Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Grace that Bears our Iniquities 

Bible Reading:  Isaiah 53:4-6

Key Verse 5

 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” 
– Isaiah 53:5

DEVOTION

A sharp crack from a wooden stump ended our Saturday evening cricket game. While a couple of our friends went searching for our ball, which somehow always managed to bury itself in the bushes, the rest of us drifted toward our favorite ice-cream stall. The soft-serve machine worked flawlessly, and we had our cones in hand before the ball hunters returned. We decided to wait. What fun is ice-cream if eaten alone?
The Chennai heat, however, didn't share our sentiment. When our friends finally arrived, they only saw melted, sticky puddles in our syrup-covered hands. They assumed we’d been careless and walked away in disappointment. We stood there, stunned by the irony: they didn’t realize that it was their tardiness that had caused the mess.
Sometimes, we are exactly like those friends. We look at Jesus on the cross and feel pity for a man who endured such suffering.  We are disgusted by the crowds who spat on him. But we forget that it was our sins that nailed Him to the cross.  As Matthew Henry noted, "Our sins were the thorns in Christ’s head, the nails in His hands and feet, the spear in His side." When Christ carried His cross, He bore our private selfishness, quiet greed, and hidden addictions (Romans 5:8).
This Lent, let us look beyond the melted ice-cream. God loved us so much that He sent His Son to bear the weight of our lives (1 Peter 2:21). He invites us now to cast our anxieties upon Him and walk wholly in His righteousness.

 

PRAYER

Dear Lord,
During this season of Lent, open our eyes to the depth of Your love. May we walk in the overwhelming gratitude of all that You have accomplished on the cross. 
Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“We care for no knowledge in the world but this, that man hath sinned, and God hath suffered; that God hath made himself the sin of men, and that men are made the righteousness of God.”
(Richard Hooker, A Learned Discourse of Justification)


Timothy George
St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA

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