“He received 39 stripes because 40 was known to kill a man. They wanted him alive. They held handfuls of his beard, and hair and pulled it out by the roots. They wanted him alive. They kicked, punched, and spit on him for hours. Until there wasn’t a single spot on his body not covered in blood. They wanted him alive.

They shoved a crown of thorns down on his head so harshly it stuck in his skin. They wanted him alive. After hours of being beaten, mocked, whipped, flogged, and tortured they made him walk with a very heavy cross. A rough piece of wood with splinters digging into fresh wounds. They wanted him alive.

They wanted him to feel every ounce of pain they could bring upon Him. He had to feel it in order to heal us. Crucifixion was historically one of the cruelest most tortured deaths a human could face. Hours upon hours of torture. Torture most of us can not mentally think of because the cruelty isn’t normal. It isn’t something our minds can comprehend. We celebrate Easter with pastel colors, happy children hunting eggs, and chocolate. Truth is there was absolutely nothing happy about the day Jesus died. It was cruel, bloody, and nasty. Our joy isn’t the horrible journey to being nailed up on that cross, it’s the BLOOD payment was satisfied, once & for all of time. Our hearts fill with un-bounding joyful gratitude, because the grave could not keep Him, though He died, He rose to life again, because the full payment of SIN had been paid! Let’s us respect & honor Christ Jesus, by not calling it Easter, but rather call it Resurrection Day!

He could have stopped all of it. He could have called every angel in heaven to demolish every person standing and shouting “Crucify Him!” He didn’t. He knew in order to have joy you have to carry your cross. He felt everything that day. He felt how your heart broke wide open when you had to watch your baby die. He felt how heavy your life was when you were staring down the barrel of a gun wondering if the man you called husband was going to shoot you. He carried the weight of the burden you have felt since your spouse died and life just doesn’t seem right since. He encountered every heartbreak, so, yes He knows what you’re going through!

On that cross he held the rapist and murderers, the sinner and the saints, & yes the LGBTQ, all the sexually disoriented people. He leveled every playing field and said ALL of you are worth it. He knew he had to carry the cross. He never promised the cross you carry in this life would not be heavy, but He did promise to be with you through all of your unfair events in life. His promise is, He will return!

No matter how heavy your burdens of this life is, financially, emotionally, mentally, or physically. That cross your carrying & weighing you down, you are about to crumble under its weight. His promise was simply this. He won’t make you carry it alone. What kind of king would step down from his throne for this?

Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God did. For you.
He did every bit of it for you and me. Oh yes it is heavy. So heavy sometimes you do not think you can take one more step. But look up, because our heavenly home has been prepared for us, He has promised one day He will receive you into His KINGDOM, not as simple people, but His beloved Bride. Jesus Christ the one & only true Son of GOD, our creator, made it possible despite what we may go through that “ NO ONE WOULD PERISH, His one true Son paid the BLOOD price in full, & made this available totally “FREE OF CHARGE” only thing you required to do is except this GIFT! No person can earn their way in.
(Posted from the group Smith Wigglesworth and other generals of God)