Imagine that you were wanted for a crime. You knew in your heart that you were guilty, but you didn’t want to admit it. You’re on the run for this crime, because you know that the verdict is death. As soon as you are caught and judged, you will be set to death.
Time goes on, and ultimately, you are caught. There’s nothing you can do. You’re cornered, and there’s no way out. Your captors pull out a gun, and as you prepare to die, someone steps in front of you, blocking you completely. They say they’ll take the bullet for you. They will gladly die in your place, they will take the bullet so that you don’t have to. You ask them, why are you doing this? Their only reason: because they love you.
This is what Jesus did for you. You were guilty, and there is nothing that you could say to prove otherwise. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). And someone who you don’t even know, who has never done anything wrong in their life, took the bullet for you only because they love you.
Honestly, sometimes we can look at the cross and we can’t relate to it. But crucifixion was the worst form of execution you could face in Jesus’s time. It is like being hung, or lethally injected, or put in an electric chair. That’s what Jesus faced for us: a death sentence that wasn’t his.
This gives us an image also for what our marriages should be like. In the same way, a husband is to give up his life for his wife as Jesus gave up His life for His church. Ephesians 5:25 says: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”
It’s something to think about for the future. Girls, are you willing to let someone give up his life for you? Will the person you will consider marrying in the future give up his life for you? And guys, are you willing to give up your life for your future wife? Will she let you give up your life for her?
Wives have to trust that the husband will stand in the way for the bullet, just as Christ stood in the way for our sins. It’s a pretty big thing to trust in. Which is why, when we consider our future husband, we should know: will they forgive me? Will they love Christ more than they love me? Will they give up their life for me?
This is why marriage is not to be taken halfheartedly. It is the person you are going to love and cherish for the rest of your life, til death do you part; marriage is a two-way street. Although marriage may seem long and far off in the future for you, it is something to consider for teenagers of today who often see fast decisions being made and quick and not serious relationships being the norm.
Teen Devotion Blog 