In Touch Devotional 27th February 2025 By Charles Stanley, Thursday Message
TOPIC: The Symbol of Supreme Love
SCRIPTURE: John 10:17-18
Many of us display crosses in our home or wear them around our neck. But have you ever taken a moment to fully grasp the depth of love it represents?
The cross was arguably one of history’s most shameful and painful methods of execution. Crucifixion usually began with soldiers flogging the criminal with three leather cords, each containing a piece of embedded bone or metal that tore flesh to ribbons. The soldiers then hammered a long nail into the hands or wrists; another nail was driven through the ankles. Raising the cross, executioners would then drop it into a hole in the ground. In order to breathe, the convicted man had to push up on his bloody ankles.
Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully man. He experienced the full physical agony of this brutality and also felt emotional and spiritual anguish. Worst of all, when the Savior took our sin upon Himself, the Father turned His face, leaving the Son all alone in His suffering (Matthew 27:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Yet Jesus didn’t see Himself as a victim; He willingly offered His blood on our behalf and considered it a joy (Hebrews 12:2). No greater love exists.
Consider all that Jesus endured on the cross for your sake and thank Him for His boundless love.
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Dr. Charles F. Stanley was the founder of In Touch Ministries and a New York Times best-selling author. Throughout his ministry, he demonstrated a keen awareness of people’s needs and provided Christ-centered biblically based principles for everyday life.