He Stood in the Gap

Today is Good Friday. I don't know the origin of the term, but it seems like we could have come up with something better. The day maybe "good" for us, but it was horrible for Jesus. Regardless of the name, without today, I know I wouldn't be typing this blog. Today was the day that Jesus stood in the gap for you and me.

When Jesus uttered the words, "It is finished" in John 19:30 it was the culmination of Jesus' mission here to earth and it paved the way, cleared a path and opened the door for us to spend eternity with the Father. If Jesus had said "no way" or "opted to stay in heaven" we would have been forever separated from the Lord.

"For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." 2 Corinthians 5:21. The Lord sending Jesus to die for us had to come about when Adam and Eve brought sin into the world. Before Jesus, people tried to be right with God by keeping all his laws and it was impossible. Everyone messed up. "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard." Romans 3:23.

God ultimately requires perfection and it took the perfect Son to forgive all past and future sin so we could have eternal life. "For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sins. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time." Romans 3:25-26.

The amazing gift of the cross to me is that it covers all sins. It covers the ones our parents made, their parents made and their parents made and so forth. But it also covers my sins, the one's I'll make today, tomorrow and to the day He calls me home. If this wasn't the case then Good Friday might as well have been called What a Waste of Time I Came Friday.

The more stuff we keep dragging out the closet and keep bringing to the Lord asking for forgiveness the more we keep putting Jesus back up on the cross. We need to let go of our past and our sins and receive the forgiveness that is available to us because of the cross. God did not send His Son to die for us for nothing. It cost us nothing, but Jesus paid a heavy price.

God wants us to lived changed lives, lives free of the burden of things like guilt, anger and despair. Their is no condemnation for us because we belong to Jesus. I pray today that you and I can take time and reflect on what the cross means for our lives. We need to remember why Jesus came here and ultimately died for us. We need to remember that the cross was for you, for me and all those around you. Even those people you don't like.

I'm so glad that God has short-term memory and after I confess my sin to Him he forgets and says "what sin"? Let's stay in the present and worry about today's stuff since today has enough of its own problems. Rejoice today in the "great" Friday that it is. Pause and reflect and give thanks to the Lord and may you lead transformed lives because of the power of the cross.

Praise God and remember, Sunday's coming.