June 10, 2023 - Isaiah‬ ‭53:4-6‬

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6 NIV

Lord, we are so blown away by the sacrifice that you have made for us. Thank you for leaving everything and coming to earth. Thank you for coming as a “normal” person and choosing to live with the same challenges we deal with. Thank you for laying down your life and shedding your blood so we can have healing, forgiveness, wholeness, and relationship with you. What a complete honor to have a God that would do that for each one of us. Grateful doesn’t begin to express how we feel about the price you paid so we can have a relationship with you. What an incredible blessing!

Lord, help us learn to honor the sacrifice that you made by doing our best to live for you. We don’t want our sin and disobedience to cause you more pain. Help us turn away from temptation. Open our eyes to sinful things that we do and don’t even realize it. We want to honor you in all we do.

Lord, we also want to live our lives so that you receive the reward of your suffering. We not only want to honor you with our lives, but we want to bring as many others into a relationship with you as possible. Help us see people the way you do. Increase our hearts for the lost. Help us get past fear and selfishness when it comes to loving others and sharing you freely. We want to honor you by doing what you commissioned us to do and spreading your good news to the lost.

In Jesus name, amen.