(Although I wrote this post last Good Friday, I believe it is a great reminder for every Good Friday, so I've re-posted it at the top of my blog. Wishing everyone a VERY Happy Easter... May you focus on what this Holiday is truly about!)
Good Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday. On this day, Christians commemorate the passion, or suffering, and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Many Christians spend this day in fasting, prayer, repentance, and meditation on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross.
The biblical account of Jesus' death on the cross, or crucifixion, his burial and his resurrection, or rising from the dead, can be found in the following passages of Scripture: Matthew 27:27-28:8; Mark 15:16-16:19; Luke 23:26-24:35; and John 19:16-20:30.
Photo I took of the Sagemont Church Cross
Today is Good Friday. If you read the account of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in the passages above, each of the gospels will tell a slightly different account of what happened that day. However, the core details are the same.
He was innocent. He was mocked. He was beaten. He wore a Crown of Thorns. He was nailed to the cross. His mother was there. He died. He was buried and He WAS raised from the dead.
There were many who believed that soldiers had removed Jesus' body from the tomb and there was no resurrection, UNTIL they saw for themselves the undeniable scars. His nail scarred hands and feet. Those scars represent redemption and they represent forgiveness. Those scars represent the love for mankind that our Heavenly Father and His Son bestow upon us. In His complete restoration, the nail scars and the scar in His side were left intact.
I see my resurrected Savior without the dirt and mud covering His body, without the dried blood matted hair, and without parts of the whip left in His back. However, I see the scars and although the jagged scars on his back may be gruesome to some. To me, it is a reminder of the love he showed that day. A mark of magnificence.
Do our scars mean the same thing?
I have had self-inflicted wounds from insecurity and little belief in my self worth. These wounds that are more than fleshly wounds. They are wounds left from hurtful criticism and every.single.one of those wounds has left a scar. Unless I forbid the enemy to use them against me, those scars will continue to ridicule and haunt me.
Choose to see your scars as a representation of redemption not only today, but everyday. They represent forgiveness. They represent a love for us that only our Heavenly Father and His Son can bestow upon us.
Dear Lord, may we realize afresh today what Your death and resurrection mean for us. Forgiveness … Freedom … and the ability to walk with You through this fallen world into eternity. May we always find our satisfaction in You and Your willingness to offer Yourself to us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Many Christians spend this day in fasting, prayer, repentance, and meditation on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross.
The biblical account of Jesus' death on the cross, or crucifixion, his burial and his resurrection, or rising from the dead, can be found in the following passages of Scripture: Matthew 27:27-28:8; Mark 15:16-16:19; Luke 23:26-24:35; and John 19:16-20:30.
Photo I took of the Sagemont Church Cross
Today is Good Friday. If you read the account of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in the passages above, each of the gospels will tell a slightly different account of what happened that day. However, the core details are the same.
He was innocent. He was mocked. He was beaten. He wore a Crown of Thorns. He was nailed to the cross. His mother was there. He died. He was buried and He WAS raised from the dead.
There were many who believed that soldiers had removed Jesus' body from the tomb and there was no resurrection, UNTIL they saw for themselves the undeniable scars. His nail scarred hands and feet. Those scars represent redemption and they represent forgiveness. Those scars represent the love for mankind that our Heavenly Father and His Son bestow upon us. In His complete restoration, the nail scars and the scar in His side were left intact.
I see my resurrected Savior without the dirt and mud covering His body, without the dried blood matted hair, and without parts of the whip left in His back. However, I see the scars and although the jagged scars on his back may be gruesome to some. To me, it is a reminder of the love he showed that day. A mark of magnificence.
Do our scars mean the same thing?
I have had self-inflicted wounds from insecurity and little belief in my self worth. These wounds that are more than fleshly wounds. They are wounds left from hurtful criticism and every.single.one of those wounds has left a scar. Unless I forbid the enemy to use them against me, those scars will continue to ridicule and haunt me.
Choose to see your scars as a representation of redemption not only today, but everyday. They represent forgiveness. They represent a love for us that only our Heavenly Father and His Son can bestow upon us.
Dear Lord, may we realize afresh today what Your death and resurrection mean for us. Forgiveness … Freedom … and the ability to walk with You through this fallen world into eternity. May we always find our satisfaction in You and Your willingness to offer Yourself to us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Have a GREAT Good Friday!
*Tiffany
