Isaiah 53:4-6  4)Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (NKJV)

I normally share a short verse for the devotionals; but someone shared this particular verse on Facebook, and after I read it, I thought it very much worthy of sharing in devotion.

One of the reasons why I felt compelled to share these verses is because it was the God given understanding of these verses that initially resulted in my personal salvation.

As if it was yesterday, I can vividly recall being at very very low point in my life. I was invited to a worship service/conference by a mentor and friend; and it was right there in that meeting that These verses literally made sense to me and my eyes were opened.

Before that point, all I could seem to think about was all of the wrong and evil I had previously done; unable to pick my head up as a result of the weight of guilt from all of the bad choices I had made.

Everyone that I had in my life was either angry, disappointed, or hurt by my choices…. I believe I even despised my ownself.

Yet, in spite of my sinful choices and destructive ways, it was in “That Place” that The Lord met me with a love and compassion that only He can give, and He opened my heart to see and realize that He had in fact Taken my place and took upon Himself what I “rightfully” deserved.

That truth Broke My Heart and changed my life.

If I was a half decent man, I don’t know if it would’ve hurt so much to know that an innocent man, out of love, suffered as much as He did for me.

But the fact that I was as despicable as I was made it unbearable to resist the kind of love exemplified In The sacrifice that Jesus made for me…. Little Ole “me”.

He Took My Place…. He Took Your Place… He Took Our Place… 

This…. Is…. The Heart of The Gospel Message.

He took the place of every person you and I will ever see in the course of a day.

Father, today we stand grateful for the Love you showed by taking our place so that we might know Peace. As you made the sacrifice for us to have life (eternal), help us to show the same love for others, in your strength.
In Jesus Name.

Peace and Blessings, 

Pastor Lowe