Reading: “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” —Ephesians 5:2  

The unknown sorrows of the Redeemer are a continual source of support and consolation to His believing people. In His sufferings they contemplate His atonement, His love, and His example, and they are animated by the bright and glorious issue. For He passed from death to life, from suffering to glory.

His atonement apprehended by faith, delivers them from guilt and condemnation, gives them peace with God, and access to Him with liberty as children. Being thus delivered from their heavy burden and from the power of Satan, and having a way open for receiving supplies of grace and strength, according to their day, they are prepared to take up their cross and to follow him.

His love, in submitting to such sorrows for their sakes, attaches their hearts to Him. Great is the power of love! It makes hard things easy and bitter, sweet. Some of us can tell, or rather we cannot easily tell, how much we would cheerfully do, or bear, or forbear, for the sake of the person whom we dearly love. But this noblest principle of the soul never can exert itself with its full strength, till it is supremely fixed upon its proper object. The love of Christ has a constraining force indeed! It is stronger than death. It overcomes the world, and we thus love Him because He first loved us, because He loved us and gave Himself for us.

(Taken from “No Sorrow Like Messiah’s Sorrow” in The Works of John Newton, 4:268-270)

 

He was lifted up to die;
“It is finished” was his cry;
now in heaven exalted high:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

—P. Bliss