Jesus' Paid the Ultimate Price for His Bride

Mohar: the price a prospective groom paid to her family to secure the betrothal. To secure The Church as His Bride, Jesus the Christ paid an enormous mohar. The price was the ultimate in shame, pain, and a most brutal and agonizing death. We commemorate His ultimate sacrifice/payment today. How does your heart respond?

SHAME: Spit on; dressed up as a silly looking king (purple robe & crown of painful thorns) and mocked; beaten; hit in the face; made to carry His own cross . . . His reaction:

Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side [a] of God's throne! So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won't get discouraged and give up. Hebrews 12:1-3 CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION

PAIN: Emotional and physical -- endured in silence, while we complain loudly of headaches, stomaches, and the like.

He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.
Isaiah 53:7-9 THE MESSAGE

DEATH: Have you ever wondered what Jesus' thoughts were as He hung their on the cross, dying a death He could have forgone? Is the Holy Spirit whispering to your heart even a tiny realization of just how much He loves you and me -- the whole of His Church, His Bride here on this earth? No Bride's family could ever expect a greater price.

Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.

Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.
Isaiah 53:10-12 THE MESSAGE

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If you have been to any complementary health practitioners you may be familiar with the concept of needing to return for a certain number of treatments. The reason for this is, generally, unlike Western medicine where a prescription medication is designed to stop or suppress certain symptoms, the complementary approach is to kick-start your body's own innate healing mechanisms. In comparison to Western medicine this can sometimes be perceived by people as 'the hard way' but when successfully applied is also the most healthy and ideal path to wellness. Often with more chronic illness, over time medication starts to lose its effect and it is only then that it becomes apparent that restarting your body's own innate healing mechanism is paramount to your well-being. (In the case of illness always consult with your doctor first. It is also worth mentioning here that Reflexology is 'complementary' which means that it can be used safely alongside conventional Western t...

Natural Health and Wellness

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