Jesus Took It For Us…

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16.

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A powerful story is told about a mountain school that had a hard time keeping a teacher. It seems there was a group of big, rough boys who took pride in running the teacher off. The biggest and roughest of them all was named Jim.

A new young teacher won over the boys, however, by letting them write the rules for the school—which were very strictly enforced with a rod. For example, cheating would be punished with five strokes of the rod, and stealing with ten strokes, both to be given with the offender's coat off.

Everything went well until one day Jim's lunch was stolen. A frail little boy in hand-me-down clothes that were too big for him admitted his guilt. The school rules demanded that he be whipped. When the teacher called the little fellow up front, he came whimpering and begging to leave his coat on because he had no shirt on and moreover his emaciated body looked like skin stretched over bones.

Suddenly, big Jim strode up and stood between the two. 'I'll take it for him, Teacher, for after all it was my lunch he stole.' He shrugged out of his coat.

At the third blow the switch broke, and the teacher threw it in the corner and said, 'That's all, school dismissed.'

"The frail little boy laid his hand on big Jim's arm and through his tears said, 'Thank you, Jim, it would have killed me.'”

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And that's exactly what Jesus did for you and me when he died on the cross on Good Friday over 2000 years ago – he took your and my punishment for all our sins so we could be freely forgiven and given God's gift of eternal life.

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son...Let us be givers just as God is a giver. He loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. If God did that for us, then the least we could do is love others and share His love by caring and doing for others as He has done for us. Let us be His light to the world.

Stay Blessed!