Oh, how He loves us...

This is totally shhwweettt….. Thanks, Japes for sharing this. (The following is written by my friend (and li'l bro), JP Martinez - I hope that it speaks to you in a way that you'll see the glory of the Almighty God):

I wake up and it's dark all around, and it's only 9 o'clock in the
morning, something must be wrong… something terrible must be happening.
The gloom skies welcome no smiles or happiness, only sadness and despair graze the dark clouds. I'm awakened and startled by the sharp pounding of nails, immediately
followedby the cry of a man's voice that is foreign to my ears. Never have I
heard adesperate cry project with such pain from a throat like this. I
instantlyfollowed the cry, running to the source of such agony, running
desperately tosee what was going on, anticipating…I don't know what I was
anticipating…butI was…And I wish I never had seen this in my life. That very
moment I expectedto be awakened from some sort of terrible dream…or should I
saynightmare…Yet I wasn't! And I was still there I was still there…the nakedbody
still there in front of me…hanging dreadfully on a cross. Blood drippingfrom his
wrists and feet, three nails, pounded into his flesh and bone, mountthe body
like a painting on a wall. I was still there…a crown of thornsprotruded from his
skull, inflicting pain that can never be described orexperienced, each thorn
beating hideously on his flesh. I was still therewatching the crowds mock this
man, spit and slander this man. I saw bruises allover his body…I was taken
back..Suddenly something came over me…I saw avision…I was somewhere else…
I see the same mob that was at the foot of thecross, (but I couldn't make out the
faces)… beating this man with rods andsticks. Smashing him over the head over
and over and over again..relentlesslybeating his body. I see a line forming as
this man was blind-folded receivingblow after blow from the fist of the
people…along with words that can piercethe deepest part of a man. Words of
mockery and hate, malice and slander….Thevision takes me to another scene…this
time the man is tied up with his backexposed…and a man with a whip, that has a
iron ball with iron shardsprotruding the circumference, in his hands. I see the
man with the whip pullback and thrust forward making direct contact to the
exposed mans back. As theiron ball digs into his flesh…he pulls back and
scourges the mans skin, theiron ball takes with him pieces of the mans flesh
leaving his back even moreexposed….he repeats this act 38 more times with the
same hate and fury inevery scourging….this man's skin is mutilated beyond
belief…if he were tosurvive, his life would never be the same again…that is…if
he were tosurvive….. Suddenly I'm back at the foot of the cross…The vision so
intense,left my heart pounding and sweat beading at my forehead….What is going
onhere? So many questions linger in my mind…Who is this man? What did He do
todeserve this treatment? Why such pain and torture?…this was unheard of in
allof history. Could I actually be witness to the most gruesome and cruel death
inthe History of mankind. In the midst of my contemplation I was startled by
ayell…It was the man on the cross…the words were slow and weak..yet
strangelypowerful..his words touched the deepest part of my soul and echo in the
halls ofmy mind till this day…With all the energy left in his exhausted body,
the maintook a shallow breath and said the words that I would never forget in my
entireexistence…"Father forgive them…for they know not what they do'….I fell
tothe floor and still expected to wake up from this terrible nightmare…but I
wasstill there….and so was this man…As he gave up his spirit I heard himfaintly
cry…"It is finished"….It is finished? what was finished?….Then Iwoke up … But I
knew that was not just some dream or nightmare….I knew thatwhat I saw really
happened…suddenly I realized who that man was….Then with adark realization the
faces of the crowds began to come into focus…I realizedIt was me…and people I
knew…I saw myself beat this man with my fist….I sawmyself spit in the face of
the silent lamb. I saw myself nailing him to thatvery cross…I saw yself put the
crown of thorns on his head I saw myself murderthis innocent man!At the smae
moment I realized what he meant by it isfinished….It was finished…the sacrifice
for my sin was finished…thereplacement for my scourging was finished..the
substitution of the nail poundedflesh was finished…That crown should have been
worn by me…but He put iton…That should have been me hanging on that cross..but
he hung in my stead. Ishould have been the one scourged 40 times minus one….but
he took thescourging for me…It was finished…I would never have to go through
what hewent through…It was finished…I was forgiven…I was healed This man was
mysavior…Now He is my Lord….

"It is finished"