Daily
Grace At
Jesus` FeetJanuary
28, 2010
Psalmist encourages us to give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love endures for ever. In fact, Psalm 136 is the only psalm (chapter) in the Bible that the phrase, “His love endures forever” written in all of the 26 verses. God’s “love” is an “enduring love.” It endures every pain, hurt, disrespect, and unfaithfulness shown by others. This enduring love will say, “Lord you loved me in spite of all my unfaithfulness to you and so I will love others in spite of what ever done against me.” Apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The enduring love will demonstrate the love for other. When we were sinners, still God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross so that we can be saved. When we have the love of Christ, we will also have the enduring love. The worldly love is very temporary, it says, “If you do good to me, I will do good to you.” But God’s enduring love is: Though you did evil to me; yet I will do good to you.” That is the love Christ offer to those who accept Him as their personal Savior; to those who believe Him. The Greek word used for God’s love is “Agape”. This word represents divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful love. It is not “I live so you die” but it is “I die so you live.” Love is not a stand-alone word; it cannot represent the real meaning until demonstrated. Love with out deeds is dead. We read in 1 John 3:1, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! Our Father lavished His true love on us and we are in turn to love one another. Once, an expert in the law asked Jesus Christ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second one is Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:36-40). Jesus Christ says the entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments, “loving God’ and “loving one another.” When we love God we will strive in all possible ways to love His people. When man became enemies of God because of Adam’s disobedience; he became enemies with one another. But when God restored His relationship with man through His Son Jesus Christ, similar restoration with the relationship is important. Only when man completely loves one another God is greatly pleased and His Name is glorified. Greek philosophers at the time of Plato and other ancient authors have used forms of the word, “Agape” to denote love of a spouse or family, or affection or passion for a particular activity. Apostle Paul tells us what “love” is and what it is not in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7! He says, “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.”
The kind
of “Enduring
Love” we can posses only when Jesus Christ lives in our hearts. It is
easy to
love those who love us but according to God’s expectation for us to
love those
who do not love or hate us, we need special engine to take that long
cliff drive. Jesus Christ
demonstrated that on the cross when people spit on Him, when they
pierced His
hand and legs with nails and used all the abusive languages against
Him.
Because of the Father’s love, he patiently endured those offenses
against Him.
He went ahead and asked the Father: “Forgive them! For they do not know
what
they are doing,”
Is your
love
to your neighbor, your family, your friends, your spouse, your
children, your
parents “enduring love?” If not ask God to help you. Ask Him to pour
our His
love on you. When your cup overflows with the Father’s love you will
endure all
pains and hurts caused to you by others. He will heal you, and no none
can take
your peace from your heart and you will be a great blessing!
Newspaper
columnist and minister George Crane tells of a wife who came into his
office
full of hatred toward her husband. "I do not only want to get rid of
him,
I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as
he has
me." Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan "Go home and act as if you
really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him
for
every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and
generous
as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him
believe you
love him. After you've convinced him of your undying love and that you
cannot
live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that your're getting a
divorce.
That will really hurt him." With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and
exclaimed, "Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!" And she
did it with enthusiasm. Acting "as if." For two months she showed
love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, sharing.
The Song
below
written by S. Trevor Francis in 1875 explains the deep love our Father
showed
on us:
O the
deep,
deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!
O the
deep,
deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!
O the
deep,
deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee! (Music:
Thomas J
Williams, 1890)
Remember,
Love Gives, Love Forgive, and Love
Outlives because of what Christ done for us!
May you have a love-filled Day!
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