Grateful for the Suffering of Christ
Monday - November 16th
Day 16: Attitude of Gratitude
Scripture to Read Today: Isaiah 53:3-12
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Isaiah 53:3
Jesus paid a great price to rescue us from our sins and the condemnation of Hell. We could do nothing to save ourselves, so God came to us. God the Son lived among humanity, encased in human flesh. He became sin for us on the cross so that we could be made righteous in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Over the weekend, we celebrated the Lord's Supper (Communion) together in each of our services at Calvary. Some joined us online. Others were able to join us on campus for our Sunday morning services. All of us were able to think about God's love for us. The elements of the Lord's Supper remind us of God's love, mercy, and grace in a simple but profound way.
The unleavened bread symbolizes the sinless Jesus - God in human flesh. The bread reminds us that God came to us. He died, was buried, and was raised for us in bodily form. The juice (or wine) points toward the sacrifice and cost of Christ's suffering for us.
The writer of the Book of Hebrews explains that there can be no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). All of the Old Testament lambs and other sacrifices pointed to the final Lamb who would take away the sins of the world. That Lamb was rejected by His own. According to Isaiah 53:3, that Lamb was despised and rejected. He was "a man of suffering, and familiar with pain."
As we think of the things we are grateful for this month, I am thankful, not just for the work of Christ on the cross, but for the agony, rejection, and extreme pain He endured for me.
Take the time to reread Isaiah 53:3-12 later today. See and sense the suffering about which Isaiah prophesied. Remember, Jesus did all of that so you could be His child - so you could have new life and forgiveness in Him. Thank God throughout the day for the suffering of Christ for you!
As we grasp the agony of Christ on the cross for us, we should thank God for his love for us!