And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again (Mark 8:31).
Lord Jesus, we worship You today. Thank You for dying on the cross for us. You didn’t deserve to go through all the agony and pain, but You did it anyway. We glorify You because you didn’t take the easy way out. You don’t ask us to do something that you were unwilling to do. We praise You because You were not ashamed to identify with our sinful, broken humanity. You didn’t whine or complain under suffering like we do. By Your death, You crushed the head of the serpent and returned from the grave so that we could experience Your never-ending life. Lord Jesus Christ, transform us, we pray, into Your likeness that our attitudes and actions may reflect Your glory and grace. You are worthy to receive all honor and all glory. Amen.
~~Nicholas Beckham