March 5 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Jesus is hanging on the cross. The road of obedience is the road of suffer­ing. Now he is in the last phase, the bitter phase.

The devil despairs, but he does not give up. The persistence of the devil is great; it is surpassed only by the persistence of the Holy Spirit.

Through Herod the devil tried to snuff out the life of the holy baby. In person the devil tried to bring Jesus to disobedience in the wilderness. Through Peter he tried to stop the Messiah on his way to the cross. And now, at the cross, Satan still shoots his arrows.

The ignorant crowd is shouting: "He saved others, but he can't save himself!" The devil puts drops of poison into their words. It is a taunt, a provocation. Little kids know how to taunt each other: "You can't get me. . . ." "You wouldn't dare. . . ."

What a temptation, this provocation by the crowds! "Come down now from the cross, and we will believe in you." Forgive the jeering crowds. They don't know what they are shouting. But God knows it and the devil knows it. Jesus hears the tempter's voice.

Angels and demons have joined the crowd. They watch the spectacle people cannot fathom. There are dimensions present here, a depth people cannot see unless God has opened their eyes and their heart.

The middle figure on the hill hangs writhing with pain.

The devil's attack is fierce. It hurts more than Jesus' nail-pierced hands. But he remains on the cross. In his heart Christ renews the oath to the Father, "If I am to save others, I cannot save myself. Away from me, Satan. Since I must save others, I shall not save myself."

It wasn't the nails that kept Jesus on the cross but his love.

Bless the Lord, bless your Lord, O my soul.

REFLECTIONS

Give thanks and praise that Jesus stayed on the cross out of love for you.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.