Remembering Christ's Death
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Psalm 22:1
Lest I forget
Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony,
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
This familiar hymn
expresses well the way to keep Christ's love a reality in
our hearts. When Paul confessed Christ's love as the
motivating force in his life, he was thinking of Christ's
death as the evidence of that love (2 Cor. 5:14).
Remembering Calvary is the cure for the doubts,
frustrations, and clouds that frequently rob us of peace
and joy. It is what gives direction and purpose to the
Christian life.
Although written hundreds
of years before Christ's death, Psalm 22 leads us
directly to Calvary. It is a record of Christ's saddest
hours, His dying words; it describes both the darkness
and glory of the cross. As you read this minutely
fulfilled prophesy, remember that Christ endured it all
for you. Consider that He was forsaken of God (vv 1,2).
Answering the question "Why hast thou forsaken
me?" brings us to the heart of the atonement. Christ
was not forsaken by God because of anything He had done,
but because of what we were. As our substitute, He became
a curse that we might be accepted by God. Consider that
He was rejected by men (vv 6-8). He experienced the
depths of humiliation voluntarily that we might be
exalted with Him. Although sinners mock Him in His death,
we for whom He died rejoice. Consider that He was
afflicted in body and soul (vv 12-18). In His agony,
shame, and death, He wove for us the garment of salvation
and robe of righteousness. How can we live unto ourselves
when our hearts are overwhelmed by the fact that Christ
died for us?
by Dr M.P.V. Barrett
Greenville S.C., USA..
Taken from the book; "Eagles Wings" edited by
Rev Alan Cairns, a minister of the Free Presbyterian Church of North America.
If we would live aright
it must be by the contemplation of Christ's death
C.H. Spurgeon
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