Good Friday is a metaphor for our lives before Jesus. It was the day 2,000 years ago when the man who so many people put their faith and hope in DIED. The situation looked hopeless, dark and horrifying.
Could this really be it? Is this really how the story is going to end? They thought it would be different this time. They thought there was more.
Have you ever felt this sense of hopelessness? This dark, empty feeling or a sense that nothing you do will ever really change your circumstances? I have. It is a truly scary and painful place to be. It's a reality that many people experience. But the good news is, life DOESN'T have to be that way. Because after Good Friday came Easter Sunday.
Jesus ROSE! Jesus paid the ultimate price for YOU, a sinner. He came to save those who could never begin to earn their way to heaven. He came for the lost, the lonely, and the hopeless and He gave us HOPE. He did NOT have to do this. He CHOSE to sacrifice his life for us.
THAT is the truth. And when you really accept and BELIEVE that truth, it can't help but transform your life. You will see things differently, experience things differently, and ultimately live your life in a different way. But it depends on YOU. Are you going to accept His gift? Are you going to offer Him YOUR life? There is a two-fold truth in Jesus's sacrifice. HE made a choice, and WE ALSO have to make a choice about whether or not we are going to walk with Him and accept His direction during our time here on earth.
SPOILER ALERT: Your life will become infinitely richer when you do make that choice to surrender to His direction. When you say those words, "Not my will but YOURS be done Jesus," you will experience life the way you were created to experience it. This is a DAILY decision, a moment-by-moment decision: Not mine, but YOUR will be done Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus, for your unfathomable sacrifice for ALL of us. May we each lean on you and trust you and REST in the TRUTH of your sacrifice. Amen.
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