CE Chapter 10 Reflection (substitute of Retreat Reflection) (Louise Escobar)

 

JESUS SACRIFICED FOR US. (ch 10)

Long before Jesus ever died on a cross, He made a tremendous sacrifice for you.  Most have heard how Jesus died on a cross and how His death pays the penalty for our sins, but did you know that long before He breathed the last breath before His death, He gave up who He was for you and me?

John 1 tells us that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (verses 1, 14).  The Word who was with God and who was God is the One we know as Jesus the Christ.  He is the One who made all things and nothing was made without Him (John 1:3).  He is the One who created all things “that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible” (Colossians 1:16).  He is the One who is before all things and who makes all things consist (Colossians 1:17).
The life of Jesus started well before He was known as the man Jesus on the earth.  He was the One who spoke to Moses in the burning bush and said, “I AM that I AM”.  He declared Himself as this same I AM when He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58).  I Corinthians 10 tells us that the Spiritual Rock that followed the Israelites in the desert when they wandered was the same Christ (I Corinthians 10:1-4).
Long before Jesus died He made a great sacrifice for us; He gave up who He was as God with all His power and might.  Philippians 2:5-8 tell us,

In chapter 10, it's about the sufferings and the sacrifices of Jesus Christ our Lord. It tells us to follow the Lord our God and to carry our own crosses. To follow and love God for all that He has done for us; to listen to Him even facing all the trials that life is giving. Jesus died on the cross to redeem us from our sins Through His sacrifice, He reconciled humanity with God. It's the way of the cross to give us the lesson that God sacrificed and gave His life for us. That through HIs sacrifice on the cross, Jesus showed His love for humanity. By all the sufferings and death on the cross, He redeemed us from the slavery of sin and opened the gates of eternal life. one way that we can share the sufferings of Jesus Christ is by giving submitting ourselves unto Him whole heartedly. Our God is our God. He is our moghty Savior, Lord, and Son of our Creator. We should love Him in all ways that we can. LOVE GOD.  <3

Jesus loves you so much that He was willing to give up all His power and reputation as God to come in the form of a servant and to be clothed with flesh as a man, just like you and me.  He made himself like a part of His own creation.  He humbled himself to become like us for the purpose of giving us eternal life.  He gave up His eternal life so that we could have it.  He gave up being with God so that we could live with God forever.
Imagine that the Word, now God in the flesh, Emanuel, Jesus, was for the first time in his life separated from the Father by flesh.  He was no longer in the Spirit dwelling with God the Father, but He was on earth where He had to eat and sleep, where He felt pain and got tired, where he could be injured and die.  Jesus made a tremendous sacrifice to simply become a man.
It was in this part of His great sacrifice that Jesus was made perfect or complete, being identified with the sufferings of mankind (Hebrews 2:9-18; 4:14-16).  He is now able to minister on our behalf in Heaven with understanding and compassion because He lived in the flesh as a man and was tempted by sins as a man is.  Jesus made Himself like us so that He could better serve us.

Revelation 14:7 - Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.