Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

Real Relate-ability At the risk of seeming somewhat redundant, it's important for us to understand that the cross was the place where Jesus literally and physically died. Why is that such an important point to take note of? Because it was through dying that Jesus experienced the full range of human experiences, and by doing so, He became fully relatable to us. Think it through for a moment. If Jesus had simply suffered but had not died, if He somehow by-passed death, then we would be left with something that we couldn't completely identify with. There would always be that lingering "Yeah but Jesus never went all the way to death" in our minds. His relate-ability as the Son of Man, as our perfect representative, would have fallen short. But Christ didn't bail out or stop the ride when it came to dying. He didn't come to the threshold of death and say, "That's far enough for me." Instead He endured the experience of death, and in the process, He became a perfect High Priest who can completely empathize with us as humans beings (Hebrews 4:15). When we find ourselves drawing close to the valley of the shadow of death, we have assurance that our Good Shepherd has already passed through. As we slowly drift toward the shoreline of eternity, we can have full confidence knowing that the Captain of our Salvation has already navigated those waters. Up to our very last breath and beyond, we have a Savior who is able to relate, empathize, and identify with what we're going through. And the reason we know this is because of what occurred on the cross. When we find ourselves drawing close to the valley of the shadow of death, we have assurance that our Good Shepherd has already passed through. Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?