I think for some Christians, the idea of Good Friday seems a bit strange when it’s all about Jesus dying on the cross and such a terrible death. How could people possibly think that someone dying in such a way was good? Christians should.
As a young man without Christ, I use to think it odd that Christians “Celebrated” the death of Jesus. It wasn’t until I understood that Christ dying was to set people free from sin and shame, that I finally appreciated the day. It is something I need to remind myself of regularly, lest I take his love and sacrifice for granted, and I slip back into a destructive lifestyle.
How amazing that God would love me when I was such a lying fool? How could God love someone like me enough to desire to die such an agonizing death to set me free? Not until I realized that God didn’t hate me, but loved me, did I finally bend my knee to his Lordship. What else could I do?
If God was willing to suffer in his great love, would I give less than my all to Him? The idea of surrender scared me, even terrified me! I was so accustom to protecting my “Rights” that to yield felt the same as dying, and in many ways it was.
The death of Christ was meant to show how far God was willing to go to forgive and restore fallen man. If we, as mankind, can’t see the value in His sacrifice, then there is no hope of us ever being forgiven or changed. If there is no change than there is no forgiveness, but only the judgement of God for a life given towards selfish destruction.
I look at “Good Friday” now as a day were God did for me what I could not do for myself. In order for me to have a new life, I had to deal with the guilt of my own sin and brokenness, and only God was strong enough to overcome such things.
As we celebrate Christ’s great sacrifice on Good Friday, may we be humbled and blessed to know the tremendous love of God. May we recommit ourselves to live this forgiven life with great commitment to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May we choose anew to serve the purpose of God in our generation until either we fall asleep or Christ returns.
Pastor Dale
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