Good Friday – March 25th 2016
Above All
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 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 (NIV)
I became a Christian as a young girl. My family was involved in church and we were a “good” family. As I grew, I learned about Jesus and God in Sunday school, but somehow I missed something for a long time (well into adulthood).
My siblings were many years older than me. I felt the need to keep up with them in every area, putting unrealistic standards on myself. Because I couldn’t keep up, my self-confidence was very low. I also knew that I was a sinner deserving of nothing better than death. I was afraid of God and what He could choose to do as punishment for my sins. I didn’t feel worthy of His love. How could He love me with all my faults?
Then, at the Millville Ministerium Good Friday service a few years ago, I finally “got” the something I had been missing. The newly-released Michael W Smith song, “Above All”, was played. I remember sobbing as the words were sung, “Crucified, laid behind a stone, You lived to die, rejected and alone. Like a rose trampled on the ground, You took the fall and thought of me, above all.” The Savior of the world thought of me above everything else (even His own life) and died (took the fall) to pay the price for my sin. That was the beginning of a new phase of my relationship with Him.
Jesus still doesn’t love my sin, but He can love me because He sees me through the lens of His cleansing blood. It took some time for my fear of Him and of His power to go away, but it is gone. I still feel unworthy of His love sometimes when I screw up. I am still in awe that He chose me.
The devotional, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young has also been a great reminder that Jesus loves me (and each of you) unconditionally. He wants nothing more than to hold us in the bad times, rejoice with us in the good times, and guide us when we look to Him in all times.
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 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 (NIV)
Dear Lord, Thank You for special times when You speak to us through a song, Scripture, sermon or situation. Thank You for thinking of us above all and paying the price for our sin that we are unable to pay. Help us always look to you in all times. Amen.
– Cindy Lyons
