Devotional Guide—April 19

Good Friday

April 19, 2019
Praise:  Our Response to
God’s Generosity and Grace

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest…he entered once and for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:11a, 12

There is so much about God’s provision and plans that we will probably never understand, and surely this passage is one of those. Long before Christ came in the form of man, God ordained that there would be “no remission of sins without the shedding of blood.” I only understand a little of what that means.

First we have to remember that there are not little sins and big sins. There is just sin. Period. When we sin, the deed is more repulsive than we can imagine. It is a terrible travesty, and someone has to pay for what we have done. So to atone for the sin of man and for the whole nation of Israel, once a year – every year – the priest went into the temple to offer a blood sacrifice, an animal sacrificed as a substitute for the sin of man and nation.

But the preacher in Hebrews reminds us that when Jesus, our great high priest, went in with the blood offering, it was his very own perfect blood. That offering would never have to be made again. It would last for eternity to satisfy our sin debt!

And that’s what Good Friday is all about!

Prayer: Father, we can never adequately thank you for this priceless gift made on our behalf. We praise you for eternal redemption through Christ’s priceless blood. Help us live in a way that shows you how grateful we are. Amen.

“I am the resurrection and the life.” John 11:25
Lenten Devotional Guide
prepared for Homosassa United Methodist Church, Spring 2009
by Patience Nave, Christian Education Director