Wednesday Devotion 8-5-20 6 Minutes

Good evening everyone,,, I'm coming to you again this evening with our weekly devotion.

The devotion today comes from my reading this morning of Billy Graham again which he had titled,,,

THE SACRED SUMMIT

In Romans 6:6 it says: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Billy Graham said,,, Calvary is the summit of love. “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” found in John 1:17.

“God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” found in Romans 5:8.

Scripture says that we are sinners.

We have broken those Ten Commandments.

We are under the sentence of death and deserve judgment.

We deserve hell.

The cross, where Christ died in our place and where we can find forgiveness, is the only place to find forgiveness and have eternal life.

Billy Graham wrote that,,, Jesus Christ was crucified between two thieves on a rugged cross on Calvary.

Jesus gave His head to the crown of thorns for us.

He gave His face to the human spittle for us.

He gave His cheeks and His beard to be plucked out for us.

He gave His back to the lash for us.

He gave His side to the spear for us.

He gave His hands and feet to the spikes for us.

He gave His blood for us.

Jesus Christ, dying in our place, taking our sins on that cross, is love.

But that’s not the end of the story.

He rose again, and He is,,, the living Christ.

Christ is alive.

If Christ is not alive,,, there is no hope for any of us.

But He is alive!

And Scripture says, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” found in Romans 10:9.

So what does this mean to me?

It means that because Jesus Christ lives,,, I live also,,, I am in Him and He is in me.

And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

And as I finished with this devotion,,, I couldn't help but compare the two thieves on the cross to so many people in the world today,,, to all of us today,,, really.

We have so many bitter,,, angry,,, people that could care less what anyone wants or thinks about,,, anything other than what they can get for themselves and the fact that for one reason or another the world owes them.

Then we have others that will realize that they have made mistakes,,, they aren't perfect,,, and they deserve to die for their sins.

All of us that are Christians,,, were like these two men on the cross,,, at times,,, beside Jesus that day.

And to a certain extent,,, we are still that way daily!

The difference for us,,, is the same as it was for the thief that spoke the words to Jesus in Luke 23: 42-43: 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.”

Neither thief had anything to do with Jesus publicly before the cross.

Neither had been baptized,,, that we know of.

Apparently they both knew about Him because of their differing remarks,,, but they didn't know Him personally.

The difference was in their acceptance of Jesus' eternal kingdom.

One,,, rejected it.

The other,,, accepted it!

One,,, is in hell.

The other,,, is in heaven!

We have the same choice today,,, reject it,,, or accept it.

Hell,,, or heaven.

It's up to us.

It's our choice!

Just as it was that day,,, to the thief's on the cross!

Let us pray:

Our Father and our God,,, I mourn my sins that caused Christ to suffer death on the cross. I hide my face in shame when I think of His pain and sacrifice. But I also celebrate His glorious resurrection! And I claim salvation through Him. Thank You, God, for Your marvelous gift of redemption in Christ. I pray in His name. Amen.

(6:05)

Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (p. 251). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.