What Held Him There

About 1980 years ago, the most tragic death took place. A perfect, sinless man who called Himself Jesus, the Son of God, was nailed in His hands and feet to a cross. He hadn't committed any crime, He hadn't even thought a sinful thought. He was God's Son, He was a spotless Lamb, and He was our sacrifice. He took our place on the cross and paid the penalty for our sin by sacrificing His life and dying a death that we should have died. Nailed pierced His hands and feet, a crown of thorns was pressed into His head, blood flowed from His body, and love for us flowed from His heart. It wasn't the nails that held Him on that cross. It was His powerful love for us. He loved us...sinful, wretched people who are only deserving of eternal punishment in hell. We don't deserve His love, His tender mercy, His compassion, His grace, and we most certainly don't deserve eternal life with Him. We haven't done anything to deserve that kind of love. We know that He truly loves us because He died a horrific death when we should have been on that cross. He suffered persecutions, trials, torture, harassment, whippings, scorning, mocking, and a death we can't even image. As Christians, we should be willing to give up our lives for His sake. If He died for us, what more can we do than lay down our lives for Him, pick up our cross, and follow Him even if it means death. We live in a society that the only persecution we'd receive would be people ignoring you, you'd lose your friends, you'd lose your popularity, or you might be called bad names. We don't get the kind of persecution Jesus received because we aren't living like Christ did.
In other countries, it is forbidden to own a Bible. It is forbidden to go to church and to be a Christian. The true followers of Christ in these countries are persecuted, and I mean they are tortured, mocked, ridiculed, harassed, and even murdered. Those people are living like Christ.
We say to one another, "Well I want to become more like Christ!" and we think we just have to live a righteous life, go to church, read our Bible, pray, talk to others about God if they are willing to listen but otherwise don't "shove our religion down other people's throats". This should never be! If we are truly wanting to live like Christ and be Christ-like, then we should be suffering, we should be receiving persecution for our faith, we should be treated like Christ was. But we aren't being treated this way because we are not living like Christ did. I urge you today to go out and speak the truth in love but boldly. Matthew 28: 19-2o says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 10:22;27;28;32;33 says, "You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved." "What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops." "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." "Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven."
We are all in this together and we will fight the good fight of faith until the end when our Lord comes to meet us in the clouds. Until then, do not lose heart, do not give up, stand firm in your faith, don't compromise, and live a life pleasing in the sight of Jesus Christ!
It wasn't the nails that held Him there. It was His love for us.