Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 Good News: Life Through Death

Bible Portion – Isaiah 53

Bible Key Verse Text
“Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with affliction. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.” (Isaiah 53:10 NSRV)

Devotional Text
Isaiah 53 is the prophecy of the suffering and atonement of Jesus Christ. Isaiah describes the burdens Jesus Christ suffered till his death by the hands of God’s people. “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” Isaiah portrays the simplistic life Jesus lived, with nothing that others should envy. Instead, He became the target of abuse and mockery because of His inclination to serve others and spread the Good News.
Despite all his good deeds, he was destined for a cruel death that he did not deserve, so that we, his offspring, will live after death even though we were doomed through our actions.
At the end of the passage, Isaiah notes that Jesus will be greatly rewarded for the suffering he endured. In this portion, God says, “I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong.” This portrays that we will also be rewarded if we stand firm in our faith. It is a reminder that those weak in spirit will not prosper like those who are strong in their beliefs and have lived a life devoted to Christ. 
This portion is a reminder that Jesus sacrificed his life as an offering to save his creation from catastrophe. With this reminder, we should not live our lives to please others or enjoy worldly pleasures, but live as a testimony to Jesus’ sacrifice, modeling our lives after Jesus, to live for the will of God. Our struggles are a reflection of character that should be a testimony to the life of Christ. We should strive to build our relationship with God so that our foundation will be well established and our footing will not upend when challenges come our way. 

Prayer

 Lord, we pray that we are able to model our lives to be keepers of the Word and strive to live in your Kingdom. Help us to remain strong in our challenges and trials, so that You are able to mend and shape us to carry on Your will. 

Thought for the Day

Let our blessings be a reminder of the suffering You endured for our atonement.

Esther Mathew
Salem MTC, NY

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