THE PASSION THAT GAVE US LIFE.
THE PASSION THAT GAVE US LIFE
Once again, Passion Week is upon us, as we journey toward Good Friday and Easter Sunday—when we remember and celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
As brutal, devastating, and painful as His crucifixion was, it remains the very reason we are here today.
Simply put, He died so that we could live.
“He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:15 (NLT)
Jesus Christ was born to die.
That was why He came.
That was why God sent Him.
He came to restore—fully and abundantly—all that the enemy had stolen.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
— John 10:10 (ESV)
Yet, daily, the enemy tries to rob us of our inheritance in Christ. We wake up anxious and worried about the day ahead. We worry about what is not enough. We are troubled by rising costs and uncertain times.
For many, peace feels distant.
But Jesus has already given us all the assurance we need:
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
— John 14:27 (NLT)
There is no time like now to receive this gift of peace.
The news we hear daily is unsettling.
Social media is filled with distressing stories.
Many are overwhelmed—some even giving up because they feel they cannot cope.
But Jesus says: Do not be troubled. Do not be afraid.
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
— John 16:33 (NLT)
Jesus never hid the reality of life’s challenges, from us, but He continually encouraged us: Fear not.
We must take deliberate steps (by meditating on Scripture) —to intentionally choose Jesus above the anxiety, the confusion, the fear, the panic, and the worry.
The One who spoke to the wind and the storm and stilled them cares deeply about you and me.
He will not allow us to be overwhelmed or swallowed by life’s storms.
The word “Passion” comes from the Latin passio, meaning to suffer.
Jesus suffered unimaginable agony on our behalf—yet many still live in anguish today.
Some endure deep emotional and mental torment.
But it need not be so.
At the whipping post and on the cross, Jesus took upon Himself our anxiety, our condemnation, our depression, our disease, our disgrace, our fear, our guilt, our humiliation, our pain, our reproach, our rejection, our shame, our sickness and our sin.
Jesus has already paid the price. God will NEVER again judge us for all those things. His judgement was on Jesus at the Cross.
But we must choose to focus on Jesus rather than all the things that are not working in this world. We must choose Him above all that distresses us.
When we choose Jesus, we choose life.
We choose abundance, boldness, grace, health, joy, light, mercy and peace.
Jesus has done too much for us to ignore. Far too much.
As we continue through this Passion Week, let us pause to reflect deeply on His suffering—and be filled with gratitude and thanksgiving for all He has done.
As we reflect on all that Jesus has done for us, let our hearts be drawn into deeper gratitude and worship. Allow His peace to quiet every fear, and His love remind us that we are never alone. This week and always, let us continually choose Jesus —the One who gave everything so that we might truly live. I invite you to listen to this song that has been on my heart all week, “You Are the One”— by New Creation Worship I pray that it will minister to you as it has to me.
OLUYINKA EGO-MARTINS ©