Category: Jesus Character

Burden

We’ve been looking at 1 Peter 2:24, and seeing that Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. Here’s a devotional poem from Christ-follower Cecil Billingsley seeing the same. It’s called “Burden.”

The world has lost its hold on me!
The world has lost its hold on me!
Jesus’ love has set me free!
The world has lost its hold on me!

He has made my burden light,
lifted weight that bound me tight.

Burden of greed lifted from me;
His holy love has set me free.

Burden of hate lifted from me;
His holy love has set me free.

Burden of fear lifted from me;
His holy love has set me free.

Burden of lust lifted from me;
His holy love has set me free.

The world has lost its hold on me!
The world has lost its hold on me!
Jesus’ love has set me free!
The world has lost its hold on me!

Devotional poem © 2016 Cecil Billingsley. Used with permission.

The cross is the agency of sanctification as well as the means of forgiveness — saving grace to save us from the world, saving grace to help us everywhere and in everything for our salvation, and saving grace to help us to conquer our self-will.

Alexander MacLaren

Salvation is a wonderfully comprehensive term. It is a great mistake to suppose that it is merely a synonym for forgiveness. God is as much concerned with our present and future as with our past. His plan is first to reconcile us to himself, and then progressively to liberate us from our self-centeredness and bring us into harmony with our fellow men.

John Stott

Jesus Makes a House Call

God’s Word says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness” — 1 Peter 2:24

“Jesus, hear my cry and save me
from the fatal poison of my sin,
for I cannot save myself!” —
Immediately, the doorbell rings.
I open, and stand face to face
with the Antidote of God.
He does not bring a cure;
He is the cure.

The crucified and risen Christ,
Lord of All, Love Itself, smiles
and wraps me in an embrace.
His arms are carpenter-strong;
His words speak to deepest need:
“Child, you are forgiven.
Your house is full of poison,
but I will set you free.”

Jesus quickly brings in his bag
and says He’s moving in.
Now, day by day, my Savior
goes through all my house,
and when He cleans an area up,
He marks it with a cross.
Often He wrenches open
secret doors I’d keep shut.
But when again that cross appears,
I know the sin He’s rid me of
so I can live and learn to love.

Devotional poem © 2016 Michael Himick. Used with permission.

He Bore Our Sins

God’s Word says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness” — 1 Peter 2:24