MORNING MANNA 4-20-23
JESUS PAID IT ALL
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” – Matthew 1:21–23
A teenage boy was once intently playing basketball on his high school team. The game was intense, the lead going back and forth between the two rival teams. At a crucial point in the game, the 16-year-old lunged for an errant pass going out of bounds. As he toppled over a spectator’s chair, one of its legs caught him in the stomach and damaged vital organs.
Because he felt little pain, the teen continued to play the game’s final minutes while he hemorrhaged internally. By the time the pain grew enough to warrant a trip to the hospital, it was almost too late. The doctors worked frantically to save him, but the outcome was uncertain.
Though the boy eventually recovered, those awful hours of waiting for the slightest signs of recovery forced family members to ask questions they’d never before faced. While his father was alone on his bedside shift one evening, the new pastor of his church visited.
Trembling with emotion, the father asked, “Will God kill my son to punish my sin?” “No,” said the young minister, searching for words that would comfort and grant renewed trust in the God this father now so desperately needed. “The Lord’s not punishing your son for your sin. He couldn’t, because God punished His Son for your sin.”
Jesus came to save you from your sins. His mission wasn’t to teach others about Heaven, although He did that. He wasn’t on earth to be a great example for us, although He was. His main mission, His focus, was to die on Calvary to pay for your sins.
Many Christians live in light of past failures and sin, yet God promises that if we have received Him and have sought His forgiveness, He has erased the old sins! Are you ever discouraged by remembering times you have failed in the past? Don’t let the devil discourage you with past sins. He only desires to keep you from serving God. If you have asked for God’s forgiveness, put that failure behind you and claim God’s promise in Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” – Paul Chappell
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
Humble, Tx.
