The Cross
“But He was pierced for our transgessions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted yet he did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers in silent, so he did not open His mouth…” Isaiah 53:5-7
The weight of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the cross has really hit me hard this Easter season. Every other Easter season it’s kind of been a “Oh yea, this is the time of year where I celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to have a relationship with God.” I’ve understood it on the surface, but I haven’t really ever gotten it any deeper than that, which breaks my heart, but thank goodness God NEVER gives up on His children.
So obviously, God has really rocked my world this past school year, in unbelievable and indescribable ways. He’s so huge, and is unable to be anything but perfect. His plan is amazing, and I’ve learned the second you commit to walking FAITHFULLY in His will, He will bless the mess out of you. (I just rhymed..awesome.) anyways, so I read Isaiah 53 during my quiet time the other day and tears just started running down my face. It hit me…the weight of the cross finally hit me. I think I have never thought about the way that God is so big (Creator of the UNIVERSE) and He could have stepped in at any moment and said “ya know what, I love these people, but I already know that they are going to screw up, turn their backs on me, deny me, deny my love…why am I following through with this? Why am I sacrificing my one and only Son so that I can have a relationship with these broken people?” That’s just it…we’re broken, and He knew we needed the cross to be the connector between Him and us, His children. and He loved us THAT MUCH to allow His Son to be beaten, mocked, cursed at, to wear a crown of thorns on His head, hang naked ona cross in front of anyone He never knew–so that He can LOVE US
“Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear,
I count it all as lost
Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross!
You were as I
Tempted and trialed
Human…The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now You’re risen!”
–Lead Me to the Cross by Hillsong.
I pray for each of you–that the weight of the cross, the weight of the sacrifice that God made for YOU and me..to have a personal, loving, intimate, unbelieveably exciting relationship with us..would hit you SO HARD this Easter that You would only be able to fall on your faces with tears in your eyes in recognition of what He has done for us!!
“God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.” -Colossians 1:13-14
