Father, when we arrive at this day every year we pause and reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for all mankind on that cross. We relive the pain and agony He suffered on our behalf to open the door to an eternal relationship with You. But how soon we allow are days here on earth to push His sacrifice aside, replaced by the challenges of life.
You have called us to move on from the cross and follow Your Spirit as He leads us into spiritual maturity, facing the challenges that mold us and shape us into the sons and daughters you created us to be. But how quickly we move on from this day with the intention and dedication to follow You, to serve You, to love You, and to share the hope that You have put in us. How easily we forget that You and Your Son are One, and how easily we forget that … It was You on that Cross.
It was You, the Creator of heaven and earth and all they contain that submitted to man’s authority. It was You, Father, who set aside all Your rights, all Your power, to suffer for all mankind, to suffer for us, to suffer for me. In those hours on the cross you gave up everything to once and for all make the last sacrifice. It was You, Father, who laid upon that alter on our behalf, my behalf, in the form of Your Son. On this day we all are focused on Jesus and it is easy to forget that in reality It was You. You left heaven and gave it all up for us in one incredible act of true love. It was You, the One true living God that stepped down into time and fulfilled every Word You have written, every promise. It was You who suffered the humiliation, the pain, the agony and took my place.
Forgive me Father, for walking through this life and so often forgetting that in truth, It was You on that cross in my place. It was You who gave up everything and made that one, final sacrifice for us all. So as we all rejoice on Sunday as we remember the open tomb, help us to not forget that It was You who walked out in all Your glory, It was You who defeated sin for us, It was You who opened heaven’s door, It IS You who now walks with us every day, It IS You who lives in me.
Yes, Father, It was You, and now it is You in me. Help me to remember that it was the Creator, the One true living God, who came down and died on that cross and now resides in my heart as I walk through this life … hand-in-hand with You.