Jesus didn't just take our place.Did you know that before time was birthed, God was thinking of you?
He gave us His.
Lisa Bevere
That’s a stunning thought!
Consider it. Before the Garden of Eden was seeded, we were planted in Him. Before Adam and Eve were put out of the garden, we were securely hidden in Christ. Before our sins were as scarlet, God washed them white as snow. How? Through the Cross.
The magnificence of the Cross and all it was to accomplish was always known by God—and always intended for you. Today I invite you to take a few moments and meditate on the Cross as a declaration of God’s love for you.
Scripture says that…
…[God] chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.(Eph. 1:4 ESV)Make no mistake: the Cross was not a backup plan set into motion when Adam and Eve failed. It was a fail-safe, always part of the plan. Not one of us was alive when our Christ was crucified. But that doesn’t matter, because even before time began we were chosen in Christ Jesus. Just as in Adam all have sinned, in Christ all are forgiven.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he…might reconcile us both to God…We were saved, forgiven, healed, loved, graced, empowered, and restored “in Christ.” Just as “in Christ” God caught all of us before we fell. He loved and knew us first, long before we ever knew Him. He appeared on our scene so that He could dismantle what the devil had built. And He became like us so we could be like Him.
(Eph. 2:13–16 ESV)
Jesus didn’t just take our place. He gave us His. We have His life, His name, His words, His authority, and His promise because of the Cross. It symbolizes God’s faithfulness while it expresses His faith in us. Through the Cross we are equipped to walk in Him!
What is your response to the revelation of the Cross? How do you want to respond to God in this moment—and how do you want to live in response to what He has done?
Source: Girls with Swords: How to Carry Your Cross Like a Hero by Lisa Bevere.
Excerpt permission granted by Messenger International, All rights reserved.
Passionate. Edgy. Relatable. Powerful. Funny. These words describe Lisa Bevere, international speaker, best-selling author, and co-host of The Messenger television program, which broadcasts in more than 200 countries.
