Loving Lavishly

 "See what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1

    The verse above says God "lavished" His love on us. Wanting to know more, I looked up the word "lavish." It means "very generous or liberal in giving or spending, extravagantly so; prodigal." That word "prodigal" reminded me of Jesus' parable about The Prodigal Son so I looked up that word, too. It's definition is "exceedingly or recklessly wasteful, extremely generous; lavish, profuse."

    Lavish, indeed! "You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows." (Psalm 23) "Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." (Malachi 3) "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap." (Luke 6)

    Have I loved Jesus in return as He has loved me? 

    My heartfelt prayer this Lenten season is that I love Jesus with the same abandon as did this woman in the gospel of Mark:

    "While He was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head." Some present were indignant about this perceived "waste" of perfume, which was worth about a year's wages. 

    In response to this, Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me...She did what she could." (Mark 14: 6, 8)

    The woman broke the jar so there was no going back, no effort could be made to save some perfume for herself. She went all in, publicly, undeniably, extravagantly. As the aroma filled the air and poured out into the streets, her love for Christ became common knowledge. Indeed, Jesus had said that "wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her." (Mark 14:9)

    Oh, Jesus, who has loved me so lavishly that You laid down your life for me, may I spare no expense, may I never think twice about how it looks to anyone else, but may I just love you wastefully, recklessly, extremely so! I want to be remembered for doing something beautiful for You! Grant me a grateful heart so I will do whatever I can for You. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, worth all I have to give, which will never be enough.

"What language shall I borrow 

To thank Thee, dearest Friend,

For this Thy dying sorrow,

Thy pity without end?

Oh, make me Thine forever!

And should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never,

Outlive my love for Thee."

-from the hymn, "O Sacred Head Now Wounded"

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What's more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them as garbage..." Philippians 3: 7, 8

He'll Leave the Light on for You

 "Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your Presence?...If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You." Psalm 139: 7, 11

    When I was a child, I feared being alone especially at night. Because my older sisters were closer in age, they shared a room while I had one of my own. While this might seem ideal to some, it was a bane to me. I sought reassurance each night as darkness settled upon me like a damp blanket. 

    "What time is it?' I'd call out to Mother. "Nine o'clock," came the tired reply. "Now go to sleep." 

    I'd try to converse with my siblings across the hall, a temporary fix. Finally, I was given a radio to dispel the deepening gloom of loneliness.

    As I grew in body and faith, securely sealed by the Spirit, I viewed the Presence of Christ in me as a flashlight that would cast light into the unknown as I entered its realm. Yet, the more I learned about the omnipresence of our God, I have had to revise my view. He is not merely a light that comes with me; He has gone on before me, turning on all the lights along the way!

    Upon the exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel had His glorious Presence with them in their wilderness: "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night." (Exodus 13:21) 

   Since the cross and the empty tomb, God has gone one better than the pillars - His very Spirit resides in me, closer than my own heart. No person or no thing can ever turn off the Light.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5

    

Believing is Seeing

 "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Luke 24:34

    Easter is approaching. I can tell by the pastel proliferation of bunnies and eggs at Home Goods, among other places. Have you ever asked yourself what lies beneath the cutesy accoutrements of this spring season? If we peer through the smoke screen with which Satan has obscured the truth, what will we find? 

    An empty tomb. Jesus lives and Satan doesn't want you to know that! Otherwise, you would live in victory. 

    How do I know that Jesus lives if I wasn't there to see it for myself? I have proof. Just as in the verse above, I can declare, "It is true! The Lord has risen." Here's how I know:

    Dementia shrouded my father's mind during the last year and a half of his life. Anyone who has witnessed the slow decline caused by this disease can testify to the sadness and frustration involved. It was especially cruel for my mom whose husband did not know her after sixty-two years of marriage. The mental limitations combined with the physical ailments took their toll and, toward the end, my dad was admitted to a nursing home.

    One Sunday afternoon, my sisters called me from there. "Rachel, you need to come down here (to the nursing home)," they implored. "We are here with mom." 

    Fearing the worst, I went with some measure of trepidation. But do you know what happened? The same Jesus, who rebuked the raging sea for the disciples, calmed the storm of dementia for a few hours that afternoon. My father, so fine and so brave, was back as he used to be!  Just as if he had returned from a long trip, we were excited to speak with him. When I hugged him, he told me one of his favorite corny jokes which was, "A woman should be an armful, never a handful." 

    When our joyous reunion ended, the cloud of confusion returned. Three days later, Jesus called him home. 

    As the hymn goes, "I know that my Redeemer lives; What comfort this sweet sentence gives." Who but the One who has been given all authority in heaven and earth, could perform such a feat? But a Savior who has authority over life and death, who loves me so much that He would grant me one last time with my father, this is my Jesus, my Redeemer who lives. And I am a witness.

"God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses." Acts 2:32