Thoughts On Easter (Part 2)
Author: Debbie Berg (Pastor Dave's Wife)
April 08, 2014
Jesus gives us a "new commandment." He says, "A new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another."
So how can we do that? It seems impossible in our own strength, even though we want to do it. But Jesus showed us how. For example, if you stand up and stretch out your right hand and say "love God," and then stretch out your left hand and say "love others," it’s not important which side is which because Jesus said that they were really two sides of the same commandment.
Who is holding up the cross bar? You are. We become the vertical support trying to hold up the cross bar. But we can’t hold it up in our own strength, because our arms get too heavy and we just give up! Even Jesus couldn’t carry the cross bar of his cross. He needed someone to carry it for Him because He was too weak in His own human strength.
The apostle Paul said in Romans 5:5, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." So what do we do? We need to look up. When we do, what do we see?
- 1. We see the love of the Father who, out of love for us, sent His only begotten Son to sacrifice His life for us.
- 2. Now we see Jesus hanging on the cross with His arms stretched out to you and me. He is the picture of love, carrying the burden of our sins on the cross bar!
- 3. Finally, you look up again and what do you see? We see the Holy Spirit descending upon the cross and us, enabling us to love God and others in His strength. We see the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The perfect picture of love.
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