Command 42 : Take, Eat, and Drink | Day 288 Do This in Remembrance!Calendars are usually filled with important events that we are not supposed to forget. The children of Israel's "calendar" was no different. It contained many events that God wanted them to celebrate, such as Passover, which commemorated being delivered from the bondage of Egypt. Likewise, as believers God instructs us to remember the most significant event in history—His sacrifice for us on the cross—through a frequent celebration of communion. Command Forty-Two: “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:26-28). Jesus instituted communion to be a continual reminder of His incredible love, which was expressed through His suffering and death. We are to remember the body of the Lord that was “wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities” (see Isaiah 53:5) and His blood that “is shed for the remission of sins” (see Matthew 26:28). As I take the bread in my hand during a communion service, I slowly repeat Christ's words in my mind: “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me” (I Corinthians 11:24). Jesus died only once; however, He died to pay for the sins of the whole world, including those that have been committed since the time of His death. By participating in communion I acknowledge the fact that it was my iniquities and transgressions that put Jesus through indescribable torture and death. (See I John 2:2.) When I take the cup in my hands, I think about the fact that His blood was shed for my sins and that His blood cleansed me from all my sins. (See I John 1:7.) His blood was also the "ransom" price for my deliverance from Satan. (See Hebrews 9:22, 28.) For we “... were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18-19). This causes me to delight in the promise that as a believer, Christ is in me and I am in Him. (See John 6:56.) Communion reminds us of the continual fellowship that can exist between a crucified and risen Savior and a redeemed believer. Jesus longs for unbroken, undistracted fellowship with His children. This is the purpose for which He created us, died for us, and wants us to remember the power of His body and blood. It was to believers in Laodicea that He said: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). The next time we partake of communion, let's do it in remembrance of the great sacrifice of our risen Lord and Savior and rejoice in the daily fellowship we can now have with Him. |
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