Why do we suffer? Why must we endure pain, death, and heartache? Why did God send his beloved son Jesus Christ to suffer the world and be crucified, yet the world is still evil, and God's children are still being persecuted? The sacrifices we make are our gifts back to God for what He has already blessed us with. The seeds that have been cultivated in us through the Word of God, are put into action. Sacrifices are a “pleasing aroma to the Lord”, not because of our suffering, but because they alter our character so that we become more like Jesus and closer to God and the hope of a better future. Not a temporary one but one that endures forever.
This Easter, we remember the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for us as our High priest and celebrate in the knowledge that if God has not spared His only son to show us the way to Him, and rewarded Him to sit on the right hand of God, how will he not reward those who suffer for His goodwill. In this way, we too will be reunited with Him.