Prayer-Soldier Newbie
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 12:16 pm Post subject: The One Who Sacrificed for All |
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The One Who Sacrificed for All
Scripture:
And I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of prayers: and they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced: and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they shall grieve over him, as the manner is to grieve for the death of the firstborn. In that day there shall be a great lamentation in Jerusalem like the lamentation of Adadremmon in the plain of Mageddon.
In that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: for the washing of the sinner, and of the unclean woman. (Zecharia 12:10-11, 13:1)
For you are all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek: there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then are you the seed of Abraham, heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)
And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples also were with him: and he asked them, saying: Whom do the people say that I am? But they answered and said: John the Baptist; but some say Elias: and others say that one of the former prophets is risen again. And he said to them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answering, said: The Christ of God. But he strictly charging them, commanded they should tell this to no man. Saying: The Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the ancients and chief priests and scribes and be killed and the third day rise again. And he said to all: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: for he that shall lose his life for my sake shall save it. (Luke 9:18-24)
Reflection:
There is one who died for the salvation of all. What He asked in return was that those for which He was set as sacrifice should believe in Him. And so, from that day, many souls turn to Him, believe in Him, and love Him. Many mourned as He perished, yet they did not lose faith. For a time, they hid in fear; for moments they may have doubted, but they loved Him still and believed in what He taught.
The hearts of those who mourned turned to joy, for on the third day He rose again from the dead. He visited for a time with those who believed and loved, then, He rose to sit at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, maker of all creation. (Mark 16:19, Luke 24:1-50, Acts 6:11) In those moments, the Son of God demonstrated the power to conquer death and that He was the way to the Father. He became the fountain, open to all who believe in Him, by which the sinner and stained of heart might be cleansed. It is by the blood of the Lamb, soiled souls are washed so they may be prepared to enter unto His kingdom with white robes and clean hearts. (Revelation 7:14)
The good news is that He loves all His children. All have a place within His plan. All may have a place within His kingdom. God has created talents within each person, not so one may be above another, but so that together, all may share in the blessings of belonging to His body, the body of Christ. Through love of Him and one another, as He commands, the children of His creation may rejoice and prepare for the day He will bring them into His kingdom.
Those who witnessed were of different understandings as to what they observed, but they all knew that the One who walked among them; the One who healed, not just the body, but also the soul; was of God. It was Simon, the one who Jesus named Peter, who observed that Jesus was truly the Son of God.
Some will stand to tell us that the account of these events is a deception, that Jesus is not the Son of the Father. Some would tell us that Jesus did not rise to conquer death or that He is not the cornerstone of the church which Jesus built upon Peter. (Matthew 16:18-19) It is sad for those who do not see, yet, for every child of His creation, there is hope, for from upon the cross, the Son of God did not sacrifice for the few, but for all who profess their belief in Him.
So the generations might know the truth, He sent His disciples to baptize the nations in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19) If we are in doubt, so that we may be reminded of all which He has taught, He sent us the Holy Spirit. (John 14:26, Acts 6: For this reason, if we are faced with those who seek to confuse and deceive us, we may examine them according to His scripture. (Matthew 7:15-20, 1 John 2:22-23, 1 John 4:1-4) His disciples are not known by the hate they espouse or their violence, but by the love they share in deed and truth. (John 13:34-35, 1 John 3:1
One might take pause and consider, what does it mean to take up our cross to follow Him? (Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23) From upon the cross, Jesus demonstrated to us what is possible for the heart filled with love. He suffered and gave His very life to demonstrate He has the power to conquer death. In that moment, He purchased an opportunity for all sinful souls. The opportunity is taken by belief in Him; and if one truly believes, they shall seek to live according to His Word.
Within His Word, we are called to love and endure persecution and sacrifice. (Matthew 5:10-12, Mark 13:9-13) One might take pause at what suffering and persecution might bring, but love, freely given, builds strength through which we may weather the storms before us. It is by seeking His love and sharing of it freely, we are able to take upon the challenges of the cross. The one who chooses to follow Him and prays that He will grant them wisdom, courage and strength, from which to endure all challenges and suffering, will not be denied. They will find that as they pick up their daily cross, they will have the strength to accomplish, for He will walk with them. (Mark 11:28-30)
In prayer, let us ask Him to lead us. In works, let us follow His commandments to love, for it is through love that we receive life; for without love, there is only death. (1 John 3:11-14, 23) Let His works be seen through us, for what we profess means little if we do not seek to demonstrate His Word through our deeds. (Matthew 7:24-27) Indeed, how will He know us if we speak the light, but imitate the darkness? As we share the love He freely pours out to us, we share the blessings of His instruction to the generations. (John 13:34, 1 John 2:1-11)
May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier
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