Once in Eternity, Once for Eternity

Matthew 27:46 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!”

Christ’s suffering was hardly the physical scorn and torture. That was nothing compared to something unimaginable; separation from His Father. Think of it, throughout eternity the Father and Son and Holy Spirit were One; three in one. For eternity there had never been a separation. At this moment, the real suffering happened. And it was not because of His standing with God. Still holy and sinless, He willingly did this for us. Jesus knew the magnitude of this. He needed full support from His Father in order to proceed. We cannot even imagine what this was like. Jesus had not cried out until this moment. His cry was a cry of anguish. This pain was far greater than, incomparable to all that had happened to this point. This shows that this is so much greater than any other suffering; separation from the Father. And who would appreciate this any more than Christ, who had always been with, never separated from the Father.

Take in the magnitude of this sacrifice, this gift. Now give thanks to Him who took this penalty in our place.

Blessings,

David Berryman

“Freedom is not the license to do what I want, but the strength to do what I ought.”

David has enjoyed a 40+ year career as technical support in national defense until his retirement at the end of 2023. He has also served as chaplain support in Virginia since 2011, first in the Prince William Adult Detention Center until 2019 and now at Coffeewood Correctional Facility beginning in 2021. All that along with guiding a legacy of 20+ grandchildren. David feels a deep calling to walk alongside the forgotten and rejected, helping inmates find their way back and discover their purpose.