The Precious Blood

During a communion service today, I held a small cup of juice in my hand.  The grape juice represented the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross for the sins of the world - and mine too.  Christians have not been redeemed by corruptible things, but as it is written on 1 Peter 1:19:  "...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."  It amazed me to think God would allow the precious blood of His Son to be poured out for any reason, much less to atone for cursed sinners.

We count precious things we own as treasures, treasures to be guarded, preserved, and cherished.  Yet so great was God's love for fallen men, He poured out the blood of Jesus on the dust of the earth.  The riches of God's glorious love and grace were displayed in God's sacrifice.  It boggles the wildest imagination!  Jesus Christ is in very nature God, and made in the fashion of a man - doubly precious!  In light of God's expense, how highly should Christ and His blood be regarded.

I stared at the cup of juice in wonder.  Marvelous, God's love!  Romans 5:5 says, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."  Life is in our blood, yet God has given the souls of Christians new life through the indwelling Spirit of God.  Whilst in the wilderness David wrote in Psalm 63:3, "Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You."  We cannot repay God for His demonstration of love through the precious blood of Jesus being poured out, but we can praise Him.  We can trust Him and believe His Word.  We are forever indebted to God for such love and acceptance.  Glorify Him, you who have tasted and seen that God is good.  He has taken away the bitterness of the curse of sin and replaced it with the sweetness of love and eternal life!