He Did It Just For You

[MajestyJo]

He Did It Just For You

by Max Lucado

When God entered time and became a man,
he who was boundless became bound.
Imprisoned in flesh.
Restricted by weary-prone muscles and eyelids.
For more than three decades,
his once limitless reach would be limited
to the stretch of an arm,
his speed checked to the pace of human feet.


I wonder, was he ever tempted
to reclaim his boundlessness?
In the middle of a long trip,
did he ever consider transporting
himself to the next city?
When the rain chilled his bones,
was he tempted to change the weather?
When the heat parched his lips,
did he give thought to popping over
to the Caribbean for some refreshment?


If ever he entertained such thoughts,
he never gave in to them.
Not once.
Stop and think about this.
Not once did Christ use his
supernatural powers for personal comfort.
With one word he could've transformed
the hard earth into a soft bed,
but he didn't.
With a wave of his hand,
he could've boomeranged the spit
of his accusers back into their faces,
but he didn't.
With an arch of his brow,
he could've paralyzed the hand of the
soldier as he braided the crown of thorns.
But he didn't.

Want to know the coolest thing
about the coming?

Not that he, in an instant,
went from needing nothing to needing
air, food, a tub of hot water
and salts for his tired feet,
and, more than anything,
needing somebody-anybody-
who was more concerned about
where he would spend eternity
than where he would spend
Friday's paycheck.

Not that he kept his cool while the
dozen best friends he ever had
felt the heat and got out of the kitchen.
Or that he gave no command
to the angels who begged,
"Just give the nod, Lord.
One word and these demons
will be deviled eggs."


Not that he refused to defend himself
when blamed for every sin since Adam.
Or that he stood silent as a million guilty
verdicts echoed in the tribunal of heaven
and the giver of light was left
in the chill of a sinner's night.

Not even that after three days in a dark hole
he stepped into the Easter sunrise
with a smile and a swagger
and a question for lowly Lucifer-
"Is that your best punch?"

That was cool, incredibly cool.

But want to know the coolest thing
about the One who gave up the
crown of heaven for a crown of thorns?


He did it for you. Just for you.


From
His Name is Jesus