Ever Faithful: 5 Day Devotional PlanEsimerkki

LIFTING UP CHRIST Preachers stand on platforms; flags are raised to the top of poles; signs are put high up on billboards. Raising something high makes it visible to more people and gives it a sense of importance. That’s why God told Moses to make a serpent out of bronze, set it on a pole, and raise it up so the Israelites could see it. God had punished their sin by allowing serpents into their camp, and Moses’ bronze serpent became a source of deliverance for them when they gazed on it and believed (Numbers 21:4–9). Knowing the Jews would grasp the metaphor immediately, Jesus said that He would be “lifted up” and become a source of salvation to all who looked to Him (John 3:14–15; 12:32). By “lifted up,” He was referring to the Roman cross that lay ahead of Him. His words were prophetic—His death on a cross has drawn millions to Him for two thousand years. We continue to lift up Christ today in the Lord’s Supper, “[proclaiming] the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). We also lift Him up as we praise Him for His blessings in our lives. Our lives should continually point the world to Jesus Christ—lifting Him up for all to see and be saved.