There was a line drawn through the ages, and all of time hinged on that line. After centuries of laying the foundation for His mission, God’s plan of salvation finally came to fruition and all of mankind was absolved from their sin – if they chose to accept the gift.
Finally the time came for Jesus to go to the cross, pay the price for our freedom, descend into hell, on the third day arise from the dead, and ascend into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God. He then sent His Holy Spirit to live in the hearts of those who received Him.
What a miraculous time!
You and I can spend the rest of our lives studying and meditating on this series of miracles, but we will find that there is always more to learn. The more you know, the more you realize that it is better than you thought!Unfortunately, many people take bits and pieces of the plan. They know that Jesus died for their sins, and they know that they will go to Heaven when they die. They even try to live “good” lives. But they don’t understand the magnitude of God’s salvation plan – that Jesus restored us back to the place of Adam.
Others, more enlightened, have referred to this as the “great exchange.” Man had sin, grief, anger, sickness, and torment. Jesus had none of these. He was a perfect man, with God’s blood flowing through His veins. He had no sin, no grief, no sickness, and He traded places with us.
Someone had to pay the price for the sin in our lives. (Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death). Jesus went to the cross to pay that penalty for us, so that we could be free. On the cross, he said, “it is finished.” The sacrifice was complete; the debt was paid, and Jesus handed us our ticket to liberty.
So He took our sin and gave us righteousness (right standing with God). He took our grief and gave us peace. He took our sorrows and gave us joy. He took our sickness and gave us health.This is indeed the greatest exchange ever known. The debt has been paid and we have been redeemed and restored. Now it’s our option. Not everyone will partake of His redemption, because they won’t believe it. But it’s available to believers. Do you believe? How much of it do you believe? These are questions you will have to answer for yourself.
My prayer for you is the same Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:18-19
I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened so that you would know the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and the exceeding greatness of His power toward those who believe.There is so much available to us as believers, so much more than we know. I pray that today you will be aware of God’s love for you and the sacrifice He has made for you. I also pray that you will want to study His Word enough to truly partake of God’s best. He is so eager to show you more of His plan and more of His purpose for your life. It’s an individual walk, just between you and Him, and I pray that you will partake of all that he has for you.
In the coming days we will be putting our prayer skills to use. A solid foundation is essential to truly praying the way God wants us to. We are on the verge of marvelous breakthroughs as we pray with power – the way our Father wants us to.
Forever Upward!
