12.22.2007

Max Lucado Reading Day 4

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16

Still pondering that amazing day of Jesus' birth, we are asked the question, "Would you do what Jesus did?" There are a lot of things to consider in this small question. Would I have given up the peace of heaven? What about the security of the Father's company and the worship of the angels? Or the control of the universe? Hmm. Trading in all of that for a cramped womb and then to have needs that have to be met by a mother and father. Did he know that later he would be humiliated and beaten when he gave all of that up?
Then we are asked to think about how that decision is completely because of love. Love is the difference maker. It was a choice that Christ made... to love.
It amazed me to try and put myself in Jesus' shoes and wonder if I would have made the same choices that he did. He could have stopped any time, when he was confronted with something that wasn't a "Godly" task, or when he was mistreated by others. But that is exactly what he did not do. He did not turn away from any situations that faced him. He experienced them as a man, even though he was God. This is love. That choice shows that he is willing to experience the pain and hurt, the mistreatment and mocking. He loved us enough to become one of us, so that we could understand who he is. He went all the way to the cross to show us how much he loves us. He loved us that much!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In day 4's devotion it really struck me that Jesus could bring Himself down to the lowest and not be ashamed or embarassed. This shows me how Christ didn't find His identity in what others thought about Him but He knew who He really was. He wasn't finding it in what others said about Him or thought of Him.
This all overwhelms me to think that God did all of this just because of His love for me. He was willing to be ashamed and embarassed just to show me His love. This is truly amazing when you grab ahold of this thought. Why do we struggle so much to accept this love? Anyone know?
What a concept that Jesus is LOVE!