You and I are free today from the chains of sin, sickness, and disease because Jesus Christ became our Substitute on the cross of Calvary (Isaiah chapter 53). There is nothing you or I could have done to gain our citizenship in Heaven. It was bought and paid for by Jesus Christ. It took His shed blood to buy our redemption.

The cross of Calvary is real. It is not a myth or a fairy tale. Jesus shed His blood for our redemption when He hung on that cross many years ago. And now the cross is both a warning to those who refuse to believe and a blessing to those who recognize that it stands for the grace of God.

We do not merit God’s favor and grace. All of God’s blessings were bought and paid for when Jesus became our Substitute. His grace and mercy are now ours to freely receive.

If it were not for the cross and Jesus’ shed blood, we would have received justice. We would have had to pay the price for our own sins—something we could never do. But instead of receiving justice, we have received abundant mercy and grace because Jesus paid the price for us!

In our judicial system, sometimes a judge has the ability to be lenient and show mercy, or if need be, to penalize an offender to the full limits of the law. I thank God that the Judge of all the earth, God Almighty, has given unlimited mercy to those who come to the cross.

The Judge of all the earth has already extended mercy to you. Because of Jesus, all you have to do is accept His mercy. When you know Jesus and you are born again, you can stand before God fresh and clean because of the cross of Calvary.

Because of Jesus, we have life more abundantly (John 10:10). This is the greatest story ever told to mankind. God’s own Son took our place and paid our debt of sin. And now we are free. Happy Resurrection Day!