Good Friday...bitter sweet day. I just finished reading the first chapter of Beth Moore's book Breaking Free. It struck me that when God called Gideon to work for Him, Gideon was afraid. He did what God said, but did it at night so no one would see. His heart was doubtful and uncomfortable. God STILL called him "Mighty Warrior", before he acted mighty. Jesus was desperately grieved in the garden as He asked His Father if there was any other way to appease His wrath. Once God confirmed what had to be done, there were no more appeals, doubts or re considerations. Jesus did what had to be done, because He loved His Father so much.

Sacrifice is Love.

Today represents the greatest act of love imaginable, and God asks me (us) to follow Him, to love as He loved. Not in a gushy, easy, feel-good kind of way...that's no sacrifice...but in an often hard, against my own understanding and socially acceptable kind of way. Jesus' own family thought He was crazy and encouraged Him to stop what He was doing...out of love I'm sure, but love for their own comfort (they didn't want to loose Him). It takes great faith to love like that. In a world bent on living comfortable lives filled with pleasureable experiences, we miss out on the greatest experience of divine comfort and real, supernatural, life changing events only God can provide. May this Good Friday inspire us to live like that. Trade our old philosophy of love for His and see why this day is so "good" for the first time.

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