“Remember what God has already done for you. If God never did anything else for you, he would still deserve your continual praise for the rest of your life because of what Jesus did for you on the cross.” – Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life
Oh Lord, how I forget so easily the sacrifice You paid that I might be with You in eternity.
I sit here daily pouring out my prayers to You asking for things, for help, for wisdom, for safety, for comfort, for healing, each time forgetting what You have already done for me. Each time I submit my request without first remembering your suffering that I shall be free, negates Your gift, Your perseverance, Your love, Your hope, Your joy, Your peace, Your confidence, Your comfort, Your heart, Your desire that I might trust you enough with my life as You trusted me with Yours. Lord, You are betting on the fact that by sacrificing Jesus by this ultimate act of love, I or we will finally come to You, having the same desire to be with You forever as you do for us.
Lord, may each time before I pray remember Jesus on the cross.
Unfortunately, I forget the cruel details of the agonizing sacrifice God made on my behalf. Familiarity breeds complacency. Even before His crucifixion, the Son of God was stripped naked, beaten until almost unrecognizable, whipped, scorned and mocked, crowned with thorns, and spit on contemptuously. Abused and ridiculed by heartless men, He was treated worse than an animal. Then, nearly unconscious from blood loss, He was forced to drag a cumbersome cross up a hill, was nailed to it, and was left to die the slow, excruciating torture of death by crucifixion. While His lifeblood drained out, hecklers stood by and shouted insults, making fun of His pain and challenging His claim to be God. Next, as Jesus took all of mankind’s sin and guilt on Himself, God looked away from that ugly sight, and Jesus cried out in total desperation, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus could have saved Himself but then, He could not have saved you!
It wasn’t a surprise to You Lord what was going to happen to You on that day. You knew it as evidenced by Your plea in the garden that this might be taken from You. But knowing there was no other way possible that You could save us from our sins in order that we could be reunited with You forever. You took a deep breath, looked beyond what You were going to have to go through and focused on the goal, took that first step and began walking towards Your brutal death.
For the joy set before You, You endured the cross.
How deeply engrained in You that picture must have been of us being together for eternity, that joy would be the emotion that carried You through until the end. You could see Your resurrection, You could see our faces as You appeared before the disciples. Yet Lord this day, You wish that I not forget that day. That I remind myself the degree that You went to let me know You love me and to not worry today, but to love You and Your people and that everything else will be and was already taken care of.
Lord, I love You so much.
Light of the world you stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You
Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you’re my God
You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
King of all days oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came to the earth You created
All for love’s sake became poor
Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you’re my God
You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
Well, I’ll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
Well, I’ll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
Song written by: Tim Hughes
Just a Thought…
