Good morning to all my facebook family and friends. This is the day that The Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in if. Our devotion for today is lesson 8:The Cross of Christ: Ephesians 2:16 (That he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby). What a strange phrase! Slaying enmity , putting to death hostility, slaughtering antagonism. But this is the paradox of the cross. By being put to death for us, Christ put to death the hostility that existed between us and God. The point that Paul is making in this particular passage is that Christ has reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to God-- there was no one who did not need Christs peacemaking work on there behalf.. No one, not even the most devout Jew, was at peace with Gods perfect standard. Gods anger, his just wrath, hangs over every human being, demanding punishment for our rebellion against his good law. Simultaneously, humanity, by nature, is opposed to God and to his demands on us. This is the mutual enmity, the cosmic tension, that Paul speaks of. A good God against a sinful world, a sinful world against a good God. This is the enmity which Christ died to slay, to out to death forever. And when enmity is slain, peace is all that is left standing. Because Jesus Christ took our sins upon his own body, on the cross, all hostility is gone and God is now at peace with those whose sins were paid for by Christ. And through the reconciling work of the Holy Spirit we are made to be at peace with God in our hearts. We now embrace his good commands and rejoice in the purity of his Word. While we still continue in sin, the desire of our hearts is now to know and love our Savior and God better, not to run away and avoid him. Does this describe you? Are you at peace with God? -------------------------- Because Jesus carried our sins up to Calvary and hung them on the cross with him, we can now have that peace with God that passeth all understanding.. When we surrender our hearts over to God we will be at peace with him. There is power in the Cross of Christ . Oh to see the pain written on your face. Bearing the awesome weight of sin. Every bitter thought, every evil deed. Crowning your bloodstained brow. Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath quakes as their maker bows his head. Curtain torn in to, dead are raised to lifeFinished the victory cry. This, the lower of the cross, Son of God slain for us, What a love! What a cost! We stand forgiven at the cross. May God bless each one today and as we are approaching Easter Sunday, let us focus on the power of the Cross.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Apr 2014 10:45:54 +0000
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