“Then cometh Jesus
with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye
here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons
of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them,
My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with
me.”
Think of it for a moment. Jesus—burdened with all the
weaknesses of fallen humanity in His human nature—was in agony. His human
desire shrank from the fate before Him—a cruel, torturous death at the hands of
His enemies. As He knelt there in the garden, great drops of blood dripped from
His forehead as He wrestled with God in prayer.
Yet, love prevailed. Love for you, love for me. As God the
Father brought the picture of your face, and of my face, before Jesus, He could
not say no.
And because He said yes to that great sacrifice on the
cross, you and I have hope. Because of that sacrifice, every sin in our
record is blotted out—under one condition! What is that condition? John 3:16
tells us the answer: We must “believe in Him.” Faith is the key that unlocks
heaven’s storehouse. Everything is possible to him that believeth. And is it
our own faith that we have to muster up to believe in Him? No; God has granted
to each and every one of us a “measure of faith” (Romans 12:3), which will grow
and strengthen as we exercise it. When Satan throws our past mistakes and
failures in our face to discourage us, it is our privilege to throw Jesus’
sacrifice in Satan’s face, and remind Him that Jesus’ blood now covers us, and
he (Satan) is a defeated foe.
But the miracle doesn’t stop here. If Christ had stayed in
the grave, we would still have no hope. But Romans 6:4 tells us that Christ’s
resurrection gives us power to walk in newness of life—to not only have a clear
record covering our past, but also to maintain that clear record from now until
Christ comes again. How is this possible? Through
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, living out Jesus’ perfect character in us.
And again, this can happen only when we believe in His power and claim
His promises in faith, believing that He loves us and will accomplish what He
has promised. “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” I
John 5:4.
Will you have faith in Him today? Will you trust in His righteousness to cover you and empower you to walk in newness of life?
