Today we are celebrating Good Friday. Can you really say celebrating? Yes, you surely can, since on this day Jesus paid the great price for all our sin on that bloody cross of Calvary. And this is surely something worth celebrating!

Of course, the cross is not a fun thing. It means serious business. It means the end of all our playing around, trying to be Christians "our own way". It means that it is now or never, all or nothing, life or death, heaven or hell!

The prophet Isaiah wrote, hundreds of years before the birth of Christ: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isa 53:5)

You see, Jesus didn't need to die for himself. Had he only had himself to care for, there was no need for him to die at all since he had lived a perfect life before God. There was no sin there to separate him from the Father, no transgression to pay the penalty for.

But His love was greater than that. He knew there were a human race to redeem, a people to rescue. Therefore, He chose the nails.

Bam. Bam. Bam. You can picture yourselves those big nails, being driven through his hands and feet. This is no glorious picture, yet it is, since it shows the value of true love. There has never been another person on this earth with the same kind of love — Agape love — that Jesus had for each and everyone of us.

"But God commendeth [proves] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8)

Isn't this a glorious message? I think it is! I think it shows how wonderful our great Savior Jesus is. He could have treated us the way we deserved, and cast us all into hell, where the fire is never quenched (Mark 9:43). But praise God, He didn't do that! Instead he chose a completely illogical way. Illogical for the natural mind anyway, but the mind of love is different than our limited, pathetic sin-stained minds.

Finally, let me pray for each and everyone of you:

Father, thank you for giving me this opportunity to share some of your word. I pray that each and everyone that has been reading this is touched by your love and endless mercy. Let this message go deep into their soul into their very spirit being, and change them to be more like you, Jesus.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.