Even though despised and mocked, Jesus loved us to the cross. Even though we turned our backs and looked the other way, He continued. Even though He was despised, He loved us without condition. It was our weakness and our sins He carried. It was our sorrow that weighed Him down. And we rejected Him. He loved us in our ugliness and rebellion. 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 abused Him, it did not matter. He knew what He had been sent to do and how beautiful we would be. The unconditional gift of His precious blood would change everything (Isaiah 5.3:3-5).
Do we get the truth that His blood has changed everything—that we have died with Him so we can be raised with Him in new life? Then why do we still live defeated lives?
Jesus carried our weaknesses to the cross. We can walk in the power of His resurrection strength. Where we are weak in our flesh, He lives in perfect power in our born-again spirits. We have His strength to overcome difficult circumstances and His faith to see beyond our natural existence into the supernatural realm of His Truth. Jesus carried our sin so we could be thoroughly restored in our relationship with our Creator. He bore our sins in His own body, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes we were healed (1 Peter 2:24).
Jesus received the full weight of punishment for our sins, so we don't have to receive punishment. But how often do we punish ourselves with guilt and shame instead of living in the forgiving freedom of His Grace? His punishment was not for His 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 to receive the benefits of His gift of perfect love? 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 the cross died with Him on the cross. Everything we are in Him rose victoriously with Him from the grave.
You are free of sin's shame! Are you aware? You are healed! Do you believe it? All the powerful resources our wonderful Savior gave His life for are yours! Believe in Him, and you are saved. Believe in the righteous life He has purchased for you on Calvary! Sin is the root of all sickness, and sin was crucified with Christ. We often live far beneath the gift of Jesus’ precious blood.
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).
Do we have ears that cannot hear, eyes that cannot see, and hearts that cannot understand? Are we born-again and, yet, not know this new person we are in Christ?
"Blessed are your eyes," Jesus said to His disciples, "because they see; and your ears, because they hear" (Matthew 13:16, NLT).
Your heart can understand. You can see and hear the promises of the Kingdom of God. You can walk by faith and not by sight. You can believe in the substance of God’s unseen. Jesus has paid the full price for you. There is no sin, shame, sickness, condemnation, or guilt in Him. He has healed you. Your eyes may not see it. But in Him, you can see and believe it in your heart. You are whole in His wonderful Grace.
The unconditional gift of Jesus’ precious blood changed everything. He took all your ugliness. You are beautifully recreated in Him. He offers His body broken for you and His blood shed for you. His gift is finished and complete, but cannot produce God’s truth in your life without you opening it. Just how wonderful is Jesus to you? Do you trust Him? Are you ready to receive the gift He died to give you?
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