A Good Friday

Isaiah 53:5
"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."

I remember as a child wondering why the day we commemorate Jesus' death was known as "Good Friday." If Jesus died on this day, what was good about it? I'm sure a lot of people have thought the same thing. As I grew up, I understood that Easter wouldn't be possible, and by definition, my salvation would not be possible without Him being willing to die on my behalf. That makes this day we commemorate Very Good Friday.

I don't want to make Tammy's health struggle to sound anything like the eternal struggle that mankind has with sin. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But here's an analogy that might work.

Tammy had another bone-marrow biopsy today. It was planned from the day she arrived almost two weeks ago. The purpose was to determine if the chemo has adequately killed the Leukemia in her system. It caused her pain, and now she's sleeping off the effects of the medication and the intrusion into her body. It was painful, but it's worth it, because with this test the doctors will be able to determine if she is on track in her recovery.

Jesus had to endure pain--physical and spiritual--so that we could face eternity with hope and optimism. It was planned from the beginning of time. The purpose was to establish a way for us to be forgiven.

Our prayer for you today is that you can understand that God loves you so much, He was willing to send His own Son, to die on your behalf.

How good is that?