Even before the world was spoken into existence, God knew the cost of His creation, I believe. I’m sure He knew that providing for our every need and loving us unconditionally wouldn’t be enough to keep us from sinning. Yet, He formed us anyway.
When Lucifer deceived Eve, and Eve handed the forbidden fruit to Adam, our Father knew that He would someday make the ultimate provision so the darkness of our sin could be washed away, so that we could be presented sinless before Him for eternity. His ultimate provision was also His ultimate sacrifice.
Every time I read Genesis and get to the point where Abraham is about to sacrifice Isaac, I cringe at the thought. The torment Abraham must have been going through, the fear and confusion that Isaac must have felt. How did he ever get over that? It would have been traumatic. While Abraham and Isaac got a reprieve, God and Christ did not.
When Jesus was praying in the garden and asking His Father if there was any way this cup could pass—Jesus sweated blood. The burden was so great. How could God endure sacrificing His only Son for sinners such as us? We can’t possibly praise God enough for this gift of salvation. The price was so great.
We all memorized John 3:16 as children, but I think it would have been wonderful for us to have also committed verse 17 to memory:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:16-17 ESV
Please join me this week in praising God for His provisions. Pray that we may be image-bearers for Christ and that others will see our thankfulness for what God provides. Pray that God uses us to soften the hearts of the unbelievers we meet, that we can be a light, shining the way to knowing Him and resting in His grace and mercy.
