He Took it All

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

It amazes me how perfectly the prophet Isaiah describes the work of Jesus at the cross. Hundreds of years before it ever happened, God inspired a man to speak exactly what would happen at the cross. You see, God already had it planned. There was no question and nothing was left to chance. Jesus took the punishment, even death on the cross, so that we could live in freedom and security.
There is nothing that Jesus left for us to bear. He took it all. Our transgressions, our iniquities were all accounted for at the cross. Just think of it: The sins of all mankind, from beginning to end were covered by the one sacrifice. Jesus literally paid it all in one act of ultimate heroism. Although you and I had not yet been conceived, he covered our debt in advance. Often, we think that the weight of the world is on our shoulders. We feel like we cannot bear anything else. Life is too difficult, too disappointing, to possibly take any more. It is in those times that we need to remember Jesus. Although we feel this way, he actually did bear the weight of the entire world on his shoulders that day. He did it so we won't have to. He gave us a glorious hope that cannot be found anywhere else.
    He gave us peace and healing through his death on the cross. Why do we run from this? Why do we doubt? The prophet is correct, we have stayed from the truth. We have peace through Jesus. It is an eternal peace, not just a temporal one. When it feels that there is upheaval in our lives, we can exchange that for the peace he has already delivered to us. He also died for our healing. I believe this is both emotional and physical. It is time that we begin to accept the whole work of the cross. Are we saved because of what He did at the cross? Yes! Are we healed by what He did at the cross? Yes! Do we have absolute peace because of what He did at the cross? Yes! Let's believe it!
    One more thing: We need to remember to be incredibly thankful for the cross of Christ. You can never thank God enough for this. Without the cross, we have no life, we are separated from God, we are sick and lifeless. But with the cross, all the blessings we have talked about are ours. Thank him for it. It was the ultimate sacrifice, and through Him, we live now and forever!