Dear Friends,
In a recent episode of the television show The Good Doctor, there is a scene in which Dr. Aaron Glassman, who has recently been diagnosed with brain cancer, recalls with his friend Shaun one of the last conversations Glassman had with his daughter before she passed away. Viewers saw Dr. Glassman remembering how as a younger man he sat with his daughter on a merry-go-round. They talked for a while, then he said, “I love you.”
Her response: “I love you more.”
When we say, “I love you” to God, his response is, “I love you MORE.”
He showed how much more he loves us when he sent his Son to die for us. Jesus came to bridge the gap that had formed between man and God, a gap that man had no way to bridge through his own efforts. As we read in First Timothy, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NLT)
The message from Good Friday is clear: 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 (NIV)
How are we as believers to respond to this amazing love? The simple answer: Love one another. God has said, “I love you,” and we tell him, “I love you back” when we love each other.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world … We love each other because he loved us first. 1 John 4:16b-17,19 (NLT)
A friend of mine was talking about “poinsettia and lily” churchgoers.
“What are they?” I asked.
“They are the folks that only show up on Christmas and Easter.”
I couldn’t help but think about Jesus’ words in the Parable of the Lost Sheep: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” Luke 15:4 (NIV)
When we attend Easter services this year, we have an opportunity to show our love by doing just what Jesus would do. We can look for those lost sheep who are not part of the regular congregation — God’s children who have strayed from the fold and who may just need a word of encouragement to come home. Welcome them; accept them, so they will want to come back.
Jesus said, “If anyone accepts children like these in my name, then he is also accepting me. And if he accepts me, then he is also accepting the One who sent me” Mark 9:37 (ICB)
Wow! What a great way to invite Jesus to be part of your Easter celebration.
He is Risen; He is Risen, Indeed!
Easter Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 