Tag: sacrifice

Joining Jesus in a Lifetime of Obedience

John 4:34
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

Jesus Christ spent every day of His life on earth fueled by the desire to fulfill the work that He had been given by His Father. It was the Father’s will that all of His children could become heirs to His kingdom in heaven. The sacrificial death of Jesus was required for any man or woman to be deemed acceptable to claim the inheritance that the Father had prepared for them. Jesus took on the sin of all men on the Cross by divine decree. It was the reason that He came to earth. He faithfully completed the work that His Father gave Him to do.

His unimaginable accomplishment was crowned by His own words, “It is finished.” Through His perfect life and His atoning death, He glorified the Father and opened the way for all men to become heirs to the kingdom of Almighty God.

With His work complete, Jesus called on His disciples to join Him in fulfilling His Father’s plan for mankind. He warned them that they would suffer many trials in carrying out the Father’s will in their own lives. He explained that each of them would have to pick up their own crosses. He encouraged them by telling them that He was going to provide them with a helper to give them the strength that they would need to bring the salvation plan to all men. As it was with the disciples, Jesus is calling each of us to join Him in a lifetime of obedience to the will of Almighty God.

Let us cling to the Cross – the supernatural bridge that provides the only way to Our Father in heaven. Let us pick up our own crosses to do what is necessary so that we may help the world around us find the way, the truth and the life that is Jesus Christ. Let us be fueled by our desire to do the will of the Father.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son to die on the Cross to atone for our sins. We exalt the name of Jesus who accepted His assignment on earth so that He might glorify Your name and open the way to heaven for all men. We pray, Father, that we may glorify Your name by faithfully completing every good work that You have set aside for us. In the name of Jesus, we ask for the grace to see and the strength to accept the things that You have called us to do so that others may see the way, the truth and the life that is Your Son, Jesus. We ask all these things in the name of the Lamb slain for our sin, Jesus Christ.

What Does John 3:16 Really Mean?

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

While we may be able to recite John 3:16, do we really take the time to examine what this powerful verse means to us? Do we fully understand that God’s immeasurable, inexhaustible, divine love was required to save a sin ravished world. He gave His Son, Jesus, to be the Prophet, the Priest, the King and, most importantly, the Savior for all mankind. This was an unequivocal necessity for our eternal good.

Through His unlimited mercy, Our Heavenly Father provides a plan for each of us to avoid eternal damnation for our sins. His plan is simple. We must submit to Jesus Christ as our teacher, our ruler and Our Savior. Our duty is to proclaim His name. Our benefit is everlasting life in His Kingdom.

Jesus sacrificed His life for us. He is asking us to sacrifice our old lives in exchange for a new life under His stewardship. There is really no sacrifice on our parts. What we receive is eternally greater than what we leave behind – what an awesome offer! Yet many do not accept it.

To further understand the full value of the gift that we have received, we need to understand that we would not make the right choice if it were not for the grace of God. We choose salvation because the Holy Spirit does a work in us that we could not do for ourselves. What a loving, forgiving, merciful God we serve!

As we accept the precious eternal offer from Almighty God, let us exalt the name of His Son, Jesus, who sacrificed everything for us. Let us sacrifice everything for Him so others may know Him and accept His eternal offer of salvation.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing a way for us to escape eternal damnation because of our sins. We thank You for providing Your Son as our sacrificial lamb and as our living, ever present Good Shepherd. We humbly submit to You all that we are and all that we have in the name of Jesus Christ. We pray that the presence of Your Holy Spirit will strengthen us as we walk the pathway of sanctification that You have set aside for us. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will prepare the hearts of those around us to receive Your Son as their Savior. May our changed lives help draw them to Your Son. We ask all these things in the name of Our Holy Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

The Passion of the Treasure Hunters

Matthew 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Every period in history has been marked by people who set out in expectation of finding hidden treasures. All of these treasure hunters have had the same goal. They sought to become suddenly rich. They also shared something else. Their passion to become rich drove them to give up all that they had in order to pursue their treasure.

Like these treasure hunters of times gone by, we would do well to find a passion for seeking the treasure that is the kingdom of heaven. We should be willing to give up all that we have in order to pursue this treasure of unmeasurable worth. Our efforts to attain this treasure must be the most important thing in our lives. We cannot be undecided or unsure about what we are seeking. We will only find the kingdom of heaven if we are desperate and passionate to receive it.

When we recognize Jesus Christ as the Pearl of Great Price, all other things should become worthless to us. As we recognize what Jesus Christ gave up for us, should we not be willing to give up everything for Him? In truth, there is no valuable consideration that can be given up for Him. It is our willingness to part with our sinful nature that provides all the honors, riches and profits of the kingdom of heaven.

Let us surrender all that we are and all that we have to Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us exchange all of the treasures of this world for the unmeasurable treasures of the kingdom of God. May we let our passion for Jesus be the foundation of our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the great treasure that You have set aside for us in heaven. We exalt the name of Jesus Christ, the Pearl of Great Price, who has made it possible for us to live for all eternity in Your kingdom. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will guide us to experience the fullness of Your kingdom here on earth. May the blessings and the lessons that Your Holy Spirit brings to us for our joy and our enlightenment help us to find our passion for Jesus Christ. May we live our lives entirely for the honor and glory of You, Father, Your Son and Your Holy Spirit. We ask all these things in the name of the Treasure of all treasures, Jesus Christ.