Prayer Tip--Penal Substitution or Selfless Offering?
Daily Scripture
Colossians 2:13b-14 (CEB), Romans 3:25a (CEB) and Hebrews 10:10-14 (CEB)
God made you alive with Christ and forgave all the things you had done wrong. He destroyed the record of the debt we owed, with its requirements that worked against us. He canceled it by nailing it to the cross.
Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood.
We have been made holy by God’s will through the offering of Jesus Christ’s body once for all. Every priest stands every day serving and offering the same sacrifices over and over, sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when this priest offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right side of God. Since then, he’s waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool for his feet, because he perfected the people who are being made holy with one offering for all time.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
When I consider what Jesus did for me, I’m struck by a truth both vast and deeply personal. My failures and wrongdoings created a divide between me and God that I could never bridge on my own. Yet in an extraordinary demonstration of holy love, Jesus—perfect and blameless—willingly stepped into my place. On the cross, he bore the weight of my sins, accepting upon himself the suffering that should have been mine. This profound sacrifice showed that God’s justice exists in harmony with God’s immeasurable grace.
When we truly pause to contemplate this reality—that our transgressions helped drive those nails, that he trembled and died there out of love for us—the weight of it becomes almost unbearable. The uncomfortable truth is that we could live a thousand lifetimes of good deeds and never earn such love. Yet he suffered willingly, not because we’re worthy, but because in his eyes we’re precious beyond measure. Through this act of redemption, our debt is canceled, our relationship with God restored. And in response to this overwhelming grace, something changes within us—we find ourselves transformed, drawn toward a life of holiness and growing in love for both God and neighbor, not out of obligation, but as the natural response of hearts that have truly grasped the magnitude of this undeserved gift.
I invite you to pray this prayer with me:
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I come before you now with a heart that is both heavy and grateful as I consider the price Jesus paid for me at Calvary.
Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that you willingly took my place. My sins, my failures, my rebellion against God–you carried it all to the cross. The punishment that should have fallen on my shoulders was placed on yours. The separation from the Father that I deserved became your burden.
Father, I confess that I struggle to comprehend the depth of this sacrifice. That the perfect Son of God would choose to suffer for me, not because I am worthy, but because I am loved beyond measure.
As I bow my head today, let the reality of this sacrifice wash over me anew. Let it break my heart and rebuild it. Let it move me to genuine repentance and overwhelming gratitude.
Thank you for the gift I could never earn. Thank you for paying the debt I could never repay. Thank you for a love I don’t deserve.
May I live each day in the freedom of your forgiveness and the power of your grace.
In the precious name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
GPS Insights
Mindy LaHood
This week's prayer tip is by Mindy LaHood, who serves as Worship Communications and Design Manager. Mindy blends her passion for writing with crafting clear and engaging content across various platforms. Her calling as a writer shapes her approach to creating meaningful connections through visual design and thoughtful communication strategies.
