When I Am Loved...

When life is meaningless and has no purpose, morality is lost. There is little reason to preserve or extend it--yours, mine or others. 
When life is hopeless and dark and callous, motivation comes in the form of pleasure and self. "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die!"
When life is empty and hard and lonely, it is impossible to put one's feet on the ground and move into the day.
But God.
Loves.
But God.
Gave.
But God.
Calls.
How does one see the love of God when he is dead? He doesn't. How does one accept the extension of God's hand when he is blind? He can't. How does one hear the call of God when he is deaf? He won't.
But. God.
For you He made alive--you who were dead in trespasses and sins  Alive. Are you alive, though once you were dead? Or are you still searching, listening, longing?
Cry out. Look to Jesus. Ask--to see Him, to know Him, to understand. Throw yourself on His mercy. And then...
Then, accept. Take the gift. Follow His voice.
You will have life. You will find peace. You will see as never before. You will walk on a different plane.
For where there is Love--the true, sacrificial, undeniable love of God--we are filled to the fullness of Christ.
Where there is Love, we walk with humility, gentleness and patience, preserving unity.
Where there is Love we are no longer tossed and driven by words, circumstances and deceit.  We are confident that He who called us is faithful, who also will do it.   
Where there is Love, we see the futility, the emptiness of life without Him, of life without a purpose.  And we rejoice in hope. We are filled with purpose.  We are alive.  And life is meant to be lived. In a very real sense, we experience the resurrection each day, with each confession of sin, with each glimpse at what used to matter, with each acknowledgement of our dependence on Almighty God.  We live.
Because of Love.
"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (Ephesians 3:14-21).


((Ephesians 2:5) (Ephesians 3:16-19) (Ephesians 4:1-3) (Ephesians 4:11-15) (1Thessalonians 5:24)

Do You Really Want to See Jesus?

Most of the time, if we admit it, we are quite content with life--when it moves according to our routines and preferences. We settle in: coffee and a shower, personal time and a place to realign before leaving home, anticipated schedules and people and movement throughout the day. We're people. Routine gives us a sense of security and control.

But then God shakes our world. He has always been there, but in this moment we have the opportunity to see Him; to become aware.  Aware of His presence.  Aware of the need to be aware of His presence.  And we are faced with a choice: to bow the knee or refuse, to forgive or bear a grudge, to listen or harden the heart.  Not to obey is to disobey. Not to love is to hate.  Not to forgive is to grow bitter.

Mary, who loved Jesus, who poured out her offering with tears at His feet, thought all was lost.  And she became more aware, in an even deeper way than before, of her need.  She had desperately needed forgiveness and it was granted. Her belief and worship opened the Door from darkness to light. But now, now that she was forgiven, she needed Him, needed Jesus, daily. She longed for Him, looked for Him, sought Him.

"Why do you seek the living among the dead?"

And why, do we, the forgiven, seek Jesus among the dead? Among the busyness of ministry, the baubles of society, the adrenaline of sports and power and fame? 

"He is not here, He is risen as He said.  Come see the place where He lay."

Have we looked at the empty place?  Have we gazed on the stained, bloodied linen; our sin dried out, soaked up, left behind, folded up, laid aside, our debt paid in full? Have we seen the resurrected Christ, living victoriously, gloriously, the standard of faith waving on the breeze as He rides before us?

We have a choice. We can follow in step, our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith or we can sit in the darkened tomb and wrap ourselves in the sin He cast aside. To take on ourselves that which He has left behind is no faith at all.  "For let not that man (the one who doubts) suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:6-7).

If we truly want to see Jesus, we must leave the tomb. We must leave behind the desire to wallow in our sin, our past, our failure, and follow Christ.

To see Jesus is to turn from sin and seek Him; prayerfully, desperately read His Word. Ask questions, bow at His feet, pour out our hearts, confess our sin and wait upon Him. As He speaks we will suddenly find that life is not about us, that people do not deserve the credit we give them for the good or the bad, but that He is. He is the Creator, the Sustainer; He is before all things and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:16-17).

Do you really want to see Jesus? If you look for Him, you will find Him. If you know Him, you will share Him; for we cannot know Him and keep silent.

"'He is not dead, for He has risen just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.  Go quickly and tell His disciples...'  And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy.
"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen" (Matthew 28:6,8,18-20).

When Joseph Washed Jesus-Good Friday Musings

Parts of this post from a few months ago seemed especially fitting for this week.  May you be blessed as you reflect on our Savior and His great love.  
It was work for a coroner--horrifying and intriguing. Amazing as the body is, this one was dead. Dead and beaten. What kind of people wash, manipulate and care for the dead?
Joseph of Arimathea for one.  Nicodemus for another.  And their service to the dead, unrecognizable body of Christ touches me in a way I'm not sure I can communicate.
As I re-read the account of Joseph asking Pilate for Jesus' body (Matthew 27:50-61), I was impressed with his affluence, influence and confidence. God knew him hundreds, thousands, even eons, of years in advance. He predicted this rescue hundreds of years beforehand (Isaiah 53:9). Incredible. 
My journal entry for the day says, "Impression: Joseph was exactly who God intended Him to be. He was where he needed to be, when he needed to be there.  Because of God, he did not, could not, miss His calling.  Application:  I will not miss God’s call on my life.  He will accomplish His will according to His plan. 
The next day, I was still thinking about the process of taking Jesus' body off the cross and caring for it.  I wondered what Jesus' body looked like after being scourged, spat upon, struck, beaten and crucified? What would it have taken to lift, transport, or wash it?  According to Jewish tradition, the body would be held vertical by one person as another poured water and worked from the top down, cleansing and washing. Jesus' body, unlike most, would have been difficult to piece together and cover. It would have required great care and tedious wrapping. As an expression of devotion and generosity, Nicodemus brought one hundred pounds of spices to apply to Jesus' body (John 19:39).
It was would have been messy. Dirty. Uncomfortable. Wet. Cold. Uncertain. Frightening.  Had they  done this before?  Doubtful. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Simon likely had servants to complete unpleasant tasks. And as far as Jesus was concerned, certainly no one other than Mary had cared so intimately for the Son of God. I've never dwelt on the thought for obvious reasons, but it is there.
As we approach Good Friday, we realize the wonder of God's love exceeds the physical wounds of the crucifixion.  The separation of eternal God from eternal God is inconceivable.  The wrath of untouchable God poured out on a spotless Savior is unbearable.  The power of the resurrection is insurmountable.  But God did.  God has. God is.
And in light of who Jesus is and what's He's done for me, I can't help but wonder if, through His Spirit and by His Word, God has equipped His people to minister to His Body when it is beaten and afflicted and sore and wounded and weeping?  To the persecuted church, the deserted mother, the fallen pastor, the imprisoned brother, the neglected child, the hungry beggar, the discouraged teacher....  May God enable and empower us to be in the right place at just the right time.  And may we be willing to roll up our sleeves and get dirty as we love and minister to the wounded Body of Christ and He loves them through us.  It's all about Jesus.

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
"Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”  (Matthew 25:34-46).