No Greater Love
There is no greater love than the love Jesus showed when He laid down His life—for His friends. For us.
Jesus wasn’t just a good man who died an unjust death. He was the spotless Son of God—sinless, blameless, holy. Death had no rightful claim on Him. And yet, He willingly embraced it. He gave up His life so that others might have eternal life.
That alone would be enough to leave us in awe. But what makes His sacrifice even more astounding are the people He died for.
When Jesus spoke these words in John 15, He was talking to a group of His friends who were far from perfect. A hot-headed fisherman. A skeptical doubter. A tax collector. A political zealot. Brothers who once wanted to call down fire on a village. And beyond that room? Prostitutes. Outcasts. The unclean. Sinners.
And for us, too.
Jesus laid down His life so that anyone might become His friend. So that everyone might receive His love. So that we might know—deep in our hearts—that we are not rejected or forgotten, but known and embraced.
So, take a moment today and rest in this truth: There is no greater love than the love Jesus has for you. He proved it on the cross.
His Pain, Our Gain
Isaiah 53 is a stunning chapter in the Bible—in what is now commonly referred to as the “Old Testament.”
Approximately 700 years before Jesus walked the earth, Isaiah prophesied about a suffering servant who would also, somehow and in some way, be exalted. A coming Savior, a future Redeemer, the long-awaited Messiah—whose death would ultimately bring life.
A portion of Isaiah 53 says this:
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5 NIV
So, who was this man who would be pierced, crushed, and wounded because of someone else’s sins? Whose undeserved punishment would be the catalyst for healing? Whose life would be given as an offering—so that others might live?
Jesus Christ not only fits the description of the suffering servant who paid the ultimate price to buy His people back, redeem them, and set them free—He ...
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