Luke 23:22-23 “For the third time he (Pilot) demanded, ‘Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him (Jesus) to death…’ But the crowd shouted louder and louder for Jesus’ death, and their voices prevailed.” (NLT)
Have you ever set out to do good only to
have your efforts become the target of character assassination, misunderstanding
and mistreatment? That happened recently
to a friend of mine who, in an attempt to help
one person out, was accused by another of impure motives, unprofessionalism
and backstabbing. My friend has endured
a great deal of hurt and stress as a result of the situation. But as much as my friend has unjustifiably
suffered, it is NOTHING compared to the anguish that Jesus suffered at the
hands of his own people.
Because of His great love, Jesus, the perfect, sinless, Son of God, laid aside His power and position in Heaven to come to earth to save and redeem mankind – you and me! However, the very people who should have recognized Him and embraced Him, falsely accused Him, questioned His motives and ridiculed His methods of ministry. These people eventually went to the extreme of having Jesus put to death by crucifixion. Jesus-- the innocent, was condemned.
As I meditated on the reading for today, I was struck by the fact that the people who should have embraced Jesus and defended His innocence did not while those who you would have expected to condemn Him, found no fault in Him. Sadly, I believe that is still happening today. How often do we who have experienced His grace and salvation – who should know better – question His motives and methods in our own lives. How many times when we are facing some difficulty in our lives, do we question God’s love for us or His wisdom and ways of working out His plan in our lives? Sobering to think about…
The good news is that Jesus understands our weaknesses and He loves us anyway. He is faithful even when we are not. Today I am praising my Lord that He willingly endured unjust condemnation so that in Him, I can have abundant life!
Written by guest blogger: Patty Deiter
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
Because of His great love, Jesus, the perfect, sinless, Son of God, laid aside His power and position in Heaven to come to earth to save and redeem mankind – you and me! However, the very people who should have recognized Him and embraced Him, falsely accused Him, questioned His motives and ridiculed His methods of ministry. These people eventually went to the extreme of having Jesus put to death by crucifixion. Jesus-- the innocent, was condemned.
As I meditated on the reading for today, I was struck by the fact that the people who should have embraced Jesus and defended His innocence did not while those who you would have expected to condemn Him, found no fault in Him. Sadly, I believe that is still happening today. How often do we who have experienced His grace and salvation – who should know better – question His motives and methods in our own lives. How many times when we are facing some difficulty in our lives, do we question God’s love for us or His wisdom and ways of working out His plan in our lives? Sobering to think about…
The good news is that Jesus understands our weaknesses and He loves us anyway. He is faithful even when we are not. Today I am praising my Lord that He willingly endured unjust condemnation so that in Him, I can have abundant life!
Written by guest blogger: Patty Deiter
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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