225 O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

Self-sacrifice is the supreme evidence of love. The ultimate sacrifice is one’s life. Jesus gave His life for mankind. Divine love for man compelled Him to descend to earth as the sacrificial Lamb of God. Jesus willingly allowed Himself to be crucified by the detestable leaders of the day so His beloved children could live in union with Him and His Father forever. A mystery beyond human comprehension, understood only by the miracle of faith. Sinful man, enemy of God, transformed into His Bride, spotless and without wrinkle. He spoke of a heavenly kingdom, they thought of an earthly kingdom; He came to serve, they demanded to be served; He exhorted them to live by faith in God, they enforced strict adherence to Torah; He lived by the Spirit of the Law, they lived by the letter of the Law. Jesus—entirely God, entirely man, unblemished and the image of the invisible God. He took upon Himself all of man’s sins, bore the curse of the Law, and sustained His Father’s wrath. He loved, He gave, He died. He sacrificed His life for the remnant that would heed His call and “Follow Me.” His love for mankind, incomprehensible, His longing for fellowship, immeasurable, His desire to call man His friend, inconceivable.

Jesus is searching from shore-to-shore to find those who would live for Him. Wherever we live, whatever we do, He wants our hearts to join with His heart; to learn to love as He loves. This takes a reconfiguration of our affections brought about by conflict within and without. When we stand with Jesus, we may find ourselves despised and rejected by those we care about. When this happens, we can rejoice knowing that He is willing to share a miniscule portion of His cup with us. Christ demonstrated His love for us by dying on the cross. We demonstrate our love for Him by living in obedience to His Word. Jesus came to earth to show us the way to heaven. He was misunderstood by most. Can we expect anything else if we are to be His friend?

Jesus’ earthly treasures are the souls of men, people who are doing His Father’s will from a heart of obedience. What are your treasures? Are you willing to obey Him today? To be misunderstood tomorrow? Were you mocked because of Him yesterday? Though you will experience tribulation when you walk with Jesus because the world does not know Him, in the end you will know that you have lived with Jesus Who brings life and peace. You will be His greatest treasure, His Bride. “O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore! How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!”

Sacrificing Your Time; Gaining Their Heart

To live for Jesus is to sacrifice my selfish way for His selfless way. I find this most applicable to my time. Every day is packed with things to do. Yet, I have found that when I deliberately set aside my “to-do” list for a few minutes and give my husband, my children, or my friends time to talk about whatever is on their mind, they understand that I genuinely care for them. They don’t want my words. They want my action.  

Your Turn: Take a few minutes today to listen to your spouse, your child, or a friend. Challenge yourself to try to make them feel like the most important person in the world to you. Jesus laid down His life for you, is it too much for you to sacrifice a few minutes to listen to one He has placed in your life to shepherd today?