Love Story
We all want a love story. It is our lifelong search. Our most constant daydream. Love stories have power over us. They give us hope and insecurities, frustrations and butterflies, discouragement and ecstatic motivation. There's just something about them. We become exceedingly vulnerable and passionate. Most emotions that we encounter are easily brought on by the way we see our own love stories, what role we have assigned to ourselves in them. And often we are either filled with hope or despair. One or the other. The despair does set in sometimes. Sometimes we have trouble seeing just how everything could be okay. We doubt the goodness. We doubt we are worthy of the love we crave. And then there's the hope. Hope is the opposite!
Isn't it funny how love stories never die. Good stories never get worn out. No matter how many times they are told, no matter how many thousands of years ago they took place, they are still relevant. They still are real, and reach into our very souls. And then change our souls.
Jesus' death on the cross was a moment in history. His resurrection happened on a single day, and that actual day, the exact hour of that miracle of love is not really remembered. But that miracle of love! That love story that surpasses all other love stories! Not only will it never die, but He conquered death! Jesus brought the whole idea of death to it's knees, the whole reason for being afraid of dying, and for fear in general! And He accomplished this by being the hero in the most important and beautiful love story.
He is the romancer of the story. We are the pursued. He fights for us, against the forces we have zero clue how to defeat, and no hope in beating. He fights for us against our own evil, the thing that He despises and the thing that makes us want to have nothing to do with Him. He fights against this, for us! Individually! Not because there are millions of people on the planet. Some good, some bad. So He had to die to save the perfect kids, and the kids with sin get lumped in as a pleasant collateral? Lucky us. This is not the Gospel! Have you not heard of Jesus' heart for you, individually? Do you not know that He knit you together for a great purpose, and loves you more than you can fathom? Us not-so-perfect people are not pleasant collateral in this love story. We are the pursued. Individually. And all of us! Imagine the capacity of love to accomplish that!
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. (John 15:13) Sacrifice shows the love. And there is no greater love to be given, because He gave it all! He wasn't even one of us sinful people, giving it all. We all admit that when a husband lays down his life for his bride, that is powerful. That is true love, and those love stories are real and affect us, even if we aren't immediately connected with the people that it's happened to. Now imagine being the bride. The bride is sinful and not perfect. Still beloved, but not perfect. But wait, the husband has no flaw! He is blameless. And yet, He takes her place. It's her fault that He dies, and He takes it. She disowns Him as He is murdered for her, and He takes it. The power of that love!
That is where our hope is from! Hope is the opposite of despair. Despair says we are unworthy of love. Hope knows that we are unworthy, but yet, watches as the love still comes, overpowering the death in our lives like a tidal wave!
There is no greater love story than this. Because I am a friend of God. I am pursued by Him. And He laid down His life for me.
And then, He conquered my death!
Happy Easter 2017
Isn't it funny how love stories never die. Good stories never get worn out. No matter how many times they are told, no matter how many thousands of years ago they took place, they are still relevant. They still are real, and reach into our very souls. And then change our souls.
Jesus' death on the cross was a moment in history. His resurrection happened on a single day, and that actual day, the exact hour of that miracle of love is not really remembered. But that miracle of love! That love story that surpasses all other love stories! Not only will it never die, but He conquered death! Jesus brought the whole idea of death to it's knees, the whole reason for being afraid of dying, and for fear in general! And He accomplished this by being the hero in the most important and beautiful love story.
He is the romancer of the story. We are the pursued. He fights for us, against the forces we have zero clue how to defeat, and no hope in beating. He fights for us against our own evil, the thing that He despises and the thing that makes us want to have nothing to do with Him. He fights against this, for us! Individually! Not because there are millions of people on the planet. Some good, some bad. So He had to die to save the perfect kids, and the kids with sin get lumped in as a pleasant collateral? Lucky us. This is not the Gospel! Have you not heard of Jesus' heart for you, individually? Do you not know that He knit you together for a great purpose, and loves you more than you can fathom? Us not-so-perfect people are not pleasant collateral in this love story. We are the pursued. Individually. And all of us! Imagine the capacity of love to accomplish that!
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. (John 15:13) Sacrifice shows the love. And there is no greater love to be given, because He gave it all! He wasn't even one of us sinful people, giving it all. We all admit that when a husband lays down his life for his bride, that is powerful. That is true love, and those love stories are real and affect us, even if we aren't immediately connected with the people that it's happened to. Now imagine being the bride. The bride is sinful and not perfect. Still beloved, but not perfect. But wait, the husband has no flaw! He is blameless. And yet, He takes her place. It's her fault that He dies, and He takes it. She disowns Him as He is murdered for her, and He takes it. The power of that love!
That is where our hope is from! Hope is the opposite of despair. Despair says we are unworthy of love. Hope knows that we are unworthy, but yet, watches as the love still comes, overpowering the death in our lives like a tidal wave!
There is no greater love story than this. Because I am a friend of God. I am pursued by Him. And He laid down His life for me.
And then, He conquered my death!
Happy Easter 2017
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