Comfort from Calvary!
Verse for Today: Friday, March 22, 2013
Matthew 27:48 – One of them ran
and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to (Jesus) on a reed stick so
He could drink. (NLT)
The world which persecuted the
Son of God offered Him intoxicating drink to reduce the effect of pain. They
had only brutality to reciprocate for His goodness. He was about to die for
their sins, but even at that point, they only responded with greater brutality.
Today the world has nothing better to offer His followers for all the good that
they do for them. We live in an ungrateful world which persecutes God’s children
who do good. Charity and humanitarian acts done by God’s people all around the
world are rarely gratefully acknowledged. Instead, the world tries to burn them
down. When God uses His children to release sinners from the bondage of sin and
Satan, the world responds with intimidation, persecution and oppression.
Whatever the world did to Jesus is done to us also in some measure. They hate us
because they hate our Lord. They forget all the good things we do for them just
as they forgot all the wonderful things Jesus did for the people. We find such
opposition and oppression in our work places, educational institutions,
neighborhoods, families and churches. The world inflicts pain on us and then tries
to intoxicate us with its goodies from the Vanity Fair so that we would take
our focus away from persecution and continue in a semi-conscious state. The
physical, emotional and social persecutions we encounter drain our strength to
keep going. But we are most affected when the people whom we love most inflict
great emotional wounds on us. During such painful moments, we can draw upon the
grace that we find on the cross of our Lord and respond with love. If we pray
for them, as our Lord did, it would help us to get emotional healing and
physical well-being. Job experienced special blessings as he prayed for his
friends who found fault with him in times of sufferings. Stephen and Paul also
prayed for their oppressors as they learned this great lesson from Calvary. Today
we are challenged by the love of God demonstrated on Calvary to pray for grace to
forgive our oppressors.
Dear friend, are you experiencing
oppression and brutality from those whom you love and cherish? You might be
publicly being crucified by the dearest and the nearest because you become an
inconvenience for them. Perhaps your stand for righteousness and truth may not
be appealing to them anymore. But remember, you are called upon to suffer for
the Lord who endured shame and scorn for you. He carried the cross for you
without any embarrassment. He went through excruciating pain and agony for you.
At the peak of merciless abuse, torture and violation of rights, our Lord
prayed that His Father in heaven forgive His persecutors. If you are experiencing
untold brutality in the hands of those around you, the place to go for peace,
grace, relief and healing is Calvary where you will find your suffering Savior as
the Balm of Gilead. He will give you the same grace that He gave Stephen and
Paul, to pray for those who brutally malign you. The grace showered upon you
from Calvary will heal your emotional and physical infirmities and make you
whole again. Because Jesus has forgiven you, it is possible for you to impart
forgiveness to those who malign you. You might be all alone in your sufferings,
but the Lord will give you sweet fellowship and fill your heart with the peace
that He experienced on the cross. Let us keep away from the intoxicating goods
from the Vanity Fair and drink from the cool streams of our Shepherd to rest in
His presence in the midst of adversity and oppression.
2 Timothy 4:16 – At my first defense,
no-one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against
them.
Thought for Today
Jesus comes to us in the loneliest and darkest moments of our lives to
give us comfort, peace and rest.
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