Shalom,

Today's devotion from Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest" is very important for born again believers to understand! Nothing that God does is out of emotion, but out of His great Plan of Redemption and His covenant with us that was sealed with the Blood of Jesus! 

I have finished the work which You have given Me to do —John 17:4

The death of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment in history of the very mind and intent of God. There is no place for seeing Jesus Christ as a martyr. His death was not something that happened to Him— something that might have been prevented. His death was the very reason He came.

Never build your case for forgiveness on the idea that God is our Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. That contradicts the revealed truth of God in Jesus Christ. It makes the Cross unnecessary, and the redemption “much ado about nothing.” God forgives sin only because of the death of Christ. God could forgive people in no other way than by the death of His Son, and Jesus is exalted as Savior because of His death. “We see Jesus . . . for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor . . .” (Hebrews 2:9). The greatest note of triumph ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded on the Cross of Christ— “It is finished!” (John 19:30). That is the final word in the redemption of humankind.

Anything that lessens or completely obliterates the holiness of God, through a false view of His love, contradicts the truth of God as revealed by Jesus Christ. Never allow yourself to believe that Jesus Christ stands with us, and against God, out of pity and compassion, or that He became a curse for us out of sympathy for us. Jesus Christ became a curse for us by divine decree....

I remember that as a little girl I used to think how awful it was that THOSE PEOPLE killed Jesus! If they hadn't, He would still be alive! Once I was born again, I realized that His death, burial and resurrection was the very reason He came! Without that, WE would have NO HOPE! In the age-old argument about who exactly was responsible for "killing Jesus", the answer is NOT the Romans OR the Jews! It was every person ever born after Adam, and also included Adam and Eve! It was OUR death that He died, so that we don't have to! NOW, the choice whether to receive eternal life is up to us! HE has already done His part, completely! AMEN! In our Bible Reading Plan for today we read this in John 19:10-11a:

10 So Pilate said to Him, Will You not speak [even] to me? Do You not know that I have power (authority) to release You and I have power to crucify You? 11 Jesus answered, You would not have any power or authority whatsoever against (over) Me if it were not given you from above.

Jesus declared in John 10:17-18 that no man could TAKE His life, but that He willing laid His life down! WHY? So that HE could buy us back! AMEN and THANK YOU JESUS! I am going to share "Man Of Sorrows" by Hillsong Live again today, because we are still speaking of "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2)!

Shalom in Him!