The Passion of Christ




Some of you may not have caught Mel Gibson's 'Passion of Christ' movie. Anyway, I've just included a short snippet of the movie (how Jesus was tortured and crucified by the Romans to the point where He breathed His last). Do spare about 5mins for this movie :)

This movie is certainly meaningful as it reminds me of how we so often hear and talk about 'For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only begotten son...', that it doesnt seem to mean much, does it?

The price that Jesus had paid for us all didnt come cheap and while watching the movie, I couldnt help but feel much anger towards the Roman soldiers. How they tortured Him was almost beyond what any human being would be able to endure. Yet, Jesus uttered to the Father to 'Forgive them for they know not what they do.."

Do you also feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude knowing how Jesus, the Son of God, Kings of Kings, who has the power to command legions of angels to save Him from the cross, chose instead to complete the mission so that we might be saved?

Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,and by His wounds we are healed.


Thank You for the cross Lord
Thank You for the price You paid
Bearing all my sin and shame
In love You came
And gave amazing grace

Thank You for this love Lord
Thank You for the nail-pierced hands
Washed me in Your cleansing flow
Now all I know
Your forgiveness and embrace

Worthy is the Lamb
Seated on the throne
Crown You now with many crowns
You reign victorious

High and lifted up
Jesus, Son of God
The darling of heaven crucified
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb

devotionSEVENTEEN - Almighty God

As Christians, we love and worship God, but do we fear Him? Do we remember that He is all-powerful and sovereign? In this devotional, we look at Isaiah chapter 6, where Isaiah's encounter with God reminds us how mighty He is.

I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Isa 6:1-5

God is wonderfully complex and can never be fully defined by any single thought or idea. He has many natures and many sides which are all very different and all equally valid. For example, one of the most cherished images we have of Jesus is that of an accessible and compassionate friend and companion. Without a doubt, Jesus fulfills that role for his faithful. Yet at the same time, consider the image of Christ we get from the Book of Revelation.

"His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance." Rev 1:14-16.

The contrast is startling. Jesus is kind and loving, but He is also a fierce warrior. The Father is likewise loving and merciful, yet this very same God declares, "I will pour out my vengeance on all the nations that refuse to obey me." Micah 5:15.

We can be certain that any descriptive term we use for God, in isolation, will fall well short of elucidating all that He is. The best we can do is to continually appreciate and accept all his many qualities, without neglecting those we may not understand.

In this devotional, we want to take you to the other side of the spectrum and look at another aspect of God's nature which may be equally overlooked. If we are guilty of overlooking the fact that Jesus became a man, then perhaps we are sometimes guilty of failing to remember His awesome power, His supremacy and His authority.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with our cherished image of the peaceful and kind Jesus who calls children to Him and always turns the other cheek. It's a completely accurate albeit incomplete description of our Lord. As an extension of that image, we may have the idea that if we were to meet Jesus face to face, we would shake His hand, perhaps give Him a hug and then go grab a coffee.

This passage from Isaiah is a startling reminder of what would happen if we were to actually meet our God face to face, revealed to us in all His true glory. Like Isaiah, in the presence of the almighty God, seated on His throne, we would fall on our knees and proclaim "Woe is me - my eyes have seen the King!"

Let us never forget that God is to be feared. God is to be respected. He is the creator of everything seen and unseen, and deserves our worship and adoration. His power is limitless and without equal. His glory and holiness are beyond our measure.

Our purpose in this devotional is not to in any way diminish his human qualities or his love, mercy or compassion. Without those qualities, we would all be lost! Rather, our hope is that when you ponder Jesus Christ and all that He is, you might never forget His power and glory which completely fill the heavens and the earth. As you love and surrender to Christ, may you not forget to fear Him as well.