He Will Reveal Himself as Crucified King
Good Friday, April 19th
Week 7: He Will Reveal Himself.
Day 5: He will reveal Himself as Crucified King.
John 16:20, (Jesus said), "Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will week and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve but your grief will be turned to joy."
Yesterday, my middle child, Collin, said, "Mom, why is it even called 'Good' Friday?" His question took me back to many questions of my own. When I was younger, it never made sense to me that the Friday of Jesus' death was described as 'good'. There's something about it that seems wrong.
As I've learned more about what really happened through Jesus at the Cross, Easter Friday absolutely seems GOOD. See, Jesus didn't just die. He took onto Himself every sin, difficulty, sickness, and pain SO THAT they could be killed. He carried them in His body at the cross, and they were put to death there. What kind of King is this? What kind of Ruler takes on the iniquities of His people and allows Himself to be killed in their place? Our GOOD King does! It was His plan all along. Before the foundation of the world, the plan was set in motion. Sin and death were never a match for His goodness, and they still aren't today.
On Good Friday, we celebrate death ONLY because it was necessary for true life. Because Jesus willingly took on sin's death, I get to choose life. See, there's nothing good about dying unless we are talking about the death of something negative, hurtful, or wrong. We can celebrate the death of anything that hinders true life. So, today, what will you celebrate that was killed at the cross? What was crucified on the cross that no longer has power to steal life from you? Let's gloat in our victory today. God is GOOD all the time, and all the time, God is GOOD. Ask God to show you that goodness through the work of the cross. He WILL do it, because He said so.
Further reading: John 19, Zechariah 12:10
Jesus, we celebrate Your death, because it was necessary for our life. Now, help us to LIVE. Give us the courage to fully accept and receive Your gift of life. We can't fathom how Your love for us could be so great, but OH how we are thankful. My prayer today is that each and every Soul Sister would take time to reflect on Your goodness. Help us to recount all that You conquered through the cross. Then, help us to walk in Your victory.
