Whole

He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet, it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

—Isaiah 53:3-5 (NLT)

Even though despised and mocked, Jesus loved us all the way to the Cross. Even though we turned our backs and looked the other way, He struggled on. He had unconditional love, and we did not care. His reason was us, and we looked the other way. Yet—no matter how ugly we were and how we treated Him, it did not matter. He knew what He had to do and how beautiful we were going to be. His Grace would change everything.

Do we get the fact that His Grace changed everything, or do we still live defeated lives? Jesus carried our weaknesses to the Cross so we can have His strength. Where we are weak in the flesh, He is strong in our spirits. We have the gift of His power to live courageously through difficult circumstances, and we have His ability to see beyond the natural into the supernatural realm of His Truth. Jesus carried our sorrow and pain to be crucified so we can live in constant peace in this world that offers no lasting peace.

Jesus was punished for our sins, so we don't have to receive punishment. But how often do we live in guilt and shame instead of His freedom? His punishment was not for His own sin. He had none. His punishment was for ours. We no longer have a debt to pay. But how often do we live indebted lives believing that we are not good enough—not worthy? He wiped our debt clean by being "pierced for our rebellion and crushed for our sins."

Beaten so we can be whole—whipped so we can be healed, Jesus died to heal us. Not just partially heal us, but completely heal us. He purchased our healing of spirit, soul, and body. Everything we were before died on the Cross with Him. Everything we are in Him now rose victoriously with Him from the grave.

You are healed! Do you know it? You are free of sin's condemnation! Are you aware? All the powerful resources that our precious Savior purchased are yours! Believe in Him and you are saved, Paul said. Believe in Him! Believe in the new life He has purchased for you on Calvary! We live far beneath the gift of His precious life. 

Jesus spoke in parables to the people who followed Him. He quoted from Isaiah: "For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them" (Matthew 13:15, NLT).

We know Jesus! Our hearts are His. "Blessed are your eyes," Jesus said, "because they see; and your ears, because they hear" (Matthew 13:16, NLT). 

You can see and hear the promise of the Kingdom of God. You can walk by faith and not by sight. You can believe for what is unseen. You turned to Jesus, and He healed you! You are whole in His amazing Grace.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

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