...Jesus Did It For Me...

 Father, If Thy Will Let This Cup Pass From Me.

 The Bible says Jesus agonized as great drops of sweat dropped to the ground because He knew when He asked for the cup to pass from Him that He must do the Father's will. Scripture says He was quite aware of why He came--He came to do the Father's will. He was not caught off guard; He knew all along He came to die. So why did He agonize in the Garden? Some people say it was because He looked into the cup and saw sin. I do not know about that and I will never dispute that.  I do know without the cup there would be no Cross; without the Cross, there would be no crown; without the crown the Father's will would be left undone. The cup represented man's sin, and the cup represented Jesus' choice to continue with the Father's will. Jesus could have called down ten thousand angels from Heaven to rescue Him from that Old Cross... but He chose not to.

I was once told by a wonderful "Man of God," that the cup represented three things:

• First: Painful punishment -- Jesus knew He would have to suffer physical pain and to think He loved me so much that He paid the awful debt that I owed fills my heart with pain... That cup represented the pain Jesus suffered on the cross.

• Second: The separation of God -- As He hung upon that Cross, He cried out in a voice of pain, “My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me.” Because of the sin He bore upon His shoulders, God could not look upon the precious face of His Son Jesus. That cup represented the separation from the Father, because sin will separate you from God. Until we come to Him for repentance He cannot hear us.

• Third: The Cross represents Death -- Jesus didn't come to live---He came to die. Jesus said, “I'll go to the cross for them. I'll drink that cup, I'll suffer for them-- Not my will Father, but thy will be done.” That Old Rugged cross was where Jesus paid for the sins of the world. He didn't have to die for us, but He took of the cup; He went to the Cross and laid down His life. Being made perfect, He became the author of Eternal Salvation, to all that obey Him.

  I don't like to think of Jesus on the Cross, but He did go. The image burns in my heart of the suffering my Savior and Friend went through dying for me. I feel the very least  I could do for Him is to live for Him. He agonized for all creation. He agonized for people that would reject His death on the Cross. He died for every man's sins. That's why the penalty was so great. I don't understand why Jesus was willing to leave Heaven and become a sacrifice for me, but He was willing. He did it for you, too. Are you going to let His death and suffering be in vain? Or will you say, “Thank You Lord, for going to the Cross for me.” All He really wants is for  us to give ourselves unconditionally to Him. That is the way I see it...

Walk with Christ;
Mary Frances King