He Died for Me

February 1, 2022

“Oh love of God, how strong and true. Eternal and yet ever new. Uncomprehended and unbought. Beyond all knowledge and all thought.” We can never truly understand how much you love us or why you love us. But I can rest assured that you do. Thank you for loving me and for choosing me. I’ve been lying here for almost an hour now and subconsciously love is in my thoughts. And I kept trying to not think about it, but it kept coming back. Started listening to a sermon, stopped that one because I knew I would want to take notes and I don’t want to get up yet. Switched to another, but my spirit wouldn’t settle so I got up. 

And this song came into my thoughts. Oh love of God. What an amazing thought. Yes I may dream of a love here on this earth, but your love is beyond what I could even dream about.

How much do you love us? Let me count the ways:

(Truthfully, I think love is on my thoughts because of two things. My friend’s anniversary and well it’s February). But I will not focus on what I don’t have at this moment, I will focus on what I do have: that God who loves me unconditionally. A father who decides the best for me. A family that does love me and who I love. Thank you Yahweh for waking me up this morning and unsettling my spirit. Two weeks ago I wasn’t sure if I could make the month. But it’s a new month and you’ve shown your love for me that when I attempt to count I know I will lose count. Thank you for being my father and my friend and for loving this whole earth to die to save us. You are beyond amazing, and though it pales in comparison to your love for me, I love you. 

How much do you love me?

You died for us.

That’s the end all and be all of the story. You died for us. Not pretend to die, not say you are willing to die for us, but didn’t. You actually decided to get on the cross to die for us. Sigh. Truthfully, I’m not yet sure I’m at the stage yet where I will lay down my life for love (love of you that is). I pray that your love in me will continue to grow and expand, that even if I am called to lay down my life for you, I can say “Not my will but yours.” It’s not an easy choice, even Christ who was willing, who volunteered struggled (though I believe for a different reason). Yahweh, continue to work in my life so that my life would be a living sacrifice to you and whatever else you have called me to do. Over the next 14 days I hope to (who knows if I will continue), look at 14 ways you have shown your love for us. Starting with the ultimate sacrifice. The ultimate show of love. 

Romans 5:8 – For Christ commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

You didn’t wait for us to do the right thing. You came for us. We were still mucky and disgusting but you decided that since you wanted us to be with you: since you wanted us to live, you would die in our place. You know that was the ultimate act of faith (another way you show your love, but don’t run too far ahead). What if the father could not raise his son after the appointed time? Jesus laid down his life in complete faith that his father would do what he said he would do. 

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Kind of hard to think about Yahweh’s love and not mention this text. He freely gave his son to save us. Why didn’t he just snap his fingers and save us? He is God after all. Probably because we would have been so sceptical about it. I think our brain is hardwired not to accept the easy answer. We would have been looking around thinking, “That’s it? I’m saved?!!” Even though, we tend to think that unless we are working assiduously that we aren’t saved. That he doesn’t love us. But without us even lifting a finger, he loved us and proved it by dying for us. 

1 John 3:16 – We understand what love is when we realise that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers.

What is love? 

Dictionary: a strong affection for another arising out of kinship of personal ties.  To like or desire actively: take pleasure in.

Bible: A deliberate, purposeful desire for the welfare of another. God (is love)

Which is probably why Ephesians 3:19 says that love surpasses all knowledge. Because it is hard to tie down what exactly is this love according to scripture. But we know it involves sacrifice. Thank you for your sacrifice to save us. I may not fully comprehend how but I know that it is deliberate so I choose to love you.