Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Just some thoughts.

The Lord Jesus Christ, in His first coming as the Son of God, which He truly is, did not come as a King. Surely He is King. God who rules over Heaven and Earth is His own personal Father. He is God's precious only Son. He was in Heaven, in the position of authority, with His Father, enjoying all comforts and pleasures and joys. The Father loves Him, and Jesus loves the Father. They are One. "I and the Father are One." He was the Prince. God is the Father, He is King, Jesus the Son is Prince of Peace. Lord of Lords. All glory be given to Him. And was given. But yet He did not come as King. Everything was borrowed. Borrowed. Where was he born? In a stable. He is God, he could have owned a big house, yet He came in a stable, in the most humble of ways. He rode to Jerusalem in a borrowed donkey. He was crucified on a borrowed cross, and laid to rest in a borrowed tomb before His resurrection. Our Lord Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. "Because the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many." Because it was Jesus Christ's own love for us, His sheep, which prompted Him to sacrifice His own life for us, because it was the only way we could be with Him. He served us. He was our 'servant', in that sense, He served us because He loved us, and His love is so great; all we did was accept that gift which He bestowed upon us in love. Jesus said "Greater love has no man than this, that He laid down His life for his friends." It is His love that is knocking on the door, and that love that compels us to worship Him, to accept Him as Saviour, to choose Him over all things. It is that love that in the end tells us, no matter what people do, no one loves me as much as Jesus Christ the Son of God. Even though He is King, he chose to vacate all Kingly rights to be the 'smallest' servant one could find. The least of the least. Not because so that He would be glorified, that was not just a manipulative aim to get glory. No. It was because His heart was yearning for us, yearning for us, yearning for us that we would be with Him and because He loved us and that's why He sacrificed himself for us out of love. Because He knew that is the only way.

His heart is calling out to people. He says that there are still so many sheep left, and I must bring them back; then there would be one flock. His heart is yearning for those people out there; because He loves them too. Because the sacrifice He did long time ago was also for them. He also loves them and His heart yearns for them. He said "when I am lifted from the ground, I will draw all men unto myself".

As Jesus continues to draw all men unto Himself, let us be like Him. Let us love our fellow men as Jesus continues to love us, as His love is everlasting. As His heart continues to yearn for us and continues to keep us rooted in Him and continues to look for the lost sheep that has gone astray due to his own foolishness and finds Him and rejoices that He has found him, let us learn to serve, not because we want to get 'rewards in heaven', but because we ourselves are gradually becoming more loving, transformed into the image of Jesus Christ our Lord himself, that we are little "jesuses" walking around that out of the goodness of our heart, renewed by the Holy Spirit to be more loving each day. And because people need us. Because people need that love that they can't find; because this world is evil. There is no love other than Our Lord Jesus Himself, and we are witnesses to His love. We are His witnesses. We are the witnesses to the wonderful things that He is doing in our lives. People who are hurting, who feel a sense of loss inside, who need the empowering love to wipe away their tears, who have nothing at all, no where to turn to, no body to follow; the devil is always around them eating them up, telling them they're no good, ....... but there is a hope! But there is a way! Jesus is the way! He is always there, but they can't turn, because they don't know there is that way, because they don't know that the Messiah has already come and is now, even now, going to set them free from their sins. They don't know. The rulers of this age, the evil, blinds them, but then they can be set free; when we love, we show them something good, we show them someting that they want in their lives, something new, something new, a new colour, a new touch, a new fragrance, that opens their eyes and sets them free; they see it, they cling on to it, and we lead them to Jesus Christ Himself. We are the witnesses to His love and His perfect work: we ourselves are not the light, we come only to lead people to that light. Like John the Baptist we come to lead people to that light that life which is Christ Jesus Himself. And Jesus Himself like what He has done to us will Himself wipe away their tears. Because Jesus knows they need Him. Without Him they can do nothing. And Jesus will keep them and make sure the devil cannot touch them anymore. He says "My sheep know me, and I know them. I give them life, and they shall never perish, no one can snatch them from My hand. My Father, who is greater than me, has given them to me, and no one can snatch them from My Father's hand." Because He loves them, and 'love always protects, it always hopes, it always perseveres.' Because we are His friends, for He said "Greater love has no one than this, that he laid down his life for his friends." We are no longer His servants, as though we needed to do alot of things to make Him happy, as servants need to. No. We are His friends, because He loves us intrinsically, He loves us for who He is, for who we are, not for what we can do to enlarge His kingdom or glory.

Jesus Christ Son of God is love.
And that's all we ever need in life.
Whenever we are down, look to the Son.