Today (Good Friday) is when Christians celebrate / mourn the death of Jesus Christ. I say celebrate because through His death, we are given the gift of life. I say mourn because of the great sacrifice He made for us. He was perfect--the only sinless person that has ever lived.
How did we repay Him for His love? He died the worst death--He was beaten, made to drag a crucifix up a hill, and then nailed to that crucifix where He died after struggling for hours fighting asphyxiation. At an InterVarsity retreat I went to, we were told about Christ's life and death. We were told what it was like to die on a cross. You have to fight for every breath, for your body is so heavy on your arms that your lungs aren't able to expand. He died a horrible, humiliating death because He loved us so much. He knew what He was up against; He knew what would happen to Him. Yet, He still served us, loved us, and followed the will of His Father.
I wish I had that type of conviction. Every day of my life, I know there are things that God wants me to do that I don't. None of these things--none even come close--to the sacrifice Christ made for us all... so that we can have life! So that we may have hope of a better place... so that our lives here and now can have meaning... and so we can truly know what love is all about. God is love. He wants us to know Him and He wants us to know real love. Open your heart to Him; He'll meet you where you're at--wherever that might be--He'll meet you there and He'll give you something better. This life, this new life, this is worth living for, this is worth all the suffering, toil, and heartbreak Satan can throw at you.
Thank you Jesus. Thank you for your wonderful gift of life. Thank you for showing us what it means to love and to live. Thank you for your sacrifice, your service, and your love. Thank you for dying so that we may have life.
