OUR DAILY BREAD : HE CARRIED OUR BURDEN

[cimi]

SATURDAY. OCTOBER. 13, 2018


HE CARRIED OUR BURDEN

READ:
1 PETER 1:18-25
BIBLE in ONE YEAR
ISAIAH 41-42 and 1THESSALONIANS 1
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"He himself bore
our sins" in his
body on the cross,
so that we might
die to sins and live
for righteousness;
"by his wounds
you have been
healed." 1 Peter 2:24
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It's not unusual for utility bills to be surprisingly high. But Kieran Healy of North Carolina received a water bill that would make your heart stop. The notification said she he owed 100 million dollars! Confident he hadn't used that much water the previous month, Healy jokingly asked if he could pay the bill in installments.

Owing a 100-million-dollar debt would be an overwhelming burden, but that pales in comparison to the real-and immeasurable-burden sin causes us to carry. Attempting to carry the burden and consequences of our own sins ultimately leaves us feeling tired and riddled with guilt and shame. The truth is we are incapable of carrying this load.

And we were never meant to. As Peter reminded believers, only Jesus, the sinless Son of God, could carry the heavy burden of our sin and its weighty consequences (1 PETER 2:24). In His death on the cross, Jesus took all our wrongdoing on Himself and offered us His forgiveness. Because He carried our burden, we don't have to suffer the punishment we deserve.

Instead of living in fear or guilt, the "empty way of life handed down to us" (1:18), we can enjoy new life of love and freedom (vv.22-23).

__MARVIN WILLIAMS

"Lord, sometimes our guilt and shame can feel so heavy.
Help us to release our past and its pain to You
and experience Your peace, knowing You have carried it all
and have set us free.
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Jesus carried the burden of our sin so He could give us the blessing of life.