Topic: JESUS LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR MANKIND – Bishop Mike Okonkwo Devotional 14 June 2021 [The Redeemed Evangelical Mission]

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JESUS LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR MANKIND

“No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” 

John 10:18 KJV

When Jesus was on planet earth, He had preached amongst the people and they tried to take Him but they couldn’t. He had come to destroy the works of the devil. He said He would lay down His life and pick it up again. When He was finally ready to lay down His life, they came to Him. He said to them, “I am He,” and they all fell on the ground. You can’t take the life of the giver of life Himself. When it was time, He surrendered His life.  He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, yet he opened not his mouth. This was on purpose so that He could accomplish God’s divine plan for mankind. Even when they told him to prophesy, He did not open His mouth. They wanted him to abort the plan of salvation, but He would not because he had you in mind.

 
Since dying was the only way to save humanity, He had to go through it. At a point, the Father turned His back on Him for the first time because the eyes of God will not behold iniquity. Jesus cried, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” Eventually He said: “It is finished” and gave up the ghost and they carried him away to be buried. But then came Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, to give Him a proper burial. You can see that the church does not only need Simon, the Cyrenian who carries the cross; the church also needs people of influence like Joseph of Arimathea who have money and can speak to the government.

We know from scriptures that the enemy was rejoicing and celebrating, thinking they had gotten Jesus. But they didn’t know that God was waiting for the appointed time. Beloved, this is your appointed time. Nothing will cut short your life.

Further Reading: John 10:9-18

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Ezra 9-10; Evening- Acts 1