HomeWord - September 26, 2011

A Sacrificial Love
This devotional was written by Jim Burns

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. —Luke 23:44-49

And I asked Jesus, “LORD, do you really love me?” And His reply was, “Yes, I really do love you.” “But just how much do you love me, LORD?” I inquired. And He said, “This much.” Then he stretched out His hands and died. There is something about the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ that keeps me focused on my faith. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

There is something about the blood, the mocking, the abandonment and the cross that puts life and the love of God in perspective.

GOING DEEPER:

1. Take a few minutes to read Luke 22-24. It is the story of betrayal, arrest, mocking, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

2. How does the sacrificial love of Jesus for you affect your faith?

FURTHER READING:

Psalms 22:16-25