It’s Good Friday Because of Easter!
"… God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
Acts 2:36 (NIV)
When you consider the passion of Christ and all He suffered on the cross, have you ever wondered why they call what seemed like a very bad day, Good Friday? At the time, it didn’t appear to be so good. All of His disciples had abandoned Him. Peter had denied Him, and Judas betrayed Him. Only Jesus knew why the Prophet Isaiah said, “It was the Lord’s good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief. Yet when His life is made an offering for sin, He will have many descendants.” Isaiah 53:10 (NLT)
Jesus endured the cross, the Bible says, “for the joy that was set before Him.” Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) What was that joy? Isaiah tells us, “When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of His experience, My righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.” Isaiah 53:11 (NLT)
It’s Good Friday because of Easter. The resurrection proved His Messianic claim! Because He rose, our faith has validity and power. In 1 Corinthians 15:17 (NIV), the Bible says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” But, because of the resurrection, we can experience new life! The Bible explains it like this, “… since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the (resurrection) life of His Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:10-11 (NLT)
On Good Friday, Jesus took our sins to the cross. He paid the just penalty for all our sin that we may be reconciled to God! On Sunday, He arose as our victorious Savior to impart His risen life within us! What a Savior! As you celebrate Easter, rejoice that Jesus is your salvation because He is your life!
Take a moment to share His life with others and invite a friend to an Easter service this weekend at Woodlands Church. Here’s the link for our service times and locations.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.