazing love story.
‘But he was pierced for our transgressions,
-Isaiah 53:5
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.’
Like a good parent, God proactively saved us from a ton of misery. There would have been no way out. He thought this through and saved us from eternal grief.
‘8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.‘
-Romans 5:8
Most of us are well aware of this fact. Why am I bringing this up today? Just because it has to overwhelm us time and again that we are loved so very much. Let it not get stale, let our hearts always rejoice in the knowledge that we are loved. You are loved deeply by the God who made everything around you and you. Can there be anything more powerful in this world to take you through life?
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me to death. I am not worthy of such a humungous sacrifice but if I am precious to You, then I will do everything in my power to respect and treat everything you love with utmost regard. May my existence bring You glory. Amen.