From the beginning of time, God had a plan. He made that plan out of love. He wanted us to know how much He loves us and how much He wants us to live with Him throughout eternity. It was the plan that He would send His son to live as human and die for our sins, being risen from the dead to conquer the life lease that the enemy, satan, had stolen from mankind. (Genesis 3)
John 3:16-17 (NASB)
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.”
As sin was the downfall of mankind, which keeps us from being with our Father in heaven, as He can not look upon our sins because they are evil in His sight. Our unconditional loving Father, who is our creator, was willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son, Jesus, so we would no longer need a sacrificial lamb to give every year to cover our sins. This is where Jesus is referred to as the lamb that was sacrificed. (Leviticus 16)
Jesus followed the law of Moses (Ten Commandments) and was baptized by water, and the Holy Spirit on the same day, He lived as a Jew who came from a family of carpenters and was the only begotten son of God. Jesus was even tempted by the devil in the wilderness for 40 days, where He was tried in different ways, all of which led to the main sins of the time and with all those temptations that were given, He refused the devil for the sake of the covenant that was to be made. Until His final breath, when He became sin, so that His righteousness and His blood covering, would be able to, cover our sins for all time. He fulfilled the prophecy through love and made a new covenant, between us and God, so He could be our mediator that would stand for us, if we accept Him into our hearts, between sin and death or a life with God in eternity.
What Jesus did for us replaced the blood sacrifice on the day of Atonement and He became that sacrifice, which atoned our sins through His blood sacrifice on the cross. How much more love could a man show than to lay down His life for another? Yet Jesus did it for all of creation, if they could only understand what that means, everyone would seek to know Him and accept Him as Lord of their lives.
John 15:13 (NASB)
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.
God chose this path for His only begotten son. Just think how much love this is for us. God is a Father, who was willing to sacrifice His Son to die for others, so they may have life eternal. I think that is the greatest love that could ever have been shown to mankind. Our only job is to accept Christ into our lives with God and the Holy Spirit, to follow His teachings and His path to a better life.
Because of this, it is hard for me to understand why we have trouble letting the Father love us. I don’t know of any one thing that could prove His love for us any more than what Jesus did through His death and resurrection.
Jesus wants all of us to let the Father love us, and if we do great and mighty things will happen in our lives. Turn your life over to our Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and be amazed at what a wonderful life you will have.
So this Easter start letting the Father love you, and through the year take notes on what has happened in your life. Reflect on the good and try not to reflect on bad things for God has a plan for you and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NASB)
11 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Then think about what a wonderful Gift that was given to us from our Father in Heaven, JESUS, who came to save the world through love and not judgment.
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