Today the calendars in most parts of the world show that it is Good Friday, the day when the Christian church remembers the sacrifice that Christ made for the world.

As we remember the crucifixion today, let us also stop and think about just how much suffering He willingly endured for you and me.

John 3:16 is a favorite Bible text which is well known and well quoted:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This is a good time to seriously remember how much it actually cost Him to make this sacrifice for the world and to ask yourself “am I living in the benefits of this sacrifice”?

It would have been humanly impossible to have endured as much suffering as He did without having a hope beyond the present moment. And remember, Jesus had laid aside His rights as God and subjected Himself to all of the weakness of being human during His time on this earth. This means that He felt the pain as fully as you and I would if we were faced with this same torture.

The writer of the book of Hebrews (in the New Testament) reveals a great secret and a key to help us understand how Jesus was able make His last trip to Jerusalem without turning aside or even hesitating, even though He knew full well what awaited Him there.

Check this out -

Jesus did not focus on the suffering and death that He was to endure, but rather He focused on the “joy that was set before Him” which is the joy of the resurrection and the ascension. He was able to look beyond the coming suffering because his focus was on the resurrection that would result.

Here is a great message for you and me on this Good Friday:
Let us never forget that every death experience leads to a resurrection (unless we choose to stay in the death experience because of unbelief).

So next time you find yourself in a place where your world seems to be turning upside down, remember this:

Happy Easter!

Photo credit Richard Vignola