Glory

“Death, burial and Resurrection.”

It was perhaps around Thursday during the Holy Week when the Lord washed the disciples feet, thereby demonstrating the full extent of His Love which finds authentic expression in what Pastor Bill Johnson often says,

“Rule with the heart of a servant, and serve with the heart of a king.”

Jesus always used His authority to build up, never tear down. He released life and light wherever He went. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He opened blind eyes and unstopped deaf ears. He cleansed the lepers and cast out demons. He dignified women and ate with tax collectors. He taught in the synagogue and freely forgave.

And on Thursday, He stooped down to now wash the disciples feet.

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;  so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.” (John 13:3-4)

It is astonishing and refreshing to learn that an awareness of His Identity as the Son of God did not lead Jesus to demonstrate any sort of worldly flamboyance which was not uncommon in those days for a king, but rather it led Him to serve.

He perfectly exemplified the heart of the servant-king that He was.

Not only that, He also encouraged His disciples to do the same.

And He encourages us too.

The Kingdom of God always works in paradox, sometimes too mysterious for us to comprehend. And what I’m learning is that what we can’t necessarily wrap our minds around, we certainly can choose to receive with our hearts by faith.

We may never understand the kind of Love that compelled the Lord to go to that Cross at Calvary, wilfully die a gruesome death both, ‘as’ us and ‘for’ us, and then on the third day, be raised again from the dead.

All so that we could receive a forgiveness of sin, an authentic hope for our future and life everlasting with our Father in Heaven.

We may never understand this kind of Love, but we are free to choose to receive it.

Revel in it. Bask in it. Glory in it.

He paid a most unreasonable price to ransom us and redeem us.

And there is perhaps no better way for us to honour this kind of Love, other than simply learn to receive it like little children.

Little children who belong to the family and the kingdom of God.

Sons and daughters that were on our Saviour’s mind as He breathed His last on that Cross.

So He could release a fresh breath of Heaven into us when He rose again.

Death could not hold Him. Hope could not be left buried or entombed. For He is Risen.

And He is alive.

He is breathing right now. Into you. Into me.

A new life. A resurrection life. An ascended life.

A life He paid with his own for us to receive.

Like little children.

Sons and Daughters that are marked with glorious divine destiny that have The Father’s fingerprints all over.

So as we head into the last three days that mark the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord; let us, like Him, remember whose children we are, where we come from and where we return.

For when all is said and done, He will get the Glory.

Because He paid a mighty price for it and as His Children, may we never settle for anything less than God’s best.

On Earth as it is in Heaven.

Glory!