Beloved, you and I have praised God together through two dozen posts since January. We’ve celebrated His greatness, His compassion, His strength, His gentleness, His sovereignty—the truth is, we could mine His Word for years and never unearth all His praiseworthy qualities.
As our online sister, Jennifer, said, “He is faithful, merciful, loving, patient, long-suffering, our Father and Friend, an all-perfect Sacrifice, and our Savior. He is everything.”
He is. And His sacrifice is the most generous gift ever given. “He has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).
There is no one else like our God. Over the centuries, other gods required followers to sacrifice their lives or the lives of their children. Molek, the detestable god of the Ammonites, was one of them. (Leviticus 18:21).
But our Lord Jesus? He sacrificed His life for us. “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
Can you imagine it? God the Father watched His Son’s suffering and pain, His crucifixion and death, and called it good, called it a sweet-smelling aroma, a fragrant offering.
Oh, Lord, how can we comprehend such love?
His sacrifice didn’t cost Him something. It cost Him everything. “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith” (Romans 3:25).
What does it mean, to receive something by faith?
- It means letting go of our pride and accepting the undeniable fact that we need His blood to cover our sins.
- It means facing the horror of the cross and embracing the truth that His atoning sacrifice was necessary and was enough.
- It means saying with Jesus, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Because it is, my friend. It’s done, once for all.
His finished work is our finished faith.
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14). Perfect forever? It hardly seems possible. In our flesh we’re not perfect even for a minute, let alone forever. But through His Spirit and because of His sacrifice, we are made perfect. That is to say, complete. Yes, finished.
There is nothing left to be done but praise His name. All the time. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15).
Our calling is clear: profess, proclaim, and praise His name. Today, tomorrow, and forever.
Lord Jesus, Your sacrifice is beyond our comprehension. Your gift is unmatchable. Your love is overwhelming. Your offering is everything.
“Amazing love, how can it be, that You my King would die for me?” If you have a moment, listen to this powerful worship song written by Billy James Foote, with unforgettable scenes from The Passion of the Christ.
His amazing love. His amazing sacrifice. Please share your thoughts below.
Your grateful sister, Liz
@LizCurtisHiggs
P.S. Next Wednesday, please join me for two special events. First, we’ll gather in my old Kentucky home for a 30-minute Livestream at 12noon ET. It’s easy to join me at LizCurtisHiggs.com/livestream. Then, at 1:00pm here on my weekly blog, we’ll begin our 10-week study of the queen of Sheba, as together we journey across the Arabian Desert and through the pages of It’s Good to Be Queen. My sister, I cannot wait to spend time with you, Sheba, and the Lord we love!
