Why do we call it Good Friday?

There are various schools of thought on why the Friday before Easter has been deemed Good Friday, the day on which Christians commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. The name can seem counterintuitive to many Christians and nonbelievers, since this day is typically viewed through the lens of loss, a solemn moment, often observed with fasting and somber remembrances. 

So why is Good Friday called Good Friday?

Perhaps the best definition should be the words of the Holy Scripture, "Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2) 

Joy? Jesus counted being tortured, despised, humiliated, and killed as joy? The answer is yes. For in that moment on the cross, Jesus, the sinless One, took the punishment of all of our sins, so that we could become blameless before God. In that cosmic transformation, He became something He wasn't so that we could become something we couldn't. 

Put simply, He died, so we could live. 

Grief

"Oh, look at how she listens . . . 

She says nothing of what she thinks / She just goes stumbling through her memories

Staring out on to Grey Street / She thinks, "Hey, how did I come to this?

I dream myself a thousand times around the world / But I can't get out of this place"

There's an emptiness inside her / And she'd do anything to fill it in

But all the colors mix together / To grey

And it breaks her heart /How she wishes it was different

Game Plan of Life (2021)

Mistakes / Habits to Avoid

Most destructive habit . . . Worry

Greatest loss . . . Loss of Self-Respect

Ugliest personality trait . . . Selfishness / Ungratefulness (Tie)

Crippling shortcut to success . . . Making Excuses

Never a good idea . . . Spreading Gossip

The deadliest weapon . . . The Tongue

Most worthless emotion . . . Self-pity

Greatest problem to overcome . . . Fear

The Greatest News of All Time

I once had a friend who committed to mentor me and my best friend every Monday morning. Nothing necessarily uncommon about this arrangement, except for the fact that he and his family had just moved to Huntsville, Alabama to start a new church, and we still lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Yet he honored his commitment each week and that spoke volumes about his dedication and love for Jesus and for us. 

During one of our weekly discussions we talked about if you could really know for sure, I mean absolutely sure, that you were saved and a child of God. He had a great answer, "First, I always ask people if they love Jesus with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and with all their strength?" (Mark 12:30) Most people will usually respond with a candid, "No". All of us can quickly recall deficiencies in our affection for Jesus Christ, because if we loved Christ perfectly, we would obey Him in all things. This is simply not the case for the majority of the human race. 

His second question went like this, "So do you love Jesus like you should?" If the first answer was no, then the second answer also had to be no because even though we are supposed to love Him perfectly, we don't. In this area of our lives rests the tension that we often experience in regard to our salvation.