1 Peter 2:24 - Christ Died For Us So We Could Live For Him; Now and Forever.
1 Peter 2:24 (NLT) He personally carried our
sins in his body on the cross so that we can be
dead to sin and live for what is right. By his
wounds you are healed.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Have you ever thought about how strange
the tooth fairy is? She sneaks into your room,
digs around under your pillow, and steals a
bloody tooth. Sure, you receive something in
return, but it's still a little creepy. Italy,
Spain, and France have a nicer tradition -
supposedly a little mouse scurries into your room and
takes your teeth. How cute! (Unless you don't like
mice next to your face.) The world is filled with
different traditions. In Australia, children pass up
chocolate Easter bunnies to buy Easter bilbies - a
much-loved, endangered, mini-kangaroo-looking creature.
Every Easter sales from chocolate bilbies go
toward helping this animal survive.
Christmas can also get a little crazy
with its traditions. Forget about Santa Claus. In
Denmark, Sinterklaas arrives by boat in early
December. Instead of putting out cookies for him,
children fill a wooden shoe with hay and carrots. The
good kids get presents. In China, Dun Che Lao Ren
(which loosely translated means "Christmas Old
Man") brings gifts. Try putting that into a song:
"Christmas Old Man is coming to town." It just doesn't
work. Then there's Jultomten. This Swedish gnome
brings presents on a sleigh pulled by goats.
Many traditions began with a small piece
of history. Then things get exaggerated and
mixed up. Some people say that's the case with
Jesus. They think, He's just a myth. No person
could do everything that Jesus did. But when you
honestly look at the historical evidence, dig into
his claims of being God, and explore the effect
he's had on the world and in individual lives,
then you'll come to one conclusion: Jesus is no
Easter bunny. He's 100 percent real.
Jesus is not just a feel-good symbol
who's as irrelevant to your life as the tooth
fairy. He's the Son of the living God who saved you
from your sins. First Peter 2:24 says, "He
personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so
that we can be dead to sin and live for what is
right. By his wounds you are healed" (NLT). Because
of Christ's sacrifice, you can live for what is
right. The Easter bunny may bring us chocolate, but
Jesus brings us life! [Case For Christ For Kids by
Les Strobel]
COMMENTARY
In front of Rockefeller Plaza in New York
City stands a famous statue from Greek mythology
- Atlas, bearing the earth on his shoulders.
The huge globe he holds looks terribly heavy.
Even his mighty knees seem to be buckling under
the weight. It reminds me of how people talk
about Jesus bearing the sins of the world - as
though He had a massive, invisible weight on His
shoulders. But today's Scripture reads, "He himself
bore our sins in his body on the cross." He
didn't carry our sins on His back; He took our sins
into himself. It happened on the inside. When God
saw Jesus on the cross, He literally saw our
sin. Jesus experienced the full weight of God's
anger meant for you and me. God "made him who had
no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we
might become the righteousness of God" (2Co.
5:21).
Lord Jesus, there is nothing fair about
this exchange. You took my sins into Your own
body, paying my penalty. And in trade, You gave me
Your righteousness, purity, and sinless beauty!
You took on my death, allowing me to receive
Your life. I will never comprehend this. I am in
awe of Your love today. [A Spectacle of Glory by
Joni Eareckson Tada and Larry Libby]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
My wife and I took two days to make the
trip from Colorado to Louisiana. During those two
days Hurricane Isaac made landfall. We arrived
late at night and felt relieved that we had
electricity. We were glad to be sleeping in our own bed
after a month away. It wasn't until I went outside
the next morning that I noticed the damage from
the storm. Everywhere I looked limbs were down,
and the yard was a mess. There was a lot of work
to do, so much that I felt a little
overwhelmed. But I got started by taking care of one limb
at a lime.
While we are still in darkness, our lives
don't look all that bad to us. But when we give
our lives to Jesus Christ and his light shines
on us, we see the devastation caused by our
hurts, hang-ups, and habits much more clearly. As
we look around at the broken relationships and
dashed hopes, it can feel overwhelming.
There's a lot of work to do, that's for
sure. But with God's help, we can start by taking
care of one issue at a time and then moving on to
the next and the next and the next.
Father, thank you for helping me clean up
the debris that litters my life. I know there is
a good, blessed life under there somewhere.
Help me as I uncover it one issue at a time. In
Jesus' name, Amen. [Celebrate Recovery Daily
Devotional by John & Johnny Baker]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
1 Peter 2:24 - Christ Died For Us So We
Could Live For Him - Now & Forever.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20101124-1517.html
2 Corinthians 5:14, 15 - Love & Living for
Christ.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20050527-0651.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio:
https://bible.awr.org/en/the-signs/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
