Sunday, April 8, 2012

Because You're Worth It

One of the amazing things about God, is that after a lifetime of knowing him, there is always so much more to know, so much more to learn, so much more to experience.

I've been to many Easter Services, having grown up in the church.  I've watched The Passion many times.  I've remembered Christ's death regularly in times of communion.  But last night, during our Good Friday service, a few things occurred to me that I want to think on, ponder, and let go deep into my spirit, because I think it has the power to effect how I see Jesus' love for me, and for the lost.
I was pondering the physical pain and suffering, as well as the emotional pain and suffering, that Jesus endured while being arrested, beaten, carrying the cross, and during the actual crucifixion.  It dawned on me in a new way that Jesus actually felt every whip lash, every rejection, every nail, every breath he struggled for while on the cross, and he felt the very real abandonment of his father when he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Jesus was 100% human, and 100% God - it's hard to fathom.  But it's easy to focus on the 100% God part without really realising it.  To think, he knew the plan, it had a purpose, and he was God, so he could hack it.  But he was also 100% human, and he felt all of it, the same way you and I would have, if we'd gone through those things.  He wasn't exempt from either physical or emotional pain, just because he was God's son.

There was the physical pain, there was the emotional pain, but what had to hurt the most was the sense of abandonment from his Father.  Have you even stopped to think about what Jesus gave up for us? For you?  I'm not sure I'd really thought about it.

Think about it now.

In heaven, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were complete.  100% totally complete within themselves.  Everything they ever needed, they had.  Their relationship was perfect, complete and needed nothing or no one else.

In heaven, not just when we get there, but now, there is no tears, there is no pain, there is no suffering.
So Jesus left a perfect and complete relationship, he left a place where there was no suffering, and he came to earth - to be rejected and to suffer - for us.

That perfect relationship of the trinity was broken, temporarily, on the cross - for us.

Jesus chose to suffer, to feel intense physical pain and to shed tears - for us.

We look forward to the day when we see our saviour face to face, when we reach heaven, that wonderful place of no tears and no suffering.  But just for a moment, imagine you were already there, living in that perfect place.  Imagine choosing to leave it, just because your love for someone else was so great, so overwhelmingly powerful, that you had to go in search for them.  To do all you could, to compel them to come to that place too.

That's what Jesus did - for me.  For you.  And for everyone that still walks in rejection of him.  
Jesus' love for us was so big, so powerful, so intense, that he could not leave us in our sin and our suffering.  He had to do all he could to show us his love and to give us a way to be in that perfect place with him.  He was willing to give up that perfect relationship and that perfect place, because we were worth it.  I was worth it.  YOU were worth it.

And once we recognise that, and choose Him, that same incredible love lives in us.  And the only way those that still walk in rejection of him are going to choose him, is to see that love for themselves.
And how will they see if, if we are not living it?  But that's probably a whole other blog post....