“In His prayer, Jesus calls us not only to reach out to God for His forgiveness, but also to reach out to others and extend to them our own. That is the only ultimate way to conquer evil. Our willing sacrifice is required. Evil will be healed only through the love of individuals – that is, through you and me.”
david jeremiah, Prayer: the great adventure, p. 152
Please read the first blog post entitled “Why Fast?” This explains what fasting is and why we follow Jesus in this spiritual discipline as together we seek the heart of God.
Each day during our 21 Days, we will focus on one part of the ACTS prayer acronym – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. We will spend between 3-5 days on each part of the ACTS prayer acronym. Each devotion will take less than ten minutes of your time.
Today, Good Friday, we remember the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf on the cross, and reflect on one of His prayers from the cross that leads us to a posture of confession.
Confession
Engage the Word
Luke 23:32-43
32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him.
33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”
36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine
37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The Death of Jesus
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,
45 while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
Reflect on the Truth
- We are no different than the soldiers who nailed Jesus to the cross – for it was our sin that put Him there, and it is for our sin that He died. Take a moment to reflect on your own sin that was nailed to the cross when Jesus suffered on our behalf.
- Spend some time confessing your sin to God the Father, and thanking Him for the forgiveness all of your sin – past, present and future – that was bought with the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 says “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Reflect and meditate on the truth of this verse in the light of Jesus’ death – and acknowledge that it is only because of Jesus that we have become the righteousness of God
Depend on the Spirit
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see the deeper longings, desires or motives in your heart that those thoughts are pointing to. (For example: you may write down, “It is so hard to understand how Jesus became sin on my behalf, but I want to acknowledge the truth of this, and thank you for it, Lord. Please guide me in an appropriate response to Jesus’ sacrifice for me.”) The Lord can help us discern the path forward – through His word, His Spirit, His people.
For Prayer
Today, pray that we, as a people of God, will appropriately reflect on the immense sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf on the cross, dying the death that we, in our sin, deserve.
Good Friday Service – 6pm
Please bring your family and join us at Ascent Church at 6pm for a reverent, reflective and meaningful Tennebrae worship service, as we remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross on this day.
____________________________________________________
Content from these devotionals has been adapted from various resources, including The Bible Speaks Today commentary series by John Stott, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary by Derek Kidner, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary by Tremper Longman and others.
Recent Comments