It is in Isaiah 53 that we get a rundown of all that the cross of Christ was going to do for us once Jesus came. He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows; he was pierced for our transgressions; crushed for our iniquities; chastened for our well-being. Then the biggie: “And by his scourging we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) Did you notice the tense in that last one? We ARE healed – present tense!

Now we are on the other side of history and the cross is a done deal. Provision was made for every need we would ever have. There is nothing, body soul or spirit that we can say was missing from the finished worked of Calvary. But there is a way we can not benefit from any of it. We can fail to claim our goods.

If we win the lottery and never turn in the ticket we will never gain our prize. If we inherit a fortune from our uncle and never withdraw the funds from the bank or if we get a refund check in the mail and never cash it, what good does it do us?

I’m guilty of this lack of appropriation myself. Sometimes when I’m fighting some health issue I forget to fight instead for my appropriation of the blood of Jesus. Sometimes I forget about Isaiah 53 and I put up with what I don’t really have to. Jesus said on the cross; “It is finished!” (John 19:30)

If that’s true (and it certainly is), shouldn’t we resolve to believe 53?