Inner Thoughts With Abba

Early in the morning, while meditating on my bed with a teaching and prayer audio playing in the background, I heard the preacher mention Barabbas, and I immediately discovered the exchange that took place at that time. I didn’t hear anything else the preacher said, I just continued pondering on the exchange. Jesus was sent by God out of love to serve as a substitute sacrifice for our sins.

²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin^[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

Let us review the story for those who are unfamiliar with it. Jesus was turned over to Pilate by the high priests during the Passover feast and it was customary for Pilate to free a Jewish prisoner during the feast. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent of any wrongdoing and sought to use the custom of releasing one prisoner during the Passover feast to free him. But the crowd cried out that they preferred Jesus to be crucified and that Barabbas be freed. The renowned criminal Barabbas, who had even killed someone, was set free while Jesus, who was recognised as innocent and righteous, was to be crucified. (Matthew 27:15-26, Luke 23:19).

This was a foreshadowing of the exchange Jesus came to make on earth, dying for our sins. This initial interaction took place with the worst possible sinner—a murderer, if sin could have a scale—proving that no sin is too big for God to pardon and set you free from.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6

We’ve all gone astray in one way or another, yet there’s no condemnation for us. All we must do is believe in His substitutionary sacrifice and trust that if we believe, confess our sins, and accept Him as Lord, He will forgive us.

Do you believe that you are the greatest sinner, and that God will never pardon you? The devil wants you to believe that falsehood; instead, you should understand the truth, which sets you free, that God loves you and that nothing you have done or can do can make Him stop loving you.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

Romans 8:38

God freely gave us salvation, but like anything else, a gift can be accepted or rejected. You have the option to accept a package that the postman delivers to you or tell him it needs to be returned since it is not for you.

God has given the gift of salvation; will you accept it?  God is not looking for those who have it perfect and all figured out. He is calling those who want to figure life out with Him.

You may have read this and haven’t accepted Jesus into your heart or feel like you’ve lost your way in the busyness of life.  I would like you to say this short prayer: “Lord Jesus, I acknowledge you as my Lord and personal saviour. I repent of my sinful ways. I accept Your gift of salvation. I ask that you come into my heart and make it Your dwelling place.  Lord Jesus, teach me your ways so that I may know you intimately”.

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