[RE]FOCUS Day 14
Week 2: Reflecting
Day 7: Gospel
by Brie Termini
READ:
Isaiah 53:12
The 53 rd chapter of Isaiah lists some of the things Jesus endured during His time on earth.
Despised, rejected, stricken, and afflicted are just a handful of the descriptive words used. We
can commiserate, can’t we? We all know what it feels like to be disliked. We’ve all been the
pariah in someone’s story. We’ve all been on the outs. But…have we all dealt with that pain the
way Jesus does?
The very last line of this verse is where our lesson lies. Jesus could have been angry and
hateful. In His very heart, He could have separated Himself from those who hurt Him. He could
have looked at those that perpetrated the nastiness as ‘other’…as ‘them’…as ‘the enemy’. But
He was and is the Perfect One, and He chose love. He “made intercession for the
transgressors”. He prayed for those who hurt Him. Mind. Blown.
We are in the middle of a very painful time of history. Dark, heavy lines have been drawn in the
sand that separate us on SO many issues. WHAT IF we chose to deal with ‘them’ like Jesus
did? WHAT IF praying for those that persecute us, or at the very least hatefully disagree with us,
could reveal to us a deeper view of God’s grace? WHAT IF those prayers could put a mirror in
front of our own actions so we could see how we are inevitably persecuting others as well? The
Perfect One chose love…and we are called to live like Him. Prayers, brothers and sisters, that
choosing love becomes second nature to us. And soon.
PRAY:
Jesus, when You could have chosen distance and damnation for us, You chose grace, faith,
hope, and love. Work in my heart and mind to refocus them on You, so that these gifts get to
everyone who needs them.
LIVE:
The word gospel literally means “good news.” Sometimes the most difficult thing is believing
this gospel of Jesus is for you. How do Isaiah’s words give you confidence to believe all Jesus
did is for you?