Sacrifice

In honor of good Friday and Jesus Christ's sacrifical death on the cross to save us from our sins, I would like to share with you one of my top 5 scripture passages: Philippians 2.

I am sure that you have heard this passage many times before, but I used the Message in an effort to help us think of Christ's sacrifice again, in a new and profound way.

"If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion"

"Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father."

May we never stop living in light of Christ's sacrifice. May we realize that we can never do enough or be good enough to get to Heaven on our own. It is only through Christ's blood, shed for the sins of the world, through which we can be saved.

Praise the Lord!

Have a wonderful Easter Season!