BIBLE PASSAGE:
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross,
so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;
“by his wounds you have been healed.”
(1 Peter 2:24)
MEDITATION:
Jesus worked the entire time He walked the earth in human form.
However, the greatest work that Jesus did was not in the carpenter’s shop,
nor even at the marriage feast of Cana where He turned the water into wine.
The greatest work that Jesus did was not when He made the blind to see,
the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, nor even the dead to rise.
The greatest work that Jesus did was not when He taught as One having authority,
or when He scathingly denounced the Pharisees for their hypocrisy.
The greatest work that Jesus did was not in the great ethical program He presented
to mankind – the program which has become the foundation for Western culture.
Even though all of these work were amazing, His greatest work
was achieved in those three dark hours on Calvary.
Christ’s greatest work was His unselfishly dying for us.
Let that permeate your mind for a while.
Some say they want to be more like Jesus, but are not willing to live
an unselfish life which is caring and sensitive to the needs of others.
Many are unwilling to set aside something they really want to do
(which may, or may not be displeasing to the Lord),
in order to give Jesus top priority in their lives.
Jesus set the standard for His followers.
He respected and honored the Sabbath, and spent time in the synagogues.
Jesus told His followers then (and us now) how we can know if we are
truly following the examples of our leader…the One we worship.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save
their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
(Matthew 16:24-25)
ACTION:
Jesus has told us that if we are His true disciples, then we will deny ourselves.
That means we will give Him priority
over the things that try to lure us away from Him.
We cannot be partial followers of Christ
any more than a woman can be partially pregnant.
Either we are followers of Him, or we are not.
It we mimic His ways then we will
become unselfish and care about others in a new way.
When is the last time you have sacrificed a desire in order to worship the Lord?
When is the last time you have made a special effort to encourage someone else?
When is the last time you have made a special effort to do something
for someone who never expected it, and you did not want anything in return?
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to show us how to live
as followers of Christ. Forgive me for the times I have failed to give You
top priority in my life, and especially on the Sabbath which you have said
should be a day for worship with other believers. Help me to reduce my
selfishness as I increase my selflessness. Guide me in my efforts to minister
to, and encourage others. Teach me how to become more like the One I am
following.”
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