Thank God It's Friday! How many times have we said, or thought, those words? I mean, these words are so popular there is even a modern restaurant chain called T.G.I.F. People seem to live for Friday. So, what's the big deal with Friday?
I remember an old spiritual that had these words: "All my trials, Lord, soon forgotten." And that kind of sums up Friday. We have stresses that have built up throughout the week. Yet, no matter what the week throws out at us, it's OK because Friday's coming. And with it will come hope and rejuvenation. Let's face it, many of us live for the weekends. We love the freedom from the stresses of the "work" week. We love spending a couple of days with no real expectations. We need our batteries recharged. So yes, Friday is a big deal. So we all cry: "Thank God it's Friday!"
Yet, this Friday is a special Friday, because this Friday is "Good Friday." It is the day that we remember the death of Christ on a cross. It is the day we remember the sacrifice for our sins. And you know what? Thank God it's Friday!
In Romans 5:6-11 we read:
6For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
In this passage we see an exciting statement of TGIF.
Just like the life of the hectic work week, we all have those times of struggles and pain. For some it is the pain of illness or relational discord. For others it is the pain brought on from our own sinful choices. For others the pain might be harder to define. Yet one thing is sure, we have times in our lives when we are "without strength." In the midst of this difficult life God has made promise, that in our struggles, His death shines. It was on Friday that He fulfilled His promise that even though we are sinners, He would still die for us. When we are without strength He would die for us. For those of us who needed the weekend of salvation to arrive: Thank God it's Friday!
As we struggle through our lives we find, that just like the one living for the weekend, we need relief from the ravages of life. We need freedom from the pain; freedom from the stress; freedom from the power of sin in our lives. It was the blood of Christ shed on that fateful Friday that justified us and freed us from sin's dark sway. In our bonds, His death releases. For those of us who need to experience freedom that only God can give: Thank God it's Friday!
Life is hard and the trials severe. Because of sin in our lives we live struggling to experience the relationship with God that we were created to have. It is exciting to think that on that momentous Friday, God reconciled us to Himself and gave us the life we so desperately need. At the end of the work weak we are tired and worn, similarly we find that life wears us down and we are weak. Yet, in our weakness His death, and resurrection, revives. For those of us who need to be rejuvenated and reconciled we find that it is only possible through that death of Christ on Friday: Thank God it's Friday!
Because of Friday we have life. Because of Friday we have forgiveness. Because of Friday we have hope. Because of Friday we can face tomorrow. Thank God It's Friday!
No comments:
Post a Comment