A Friendly Reminder

The other day I watched, “The Passion of the Christ”, for the first time.  Yes, I am a little behind in times, I suppose, for a movie that came out in 2004. I kept on waiting for an opportunity to watch it, but anytime I had the opportunity, I did not feel like watching a depiction of Christ being murdered. It seemed too sad and depressing to me. Finally, my wife and I decided to sit down and watch it.

Although the movie is full of denominational ideology that needs to be ignored, seeing Jesus beaten on a pole, and murderously crucified sparked a thought in my mind. This was a thought that we all know of – a thought that is not groundbreaking by any means. Still, this is clear, that it is an emotional and wonderful thought all at the same time. The thought was this:

He suffered…for me?? He was beaten by the hands of hateful men…for me?? He was scourged by whips made with long strands of medal-clad leather that with every swipe ripped apart his flesh…for me?? He had a crown of thorns forced into his head…for me?? He was mocked while walking up that hill, carrying a heavy, splinter-covered cross upon his already mutilated back…for me?? He was nailed to that cross…for me??...He died…for me??

Jesus Christ came and died for you and me. The prophet Isaiah says, “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed” (53:5, NASB). We who were worthy of death, have the chance to be set free through His death (e.g. Romans 6:23). With this realization in mind, it should make us think of an even greater realization. This is a realization that we as humans tend to forget many times, and are always benefited by a reminder.  The realization is this:

                If He gave up His life for me, doesn’t that mean that I need to give up my life for Him??

                We can get so busy in this life, with our habitual religion, occupations, family, friends, sports, TV, entertainment, vacations, sleeping, meals, and the list could go on and on. I hope that we are not letting ourselves forget just how important this life is to us. We only have one chance to make it right. That means that our church life is going to be centered on Christ and seeking the New Testament church He established in His blood (e.g. Acts 20:28). That means during our everyday lives we are going to live a Christ-like example to those around us (Ephesians 5:1-9). That means we are going to treat our family the way Christ wants us to treat them (5:21-31; 6:1-4). That means we are going to make Christ-like decisions with entertainment (e.g. Titus 2:11-14). That really means everything is going to be centered on Christ and His word – our daily lives, our philosophy, and our entire being.

                Yes, this life is important to us. So important in fact that Christ gave up His life so that we would have a chance to be saved. If He is willing to give up His life for us, the very least we can do in return for such a gift is to accept it by living the way Christ has installed in His word.

                With that said, another thought resonated in my mind while I was watching that movie, and it was this, “If he died for me, what am I doing for Him?” This is a thought, or should I say, a question that we all must ask, are we living for Christ? After all, not only did He live, but He died for you and me.

                The only way we can live for Christ is to be saved the way He wants us to be saved. Until we are saved from our sins, the way He has installed in His word, we have no right to even begin living for Him. If you would like to know how He has directed for us to be saved, I hope you will contact this writer. I would be pleased to show you His wonderful plan He has given us in His word. Please, contact me on Facebook, or by commenting below.