Prayer
– Lord, I’m not worthy of the blood that You shed for me—but I am humbly accepting
what You did for me. What a horrible death—a physical death—sacrificed for my
spiritual soul. I am grateful.
And
remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will
judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear
of him during your time as "foreigners in the land." For you know
that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your
ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the
precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as
your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in
these last days. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have
placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and
gave him great glory. 1
Peter 1:17-21 NLT
Meditate.
Focus on Jesus.
Joseph of
Arimathea went to Pilate. Who goes to a ruler and gets to see him right away?
God arranged that. Not only did this Joseph get an audience with Pilate, but he
received permission to take the body of Jesus for burial. Did the Roman soldiers
help Joseph and Nicodemus carry Jesus to the tomb that Joseph had prepared? Did
servants of Nicodemus carry the heavy ointment they used to prepare Jesus’ body
for burial? Certainly, he couldn’t carry that by himself. So many questions
about the details of Jesus death and burial.
Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who
had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders),
asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus' body. When Pilate gave
permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the
man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of
perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom,
they wrapped Jesus' body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. The
place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used
before. And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover
and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. John 19:38-42 NLT
Now is
the time to wait. The body of Jesus was dead—but His spirit was not dead. We
know that the resurrection was ahead. There will be joy in the morning—but now
was a time of mourning for His followers. This is a time of reflection for us. God
chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed
him to you in these last days. 1Peter 1:20. Do you choose to accept what
Jesus did for you? Are you redeemed by His blood?
Verse
of Salvation ~ Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay
true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of
those who hear you. 1
Timothy 4:16 NLT
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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