The Bethany Bullet - Week of April 24, 2016

Unrestrained Sacrifice

Text: John 13:1-5; 31-35

Elizabeth Barrett Browning asked:  “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”  In her counting she included loving “freely, purely and passionately.” 

Christ called His disciples to love one another as He had loved them.  (John 13) how has He loved us?

Freely:  Jesus loved without expectation of return, even when there was nothing in us that would deserve so to be loved. 

Purely:  Jesus’ love, as is He, is without stain or wrinkle or blemish or any defect.  He loves us without alterior motive, hidden agenda, or hope for selfish gain.

Passionately:  His love led to His passion; the cross.  He was willing to take upon Himself our guilt of failing to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our inability to love each other as we love our self and the things of the world.

The result of that having received love like that is a call to love like that.  What does this mean?  When a brother bellyaches or is bullheaded, bear with him, build him up, love freely.   When a sister has a heart filled with sorrow or a conscience filled with shame, support her, stand-by her, love her purely.  When the family of faith is floundering call it to follow, when it is behaving foolishly redirect its focus, when it has failed offer forgiveness, love it passionately.  For that is how you have been loved by Him.

-Pastor Kevin Kritzer