Behold Jesus,
our Lord, the flawless expression of God's
perfect love!
Long ago,
from His heavenly kingdom, Jesus saw man's
broken lives, desperate need and spiritual
blindness. He longed to open our eyes,
free us from bondage and enable us to come to
Him. So He left His heavenly throne and
entered this fallen world of physical pain and
spiritual poverty.
To save us,
Jesus had to surrender what humanity has always
craved -- power, honor, comfort and beauty. He
chose to be born as a helpless babe, walk our
humble paths, share our struggles, feel our
worst pain and become our servant. He suffered
shame so that we might share His triumph.
The needy,
the sick, the broken and the oppressed flocked
to Him. Filled with compassion, He healed, fed,
taught and encouraged -- pouring out His life
and strength until His own body ached for rest
and stillness.
But the
strong and proud rejected Him, and many loved
ones failed Him. Those who expected a conquering
King showed little interest in a simple
carpenter born in a stable. Even His close
friends misunderstood His words and questioned
His identity. Multitudes who heard His
teaching and received His gifts ignored His call
and refused to follow. The Pharisees
despised Him and plotted His death. Together,
they betrayed, mocked, denied, scourged and
crucified Him.
Jesus
submitted to their cruelty and willingly gave
His life. Bleeding and dying --
tortured by those He came to save -- He
spoke a simple prayer for His tormentors,
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what
they do." Luke 23:34
But Jesus
knew well what He had to do. His
assignment was to carry our sins to the cross,
suffer our judgment and redeem us from the power
of sin and Satan. Having endured the agony and
finished His work, our precious Savior cried
out, "Father, into Your hands I commit My
spirit." Then, as darkness blanketed the
earth, He died. To His heart-broken
followers, death seemed to reign.
But not for
long. Having conquered both death and Satan,
Jesus was raised up into the heavenly places far
above all rule, authority, power and
dominion. Everything in heaven and on
earth would be subject to Him. Nothing --
"Neither death nor life, nor angels nor
principalities nor powers, nor things present
nor things to come, nor height nor depth,
nor any other created thing, [would] be able to
separate us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans
8:38-39
His amazing love and His
victorious Life are now in you and me -- and in
all who put their faith in
Him!
But His
overcoming life is not ours to use to satisfy
our own will and pleasure. The Bible compares it
to a Fountain of Living Water that flows into
the hearts of those who share His
purpose, will and work -- those who are willing
to "follow in His steps."
1 Peter
2:21-23
Listen
to the words of Jesus, for He shows us the way
of surrender and enables us to follow in His
steps:
"Most
assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing
of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for
whatever He does, the Son also does in like
manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows
Him all things that He Himself does." John
5:19-20
"I can of
Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My
judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My
own will but the will of the Father who sent
Me." John 5:30.
Those who
would follow Jesus are called to serve and to
suffer as He did -- always according to our
Father's will. When we walk with Him,
"looking unto Jesus," God fills our lives --
earthen vessels set aside for His holy purpose
-- to overflowing. Then the life He pours
into us may flow like a spring of water to His
lost and thirsty ones along the way. Hebrews
12:2
Jesus,
my Lord, how wonderful you are! I don't deserve
your gracious gifts and amazing love. Yet I pray
that you would purify my heart, guide my feet,
and fill me to overflowing with your precious
Holy Spirit. Enable me, by your grace, to look
"unto Jesus" until your beautiful life
transforms my soul. Cleanse and empty this
earthen vessel of all that would hinder the free
flow of your living water into my heart and out
to your people. I love You, Jesus, my Savior and
my King!
References:
Isaiah 53; Matthew
28:18; Mark 16:19; Luke 1:31,
23:34;
John 6:64-65; 2
Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:20-23;
Philippians 2:5-11,
Hebrews
2:14-18, 4:14-16, 5:6-11 and
12:1-3.
