Monday, August 4, 2014

Crazy, Unimaginable, Incredible Love for YOU

There was a shuffle of feet, and the crowd morning for Lazarus was suddenly in a frenzy. Galal looked right and left, trying to find the source of the problem. A ways away he spotted Mary, and she was not alone. she was talking to some man.

"Where have you laid him?" Galal heard the question the man asked, assuming it was a friend at first, but then he listened to the whispers around him. "It's Jesus," they all whisper-shouted to each other.

"Lord, come and see." Mary's broken voice grated on Galal's heart, he watched as the man named Jesus quickly followed after Mary. From what he had been overhearing, this man was a dear friend of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

Some friend. He showed up four days after Lazarus died. 

Galal hurried after them, curiosity getting the best of him. Mary and Martha led Jesus to Lazarus' tomb. It was dug into the side of a small hill, leaving barely enough room to walk into the tomb. Currently, there was a huge stone rolled in front of the opening to the tomb, forever sealing up the dead. He watched Jesus closely, curious to see what his response would be. Galal had heard a lot of rumors about this man, but he had never seen him in action. He was sure it would prove to be interesting.

Galal studied Jesus' face as he saw the tomb for the first time, and Galal watched as Jesus' face crumbled. Right there, in front of many friends and relatives, Jesus wept. Not sad little tears that he let trickle down his face. Jesus face looked broken and sorrowful. Actually grieving.

Galal didn't get it. Everyone who had told him about this Jesus had said that he could heal the eyes of a man born blind. Why didn't he come while Lazarus was still alive. 

As he watched Jesus' weep, the answer dawned on him. "He loved him! He loved Lazarus," He whispered the words to himself. Such love! He watched as all the emotions played on Jesus' face. Every instant of pain, and moment of sorrow, Galal saw them all. He could see how much Jesus cared for his friend; how deeply moved he was by Lazarus' death.

Soon, Jesus started to calm, and Galal was surprised by what he heard next.

"Roll away the stone."

Based on John 11:34-39a

Do you realize that Jesus is deeply moved for you? Yes, you. Do you realize that when you hurt, He sits up and takes notice? There is not a thing that you can do that He isn't noticing.

"You know when I sit down and when I rise up' you discern my thoughts afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether." Psalm 139:2-4

You may think, "Sure, He notices me. That doesn't mean the things that I do, or the way that I feel moves Him deeply. "

Well, I'm telling you that, yes, it does mean that.

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

No one gives that kind of crazy, intense, concerned with knowing everything you do kind of love, UNLESS that person is deeply moved by you. Face it, because that is exactly how Jesus feels about you.

In John 11, we see that Jesus was deeply moved by Mary, Martha, and Lazarus more then once. It wasn't because it was His God-given job, and He had to do it in order to save the world. Jesus was deeply affected by what those people were going through, because His heart felt their grief, and even despite knowing that Lazarus was coming back, for a few days, His dear friend Lazarus was not on this earth.

"Jesus wept." It's the shortest verse in the Bible, but it more then makes up for its shortness with it's huge message. Jesus is obsessed with you. Take that knowledge as a good thing because it is. What we can't fathom sometimes is that Jesus isn't just deeply moved by His really good friends, his disciples, or the senior pastors, but Jesus is touched and concerned and devoted to all of us just like we are His number one friend.

Imagine if you were Lazarus, and you were in that tomb completely gone from this earth. Jesus would be just as deeply affected by the loss of YOU, as he was by the loss of Lazarus. You need to understand that you mean that much to Him.

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and hing and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge   that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17b-19

The love of Jesus passes all understanding. It is unfathomable. It is incredible. And it is yours. Let His love fill you up, because it is yours for the taking.

V. Joy Palmer

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