Daily Delight

If someone saved your life, you would want to know who they were, right? You'd want to thank them. Well, let me introduce Him to you: for six hours He hung there - arms outstretched, tired and weary. The combination of sweat and blood trickling down His body. The Almighty King stripped of all His strength and completely weak. The Son of Man wearing a crown full of thorns - a symbol of something so powerful decorated with undeniable pain. Jesus Christ forced to the wooden planks of the cross with only a few nails. The weight of His entire body distributed unequally and becoming unbearably heavy. I can't even begin to fathom what would have been going through His mind while experiencing this. Our Saviour looked down from the cross with a heavy heart and the excruciating pain of every single thorn puncturing His skin. Yet, He still chose to love those who put Him there in the first place. What an amazing, relentless love. 

The term 'excruciating' means to cause great agony or suffering. If you are anything like me, I often toss around the word when explaining the pain I feel from stubbing my toe or when those monthly cramps are getting way out of hand. However, the Latin roots of the word will make you think twice about the intensity we place on the pain we experience. With 'ex' meaning from/out of and 'cruciate' meaning cross, the word in its entirety means 'from the cross' and refers directly to the slow and painful death experienced through crucifixion. The pain we feel is incomparable to what Jesus experienced. "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13, NLT). "He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed" (1 Peter 2:24, NLT). 

He calls us to be exclusively His and to live in the promise that He will return. 

So now that you know this stranger, have you thanked Him today? Are you living your life as if you have been saved? 

{photo: @travisj_photo ; pictured: @kaitvanhoff}

About the Author

Jessica Shipton≫ ≫ Jessica is a twenty-year old student in her third and final year at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. She is studying a Bachelor of Communication, completing a double major in Digital & Social Media and Public Communications (Advertising). 

Jessica enjoys traveling and holds a passion for God, people and writing. Her personal blog is where these three things combine to create something special in an attempt to inspire, encourage and bless others. You can find it here!