Death is not a subject we often talk
about yet it is an essential part of our lives. As we celebrate Palm Sunday, it
is healthy for us to ponder on the question of death and afterlife. What is so
mysterious about death can also be inspirational for life.
It is hard enough to imagine death of
a loved one, or a person we love and trust. How hard is it to fathom the death
of God! Yet, we know when Christ died He didn’t die out of compulsion or as a
victim. Scripture says He volunteered Himself to die for us as God’s divine
purpose to restore mankind to Himself. What an amazing God we have who would
sacrifice His own Son to die for us so that through Him we may find life eternal!
This is the God of Love.
As human beings, none of us like to volunteer
to pain and suffering. Yet, pain and suffering are integral part of our lives.
When we understand the purpose of pain, it becomes much more bearable to endure
the suffering. That is what our Lord did. He endured excruciating pain because
He had us as the prize. I don’t know about you but that makes me feel very special
and makes me shout and jump for joy. Even I don’t like myself when I make
mistakes but here’s God not only willing to pay for my sins but also doing it
voluntarily. This is the great love that makes me loyal to Him for the rest of
my life.
Today, you may be going through some
pain and suffering in your life. It may be a physical, mental, emotional, and
financial or a spiritual pain. Know this that God is in it. He does not inflict
the pain on you but He is there to deliver you. You may not know but God has a
purpose for your pain. Your tragedy has a triumph. Your test has a testimony.
What makes a pain extra-ordinary from an ordinary is your attitude in going
through it. Nowhere you’d find our Lord complain about the torture and agony He
went through. He suffered willingly and joyfully. We too must handle pain
without complaining. Peter said, “Consider it all joy when you’re going through
various trials.” We don’t have to rejoice FOR the pain but we certainly can
have joy IN the pain. Like Christ, we too can endure suffering keeping our eyes
on the prize.
As we reflect on the death, burial and
resurrection of our Lord, let us express our utmost gratitude to His ultimate
sacrifice. May be there is a certain issue in your life that you’re still hanging
on to. Let the reminder of our Lord’s death be an inspiration to submit to God’s
plan for your life. There’s a prize waiting on the other side but we must first die to ourselves. Paul said
for us to die to our flesh daily. It is in our death we find Life!
Then he said to them all: “Whoever
wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and
follow me” (Luke 9:23 NIV).
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