What's so good about Good Friday?

It sure wasn't a good Friday for Jesus.  He had a crown of thorns forced upon His head, and was scourged with a whip.  He was mercilessly interrogated by the religious leaders and condemned by those He came to save.  He was forced to carry His cross through the streets of Jerusalem after being beaten.  He was nailed to a cross, and His clothes were distributed to uncouth Roman soldiers by a game of chance.  He died a painful and horrible death.

But it was a good Friday for us.  Because Jesus died on the cross, our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life. 

In the Old Testament, animals were sacrificed so sins could be forgiven.  In the book of Genesis, the Lord told Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Issac.  The Lord was testing Abraham's faith, but Abraham obeyed.  As Abraham and Isaac was going to Mount Moriah, Isaac asked where the lamb was for the sacrifice.  Abraham said that the Lord would provide a substitute,  Abraham took Isaac, bound him, and place him on the altar.  As Abraham was about to slay Isaac, the Lord told him no.  He provided a substitute - a ram was caught in the thicket.    The Scripture state that the punishment for sin is death.  Jesus became our substitute when He died on the cross.

Passover is a holiday celebrated by the Jewish people to remember how the Lord delivered Israel from the Egyptians.  A lamb is killed for the Passover meal.  Jesus became the Passover lamb for us when He died on the cross.  His blood was shed so that we would be passed over from the punishment of sin.

I am sorrowful when I meditate on Jesus' death on the cross.  It saddens me that He had to die in such a painful way so that I could be forgiven.  It was because of me - and you - and you too - that He had to die in our place.  Yet Jesus knew that it was His Father's plan before the beginning of the world that He had to die, even though His human side pleaded with God that He wouldn't have to die such a painful death.  When I think about Jesus's death, it makes me want to be more like Him, so that His sacrificial death would not be in vain.  I am ever so grateful that He died for me.

Friend, is Jesus your Savior?  Have you asked Him to forgive your sins and live in your heart?  Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart and is waiting for you to let Him in.  All you have to do is pray a simple prayer, like this:

Jesus, I know I'm a sinner.  I repent of my sins and I ask you to come into my heart and live there forever.  Thank you for dying on the cross to save me from my sins.  Lord, help lead me and guide me for the rest of my days.

Now that you've said that prayer, your life has been changed forever!  You are now a child of God!  Please post a comment and tell me all about it!

That's all for now.  See you next time!

Diane

Prayer - Part 6

Here's another post on prayer. Tonight's verse is James 5:16.

16(a) Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

If our sins are not confessed, our souls grow sick, which can lead to physical sickness as well. Those who suffer from depression often have physical aches and pains as well. Hiding our misdoings can also make us anxious as to when we will be found out. When we confess our sins to each other and everything is out in the open, forgiveness can happen. Praying for those who have sinned either against us or against others is very freeing and is what our Savior wants from us. If we pray for others, they will pray for us in return.

16(b) The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

In order for your prayers to be heard by the Father, you must be righteous - that is, free from sin. We must confess our sins and have them forgiven before we pray for others. This concept connects to the first part of this verse. Once our sins have been confessed and forgiven, earnest prayer is very powerful and wonderful things can result.

In the next post, we'll go back a couple of verses and focus on James 5:13-15. Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane