Why do followers of the Lord Jesus call Good Friday “good” when it is the remembrance of such a dark and bloody event commemorating a day of suffering and death for our Savior? Growing up in a non Christian home, I never learned of the importance of what is written in *Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.* Good Friday is a reminder that mankind can only be considered “good” because of what happened on that day. It is difficult to take a genuine hard look at our own nature, the truth about what kind of people we are, by trying to see ourselves through the eyes of God as written in *Isaiah 64:6 For we have all become like one who is unclean [ceremonially, like a leper], and all our righteousness (our best deeds of rightness and justice) is like filthy rags or a polluted garment; we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away [far from God’s favor, hurrying us toward destruction]. 7 There is no one who calls on Your name, Who awakens and causes himself to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us And have handed us over to the [consuming and destructive] power of our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing].* As Christians, we believe that the Lord Jesus IS the Eternal Son Of God, and that He died for all of our sins, so for us Good Friday is the most sorrowful, the most solemn, and yet, one of the greatest days of the entire year. Biblical Christianity insists that Jesus’ substitutionary death on the Cross is the only way of getting the people of the world right with God. Every other belief system on earth basically says that if you do this, obey that, give this, you’ll get fixed, earn your way to paradise, enlightenment, nirvana, or some other kind of reward in the sky. Brethren, Good Friday is truly “Good” because the Cross may have started as a symbol of punishment, vileness, and wickedness, but ended up becoming a symbol of victory—victory over death, victory over evil, victory over sin, a pure symbol of Love. I would like to think that if we celebrated our Savior’s death everyday, that the world would be a different type of place, one that would sacrifice more of themselves and demand less of others. I like what Spurgeon Said, “No scene in sacred history ever gladdens the soul like the scene on Calvary. Nowhere does the soul find such consolation as on that very spot where misery reigned, where woe triumphed, where agony reached its climax.” Today, as you remember the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus and His profound love for humanity, may the grace of God shine upon you and the power of the Holy Spirit fill your heart with faith, hope, love, and joy because of the promise of eternal life. May you be filled with moments of spiritual growth and reflection being inspired to live a life of compassion, forgiveness with an unwavering faith in God because of the significance of this day, Amen. (((This devotional is in video version on YouTube at PastorDblog as well as on Tiktok at pastord.blog))) In Christ Love, douglas. HE>i. pastord.blog

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