Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us…so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17 NLT
Imagine my
surprise when I received a response that said: “You have the same name as my
husband.”
The reader
who read my devotion saw her husband’s name at the end, but the place of
residence didn’t match. That’s because it wasn’t her husband; it was me. He was
in Canada; I was in the United States. Through this coincidence, we established
a relationship. But even though we shared the same name, we shared little else.
He was older, and so were his children. We didn’t look the same, and I had no
record of him in my genealogical records. He had great-grandchildren; I only had
grandchildren.
Jesus, on the
other hand, was made just like me. He took on human flesh and experienced the
same things I experience: hunger, thirst, tiredness, betrayal, abuse,
hardships, misunderstandings, rejection, financial deprivation, anger, temptation,
grief. The only way he could take me to the Father was to become like me in
every respect—except for my sin.
Through
Christ, God created everything, but only by becoming like me could he truly
understand me. Since he has experienced similar life experiences, Jesus can
identify with what I face along life’s journey. The ups and downs, the
mountains and the valleys, the temptations and the triumphs. Having experienced
how cruel this world can be, he can show me the mercy I so often need. Life’s knockdowns
are numerous, but Christ’s grace and mercy are abundant enough to get me
through them all.
The greatest
advantage, however, of Christ becoming like me was fashioned at the cross.
Through his death, he took away my condemnation. Though he wasn’t sinful, he
took my sin so I could go free. By faith, my sins are forgiven and no longer charged
to my account.
Have you
thanked Christ lately for becoming just like you?
Prayer:
Eternal God, we thank You for the love that motivated You to allow Your Son to
become like us and procure our salvation.
Tweetable: Are you becoming like Christ?
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