Lenten Devotion: Love at the Core
Readings for Palm Sunday: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm118:19-29; Matthew 27:1-66; Philippians 2:1-11
I decided last week that I was not going to write another piece for Sunday during this season of Lent. The last couple of weeks I have been struggling emotionally with a deep sadness bordering on grief. There is no obvious reason for this feeling, really. I have been praying and asking the Lord, what and why? The answer is…"wait…the answer will come in time." I am being tested and refined and perhaps I am kicking the goads a tad. I HATE testing. Everything I have been reading in scriptures and listening to on podcasts, has to do with testing. So, Yes it was confirmed I am being tested by God, rather than an attack from the evil one. Last week I shared with a very close friend this feeling of sadness and grief. She prayed for me and she prayed that I would be filled with love of God and that it would overflow to all I came in contact. As she prayed, the sadness and grief left. It was as if a heavy burden was lifted from my heart and my shoulders.
I am reading a book called THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi. In a passage, an artist and a particular benefactor were having a conversation on what makes art "good." I will quote from the book: "For anything to be good, truly good, there must be love in it. There must be love for the gift itself, love for the subject being depicted or the story being told, and love for the audience. Whether art is sculpture, farming, teaching, lawmaking, medicine, music or raising a child, if love is not in it - at the very heart of it - it might be skillful, marketable, or popular but I doubt it is truly good. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core."
Is that statement true? "Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core." This is what my dear friend was saying. If only love would be at the core of all of us, like it was and is at the core of Jesus' heart. Can we actually comprehend this love? I believe we get glimpses of it this side of heaven, but we are not truly and whole-heartedly able to comprehend its deepest meaning.
John 13:34-35; "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
What would our world be like or our town, or our families if we loved like Jesus loved? If we loved with discernment and mercy and compassion? If we loved without judgment and a critical tone? I have heard it said multiple times, 'I am a work in progress.' I agree with that statement; however, it is not an excuse to be judgmental, or critical. We need to ask Jesus for discernment and wisdom on every encounter and every situation so we can be genuine disciples of our Lord and reflect His character. I humbly admit my walk these past decades as a Christian, have not reflected Christ 100 percent. I am a sinner and a miserable offender. I mourn my sin-filled self, but I know if I confess and repent, Jesus will come and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. This a guarantee.
Our Isaiah reading said that Jesus was despised and rejected by men. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Isaiah goes on to say that Jesus bore our grief and our sorrows. He was pierced for our transgressions (rebellion); crushed for our iniquities (perversity); upon Jesus was the punishment we deserve, and peace came to us. By His wounds that He endured we can be healed; (mended, repaired, made whole). We are wandering sheep, lost, going our own way. Jesus, the one oppressed and afflicted, like a lamb to the slaughter, crushed, bore our sins upon the cross, poured Himself out, intercedes for all of us who at times are rebellious and fight Him.
Years ago (2004) I took two of my daughters to see THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. I remember what I felt when Jesus was scourged and beaten and crucified. I did not want to look. It grieved me so deeply. I cried so much. In fact, when the movie had ended and the staff was cleaning the theater for the next show I was still bent over sobbing uncontrollably. My daughters were very concerned. I FELT His piercings and beatings and truly for the first time truly understood His great sacrifice for me, (even though at that time I had been saved for 20 years). I was numb. I remember thinking, my sins put my Lord on that tree. He was crushed, bruised, pierced, crucified for me so that I might be free from my selfishness, my fears, my brokenness. I am redeemed, sanctified, and set free to live this side of heaven, whole and someday to live in heaven with Him for eternity. Such love is astounding and amazing.
From our Psalm reading we see how He opened the gates of righteousness for us. We can give Him thanks for opening that door into heaven for us. Jesus is the only way. Jesus is the only truth. Jesus is the only life here and now, and eternally. In Jesus we live and move and have our being. Only Jesus satisfies. Jesus was rejected, has become the chief cornerstone and the foundation of our faith. It is the LORD's doing and it is marvelous. The LORD has made this day and we can rejoice in it. The LORD sheds light upon our hearts. The LORD tests to see what is in our hearts. It is because of His goodness and His great love for us that we are tested. The tests are never pleasant, but the end result is for His glory. His loyal love is everlasting.
Looking at the verbs in reference to Jesus in our Gospel reading: bound, delivered, betrayed, condemned, accused, handed over, scourged, stripped, mocked, spat upon, crucified, forsaken. I ask myself, what would I have done? If I was in the crowd would I have yelled: 'Crucify Him!' I would like to say it would be a resounding and emphatic NO! But realistically, I don't know. During Lent in our order of service we pray:
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy upon us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
There is that word again; LOVE. We have not loved as we should. Yes, we are sorry and we repent. It is because of Jesus' sake that our heavenly Father can look upon us with love and not wrath. We are redeemed and covered in the blood of Jesus and made righteous by His great sacrifice.
Our Epistle reading describes the model disciple, that reflects Jesus' example. We are to suffer for His sake; love as Jesus loved, be united in spirit, do nothing from selfishness, be humble, regard others more important than ourself and look out for them having the same attitude as Jesus did towards others.
Jesus is the Son of God. He existed with God in the heavens. He humbled Himself. He took on the form of a bond-servant, made in the likeness of men. Being found in the appearance of man, Jesus humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him a name above every name. At the name of Jesus all those who bound, delivered, betrayed, condemned, accused, handed over, scourged, stripped, mocked, spat upon, crucified, rejected, cursed Him, will bend the knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.
In James 2:8 (NASB) we read: "If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well." What is the royal law? The royal law is the active commitment to the well being of others. It is sacrificial love. True obedience to God is demonstrated through our love for others. We are to love as Jesus loved.
1 John 4:7-13 (NAS95) provides further instruction in how we are to love: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit."
Another quote from THEO OF GOLDEN: "There is not virtue in advertising your sadness. But there is not wisdom in denying it either. And there is the beautiful possibility that great love can grow out of sadness if it is well-tended. Sadness can make us bitter or wise. We get to choose. Perhaps I am mistaken but at some point, if we are wise, we must confront our sadness, our brokenness, our disappointment. We are masters at masking our sadness, but deep down inside, if we are honest, we know that there is an unsatisfied longing deep inside all of us."
At the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus there was absolute sadness. Those who witnessed His death were changed forever. At His resurrection their sadness, disappointment, brokenness and disappointment turned to joy. Today, in our quiet, personal areas of our hearts we can grieve for the world, have sorrow and sadness for those who have perished without Christ and for those who choose to live in darkness in this life. We after all have the mind of Christ. His Spirit is within us. I have a deep longing for Him. It is tangible and personal. I do not want to displease Him, ever. My love for Him is boundless.
Where then is your heart this Lenten season? The Lord knows our hearts. No secrets are hid from Him. We need not be afraid of Him, knowing that God the Father has sent Jesus into the world, to save the whole world from their sins. What good news!
Father God, Lord Jesus, guided by Your Holy Spirit; we pray that You would help us to look upon all those who are broken, hurting and unloveable with the eyes of Jesus; with eyes of love. Help us to also extend mercy and compassion and most of all love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. And also for those who, as yet, do not know You. We pray that Jesus' love would be at the core of our hearts, so that we may be Your hands and Your feet. We ask that Your love would flow through us and out of us to all those we come in contact with. Amen.