Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - Dec. 2, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Lamb of God
“Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
—Exodus 12:13
It’s interesting that when God instituted the ordinance of the Passover in Exodus 12:3, He told the Israelites to take a lamb. Then in the next verse He tells them to take the lamb. And then finally in verse five, He tells them to take your lamb.
When you stop and think about it, you can see a progression in this passage of Scripture of how a person comes to see Jesus. First, Jesus is a lamb. Then He is the lamb. Then He is your lamb.
Coming to Christ first begins with our recognizing that Jesus is some kind of religious figure with some kind of message of significance. We’re not really sure. We may have a general respect for Him, but it’s from a distance. He simply is a lamb.
Then Jesus is the lamb. There comes a moment in our lives when we recognize that Jesus is unique from all other figures in history. He’s more than a prophet, more than a teacher. He is actually the Son of God—deity in human form. He becomes the “Lamb of God,” as John the Baptist said, “who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
But then we go a step beyond that, and He becomes our lamb. We receive Him as our Savior and as our Lord.
There are many people today who acknowledge that Jesus is God. They acknowledge that He is in heaven. But they have not yet embraced Jesus as their Savior.
It is not enough to know that Christ died. It is enough when we recognize that Jesus died for our sins, then we repent from our sins, and finally, we receive Him as Lord. Only then is Jesus your lamb.
Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
SPECIAL OFFER
It's a Wonderful Christmas
“I hope that this ministry has been something that has brought encouragement and hope to you during this last year. Your gift is important this month because it is our desire to be there again for you this coming year.”
-Greg Laurie
Michael W. Smith has put together a new Christmas album that you will want to be a part of your Christmas listening for years to come, called It’s a Wonderful Christmas. This album is filled with songs that honor and glorify God, and will lift your spirits and help you remember what this season is really all about.
You can have your own copy of It's a Wonderful Christmas in appreciation for your gift sent to Harvest Ministries this month.