Thursday August 21
His Greatest Work
For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. (2 Timothy 1:12)
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
Salvation is the Holy Spirit's greatest work. It does not bring about only minor results, like patching you up, making you religious or tuning you in to nature. The creation of heaven and earth took God just six days, but He spent centuries preparing for mankind's salvation. He was working in different locations: Egypt, Israel, Babylon, Rome; through good men and bad, throughout history, until in "the fullness of the time" Jesus came. It affected everything and everyone, even God. God's Son, torn from His side, depriving angels of their joy, faced life from a humble stable in Bethlehem. Then He faced death on Calvary, making war on Satan. In that struggle, the earth was shaken, the rocks rent, the sun blackened out of the sky.
"Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land ... And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His Spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised ... So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!'"
Cowed by such awesome scenes, His enemies, who had howled like wolves for His Blood, crept away in fear. Hell felt the impact. Jesus Christ broke out of the granite of the sealed tomb, unhinging the gates of death, leading out captives and ascending far above all authorities to present His wounds to the Father. Wounded for you and me! These are the mighty events which made your salvation and mine possible. It is too big a thing for you not to know you are saved! It is not just being hopeful or optimistic - the Word says it. Have confidence in Christ, that you have indeed received His greatest gift. Thank Him for that Gift. Walk in it. Share and enjoy it: and apply it to your challenges today.
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Mark my Word, Mark my Word logo, and text of Mark my Word devotional is Copyright © E-R Productions LLC 2001, 2003. All rights reserved.All scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Copright © 1982 Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, Tenessee, USA.