Good Friday Reflection

As Good Friday draws nearer and nearer, I'm trying to constantly remind myself of the sacrifice our LORD Jesus made. I mean, I tried lent and all, but I'm a failure at that and though it's brought me closer to GOD in that I have more time to praise/worship/devo, it's the things that come up that constantly remind me how much pain and suffering He went through out of love. It most definitely was not an easy path to the cross and I feel the pain whenever I think of it.

One thing that struck me was that Jesus triumphantly rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and a week later He was condemned as a criminal and forced to walk to His death as one. It took less than a week for the Jews to change their minds and how long does it take us to make that one decision to say no to prayer or not to devos? Or how often do we ignore GOD's pleas with us to turn around and refocus on Him when we lose our focus? That's what contributed to the stripes He bore and the lashes He took on His body. The walk was not easy and the taunting was not easy, He was hated, despised and spat upon.

Often I ask myself HOW COULD THESE JEWS CRUCIFY SOMEONE WHO SHOWED SIGNS AND MIRACLES AND WAS SO OBVIOUSLY THE MESSIAH? Like as Jesus said in the Bible, I see the splinter in their eyes and not the log in my eye. Whenever I get angry, whenever I talk without thinking, whenever I put someone down, whenever I take glory for myself or whenever I think of thoughts that don't glorify the LORD, I condemn Him OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I WHIP HIM OVER AND OVER AGAIN. But Father, I know you love me and I know you love me so much! I can never repay you for your sacrifice! As Good Friday nears, I have one of my favourite verses to share.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

It's because of His death that we now live.