What would you do for Jesus? If He was physically standing right before you, what would you be willing to do for Him, give to Him, offer Him? What would you do for the One who loves you… that much, THAT MUCH ...that He suffered and died that much. What would we, could we do for Him? What could we do that even compares to His level of love, His level of service?
Before the foundations of the world, God saw the beauty and perfection of Christ's bride, the Body, the Church. God saw that, even with all of our imperfections that would be caused by sin and selfishness, the Bride of Christ would be radiant with Glory. The Bride, in perfect unity, would follow the Son of Man wherever He goes. She adores the Bridegroom. His Word is music to her ears. She trusts Him implicitly because He engenders love and commitment. She is pleased to call Him Master because she KNOWS that He is Good and tends to Her needs far better than she could ever tend to them Herself. She is so completely in love with Him that she would never want to cause Him grief. Her heart belongs to Him and His heart is equally Hers. This how Jesus sees His Bride, because Jesus sees reality –beyond what is currently passing away. And His unconditional, unimaginable love is calling us to be united for Him and to Him.
I am often bewildered how I could have, at one time, turned away from that love. If you were like me, you were blinded by the ways of this world and couldn’t see clearly to realize just how much He loves you. But now that we know, what do we do? He bought us at such a great price –the ultimate expression of love. We are redeemed. But what do we do with our freedom? What do we do with the grace with which He has gifted us? We obey Him. We may not always agree with Him –at least not at first. But if we have known Him long enough, we know that when He tells us to do something, it’s good for EVERYONE. He said very clearly that we will show the world His incredible, all-surpassing love if we love one another and if we obey Him. And you may not agree with Jesus, but if you’ve known Him even for just a little while, you know His teaching is good. Please don’t resist Him. He loves you. Don’t ever accept a cheap, man-made teaching over the teaching of the one who loves you, who is waiting for you, who wants to receive you when everything is truly complete. Because it is unity, Christ’s unity, that will lead us and others home. For the Bride of Christ to have unity, our unity must be the Word of Jesus. If any other “word” takes the place of the True Word, our One Foundation, then there is always disunity. And disunity never leads anyone Home, much less to Jesus. Because we are redeemed, we owe our gratitude and allegiance to the one who has set us free. We call Him, “Lord,” but how far does His Lordship truly reach? Jesus knows our roads are difficult, because He has already walked down the same roads we are already walking down. He knows. But He lovingly continues to appeal to us, saying, “I’m with you. I’ll share the tough and the good times with you. We are in this together, because I love you more than you could every possibly know. Keep believing. Keep trusting. Keep your eyes fixed on the finish line, and together we will make it home.” But please, try not to argue with Him. Because it’s the times that we really agree with Him that we experience real life. And when we love to obey Him and when we’re madly in love with Him, then we see what really matters clearly.
Have you figured out what really matters yet? Go to Jesus and He will fill in all the blanks. Have you grown complacent and numb to the things that once caused your heart to erupt with joy and burn with devotion? Then come back to Jesus and let Him love you all over again. Have you talked to Him about the very things that keep you from Him? Confess those things, clear the air, and let Him forgive you. Have you lost faith, have you grown cynical because the worries and troubles of this life have choked the joy of your salvation right out of you? Don’t dismiss the one who loves you that much. Have you resisted what Jesus has gently been trying to tell you about a terrible habit or a hang-up? Maybe it’s time to change your mind about sin. Are you ready to die to this dying world and experience the freedom of all that weight and guilt being lifted from you for good? Then meet Jesus at the point of death and rebirth in Christian immersion. Allow Him to wash the old away so that you can experience rebirth and new life that can only come by choosing Jesus. It is truly an awesome thought that the One who created us is willing to unite Himself to us to make sure that we make it home. Believe Him –He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. And He is the only Way –that there might be unity. Have you chosen unity for yourself? If you have, then tell someone else what it’s like to know the One who loves you and everyone else, that much. Let’s die for Him, let’s give everything over to Him, because He died to love us home. Yes, He really loves us that much. And that kind of love convicts us to be ONE.
Love in Jesus,
George