Love Has A Name
Jesus
As we prepare our hearts to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus tomorrow, I want to take some time to embrace and understand the weight of Jesus’s love for us. He displayed the greatest love in history, by dying on the cross, as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He is the embodiment of love.
Take a moment to read these verses in Ephesians… meditate, journal, and reflect.
5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:1-2
Jesus’s love is deep. It is intense and it is extreme. It is so deep, that “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). It takes a deep, extreme, and intense kind of love to take on the weight and punishment of sin, especially for someone completely righteous and blameless. He fully understood what it was like to be tempted and tried, yet did not sin: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He felt the pain, experienced the betrayal, yet still loves us deeply.
Jesus’s love is sacrificial. His death was the most extreme and gruesome form of sacrifice. He didn’t just give up His money, His comforts, luxuries, or His time (many things we see as sacrificial). He gave up himself. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He walked the earth as a humble servant, not looking to be served, but to serve those he loved. We see this servant posture all throughout Jesus’s ministry, like when he washed the disciple’s feet (John 13:1-17).
Jesus’s love is personal. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” This kind of love is personal, because while we were still sinners, He died for us: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us’” (Romans 5:6-8). His death was not for any other reason, but to save the world from their sinfulness— to personally rescue us.
Jesus’s love is pleasing in the sight of God. Ephesians 5:2 says, “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” His deep, sacrificial, and personal love was a fragrant aroma to God the Father. He submitted Himself to His Father’s will: “And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will’’ (Mark 14:35-36).
I can assure you that this kind of love is like nothing else you have ever experienced before. No human, experience, or worldly offer can display a love such as the one Jesus lavished over us.
The radiance of the glory of God and the imprint of his nature (which is love: “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” 1 John 4:8-9), Jesus, is this unfathomable kind of love.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Hebrews 1:3-4
Reflection Question: Do you see the depths of the love of Christ for you? Do you believe the love he has for you? Spend some time praying and reflecting on the verses you just read. Pray for His love to take root— sending you deep down into His bottomless love.
Today’s Worship Song: Love Has A Name — Jesus Culture
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym-Pti64t8w
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0SvXTJQQBl7BkSUkHV8DOl?si=dOia_hh4QGmG8ng9cxXNkg
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-has-a-name-feat-kim-walker-smith-live/1440900078?i=1440900088
I have loved receiving prayer requests from you. Please continue to send them my way! Also, if you have any questions about what you read today, or just want to chat, my email is: blrich1399@gmail.com
Sunday is coming!!
With Love,
Brooke
