NEWS His Never Failing Love
This weekend we recognize the crucifixion (Good Friday) and resurrection of Christ Jesus (Easter). It may seem odd to some people that we designate the day of the Lord's crucifixion as a "Good" day. I'm fairly certain that Jesus' mother and His disciples did not think there was much of anything "good" going on while they were watching their beloved and faithful servant of God being strung up and nailed to a cross - in a word, murdered. But Jesus said it must be so:
"You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion." (Matthew 26:2)
Jesus knew what He must do. I find it rather strange and unsettling when I hear Christians spit venom and hate at the disciple Judas for handing Jesus over to the Roman authorities. The roots of anti-semitism appear to have evolved out of a complete lack of understanding of what was really happening. Everything that transpired was part of God's plan. Read Psalm 22 and the Book of Matthew if you don't believe me. To think that the Lord didn't know what was going on is just plain ludicrous.
The Lord most certainly did not instruct us to hate Judas for doing what had to be done according to God's will. The crucifixion was designed from the beginning to illustrate an eternal truth: Man, try as he might, cannot kill God's never-failing love. That Jesus is more alive today than ever before is proof of this eternal truth. Hallelujah!
It is God's never failing love that resurrected Jesus. There is no more powerful force in the universe than God's love. It is a love that never fails. That's why Easter is so special. It signifies the power of God's love - a love that is eternal and cannot be extinguished. A love that is powerful enough to bring the dead back to life.
Although many Christians celebrate God's love twice a year, I celebrate it every single day. There isn't a day that goes by when I am not praising God's never failing love. I am in awe of His love. It is a love that knows no depths and cannot be fully comprehended by the human brain. His love is so vast and so great that it cannot be known in full while we are here on earth.
Paul tried to comprehend God's love in his first letter to the Corinthians. The Spirit was moving greatly through Paul as he described God's love:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
How many hearts do you know that have a love like this? Is your heart filled with this love?
The love described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 is the heart of Christ. It is a love like no other. As Paul stated, His love:
never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8)
Oh, the mighty power of a never-failing love. Can you fathom it? Even Paul, who was filled greatly with the Spirit, could not:
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:10-12)
Paul only knew God's love in part on earth. That is all we can know. We cannot know the depths of His love until we are fully One with Christ. But not fully comprehending God's love should not deter us from walking in His love. There is nothing greater than walking in His love, even if we cannot fully understand the power of His love. As Paul said:
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:13)
We can have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and we can have a faith that can move mountains, but if we have not God's never-failing love in our hearts, we are nothing. Without His love, with our nothing. His love is the greatest!
It's God's never failing love that raised Christ Jesus from the dead. God's love cannot be extinguished. With God's love, we can all rise up from the dead and have eternal life with Christ in the heavenlies. We are here to love. We live each day to have our hearts filled with His never-failing love.
Christ Jesus has risen from the dead. God's glorious love has conquered death. With His love, there is only eternal Light and Life. Hallelujah!
May your heart be increasingly filled with His never failing love.
Agape,
Steve
"You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion." (Matthew 26:2)
Jesus knew what He must do. I find it rather strange and unsettling when I hear Christians spit venom and hate at the disciple Judas for handing Jesus over to the Roman authorities. The roots of anti-semitism appear to have evolved out of a complete lack of understanding of what was really happening. Everything that transpired was part of God's plan. Read Psalm 22 and the Book of Matthew if you don't believe me. To think that the Lord didn't know what was going on is just plain ludicrous.
The Lord most certainly did not instruct us to hate Judas for doing what had to be done according to God's will. The crucifixion was designed from the beginning to illustrate an eternal truth: Man, try as he might, cannot kill God's never-failing love. That Jesus is more alive today than ever before is proof of this eternal truth. Hallelujah!
It is God's never failing love that resurrected Jesus. There is no more powerful force in the universe than God's love. It is a love that never fails. That's why Easter is so special. It signifies the power of God's love - a love that is eternal and cannot be extinguished. A love that is powerful enough to bring the dead back to life.
Although many Christians celebrate God's love twice a year, I celebrate it every single day. There isn't a day that goes by when I am not praising God's never failing love. I am in awe of His love. It is a love that knows no depths and cannot be fully comprehended by the human brain. His love is so vast and so great that it cannot be known in full while we are here on earth.
Paul tried to comprehend God's love in his first letter to the Corinthians. The Spirit was moving greatly through Paul as he described God's love:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
How many hearts do you know that have a love like this? Is your heart filled with this love?
The love described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 is the heart of Christ. It is a love like no other. As Paul stated, His love:
never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8)
Oh, the mighty power of a never-failing love. Can you fathom it? Even Paul, who was filled greatly with the Spirit, could not:
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:10-12)
Paul only knew God's love in part on earth. That is all we can know. We cannot know the depths of His love until we are fully One with Christ. But not fully comprehending God's love should not deter us from walking in His love. There is nothing greater than walking in His love, even if we cannot fully understand the power of His love. As Paul said:
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:13)
We can have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and we can have a faith that can move mountains, but if we have not God's never-failing love in our hearts, we are nothing. Without His love, with our nothing. His love is the greatest!
It's God's never failing love that raised Christ Jesus from the dead. God's love cannot be extinguished. With God's love, we can all rise up from the dead and have eternal life with Christ in the heavenlies. We are here to love. We live each day to have our hearts filled with His never-failing love.
Christ Jesus has risen from the dead. God's glorious love has conquered death. With His love, there is only eternal Light and Life. Hallelujah!
May your heart be increasingly filled with His never failing love.
Agape,
Steve
posted by Steve at
10:12 AM
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