The List Nailed To The Cross

Devotional 
Imagine carrying around a heavy backpack filled with stones, each one representing a mistake you've made, a law you've broken, a way you've fallen short. The weight grows heavier each day, making every step more difficult. This is what it feels like to live under the burden of trying to earn forgiveness. Now picture Jesus taking that backpack from your shoulders. But He doesn't just carry it for you - He takes every stone, every curse, every consequence that should have been yours, and nails them to His cross. When the soldiers drove the nails through His hands, they weren't just piercing flesh; they were securing your list of failures to the wood. This isn't just a beautiful metaphor - it's the stunning reality of what happened at Calvary. Jesus didn't just die for your sins in some abstract way. He literally took the specific curses that your law-breaking had earned and made them His own. Every punishment you deserved, every consequence you should have faced, every barrier between you and God - He absorbed it all. The result? You don't have a paycheck relationship with God where you earn His favor through good behavior. You have an inheritance relationship where everything is freely given because of what Jesus has done. This changes everything about how you approach God, how you view yourself, and how you live each day. You're not trying to pay off a debt - you're learning to live as a beloved child who has already inherited everything.

Bible Verse
'When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.' - Colossians 2:13-14

Reflection Question
What specific 'stones' or burdens of guilt and shame are you still carrying that Jesus has already nailed to the cross, and what would it feel like to truly let them go?

Quote
It's like he took a list. Okay, here's a list of all your curses that you build up over the years by breaking laws. And he said, just nail it right there. When you nail my hand to the cross, just nail it on there. I'm taking it with me.

Prayer
Jesus, thank You for taking my list of failures and nailing it to Your cross. Help me to stop carrying burdens You've already taken away. When guilt and shame try to weigh me down, remind me that You have already paid the price for every mistake I've ever made or will make. Amen.