"S:Isaiah 53:3 (NIV) 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. " O: 1)Christ was despised and rejected. I've been rejected, and left out a lot, but never been despised. I cannot imagine how much that would hurt, even from the time of being a baby. 2) A man of sorrows. If he was God, he must have detested sin as much as God. How uncomfortable and sad he must have felt, all the time. 3) Familiar with suffering. Just because you suffer a lot, I don't think you ever get used to it. He suffered at every turn. 4) We esteemed him not. Everyone longs to be looked up to in at least one area. He was God himself, and yet was not looked up to by the majority of people. Even his own family. Even the religious leaders. Ouch. 5) He was pierced for my sins. When he was pierced, and totally crushed, that marked the end (of his 33 years on earth). Christ paid the highest price that any human can pay, but also in addition there was the spiritual element. The sorrows he carried for us, as well as our sin, as well as being separated from God for the first and last time. The spiritual toll must have been infinite.
A: I sometimes think I've sacrificed a lot to follow Jesus. How juvenile. How self-centered. People have sacrificed this much for their careers, or husbands, or false religions and thought nothing of it. I need to thank Jesus today for the infinite price he paid by living on earth for 33 years and suffering and dying for our sins. P: Lord, I bow before you at the foot of the cross. I gaze into your peaceful, sinless eyes. I recognize that you gave up so many Godly attributes (omnipresence, face to face presence with God, the splendor of heaven, the holy atmosphere of heaven (versus the sin dominated world). You came to earth to live among us. Not even as a learned rabbi, or a rich ruler, but as a lower class, lower educated carpenter. You weren't even that accepted by your brothers. I'm sure you never fit in wherever you were, you were lonely, and probably didn't have a lot of friends. Lord, you saw sin first hand in people's lives and saw the Devil winning victory after victory in people's lives and that must have caused you pain. You saw the 12 continually not reaching the standards of discipleship, even right up until the end, and you saw the crowds selfish motives, that must have been so discouraging. Who did you share your heart with beside God? Who could possibly understand your inner thoughts? Lord, your struggle in the Wilderness and Gethsemane must have taken all your strength. The torture you endured, you had never endured before. You chose to limit hour divine powers to eliminate pain or death, which in itself would be a struggle. Lord, it cost you so much, and yet, like a lamb to the slaughter you went. You had a choice, and chose to die for me. Lord, Thank you for the cross. Thank you for the resurrection. Thank you for the 33 years of living here among us. I love you Jesus. Amen
"S:Isaiah 53:3 (NIV)
ReplyDelete3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. "
O: 1)Christ was despised and rejected. I've been rejected, and left out a lot, but never been despised. I cannot imagine how much that would hurt, even from the time of being a baby. 2) A man of sorrows. If he was God, he must have detested sin as much as God. How uncomfortable and sad he must have felt, all the time. 3) Familiar with suffering. Just because you suffer a lot, I don't think you ever get used to it. He suffered at every turn. 4) We esteemed him not. Everyone longs to be looked up to in at least one area. He was God himself, and yet was not looked up to by the majority of people. Even his own family. Even the religious leaders. Ouch. 5) He was pierced for my sins. When he was pierced, and totally crushed, that marked the end (of his 33 years on earth). Christ paid the highest price that any human can pay, but also in addition there was the spiritual element. The sorrows he carried for us, as well as our sin, as well as being separated from God for the first and last time. The spiritual toll must have been infinite.
A: I sometimes think I've sacrificed a lot to follow Jesus. How juvenile. How self-centered. People have sacrificed this much for their careers, or husbands, or false religions and thought nothing of it. I need to thank Jesus today for the infinite price he paid by living on earth for 33 years and suffering and dying for our sins.
P: Lord, I bow before you at the foot of the cross. I gaze into your peaceful, sinless eyes. I recognize that you gave up so many Godly attributes (omnipresence, face to face presence with God, the splendor of heaven, the holy atmosphere of heaven (versus the sin dominated world). You came to earth to live among us. Not even as a learned rabbi, or a rich ruler, but as a lower class, lower educated carpenter. You weren't even that accepted by your brothers. I'm sure you never fit in wherever you were, you were lonely, and probably didn't have a lot of friends. Lord, you saw sin first hand in people's lives and saw the Devil winning victory after victory in people's lives and that must have caused you pain. You saw the 12 continually not reaching the standards of discipleship, even right up until the end, and you saw the crowds selfish motives, that must have been so discouraging. Who did you share your heart with beside God? Who could possibly understand your inner thoughts? Lord, your struggle in the Wilderness and Gethsemane must have taken all your strength. The torture you endured, you had never endured before. You chose to limit hour divine powers to eliminate pain or death, which in itself would be a struggle. Lord, it cost you so much, and yet, like a lamb to the slaughter you went. You had a choice, and chose to die for me. Lord, Thank you for the cross. Thank you for the resurrection. Thank you for the 33 years of living here among us. I love you Jesus. Amen