This is part one of hopefully many musically inspired devotions. Please join us in a time of worship with this song performed by Ryan Thompson and take a moment to reflect on the endless love of Christ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mISrJEgKzw4&feature=youtu.be

Jesus loves you. It’s a fact that children have been declaring all across the world while singing the simple truth “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so”. But how much does Jesus love me? Is that even something that we can know and understand? I think that we can at least start to know it better by looking at 3 things: The price Christ paid, the type of people that He is willing to love, and the terms of the relationship.

The Price

Jesus Christ, the son of the Creator of the world, died in our place. But it wasn’t just that, a read through Isaiah 53 gives us a more complete description of what Christ went through to because of His great love with which He loved us: Despised, forsaken, man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, He bore OUR grief, carried OUR sorrows, stricken, smitten of God, afflicted, pierced through, crushed, chastened, scourged, caused the iniquity of us ALL to fall on Him, oppressed, afflicted, led to the slaughter, judged, cut off out of the land of the living for US. And finally, the sins of the world upon Himself as His Father, turned His back upon Him, He was put to death by the hands of the people who He came to save. I can think of no greater price to pay.

The People He Loves

To pay such an astounding and incomparable price shows an incredible love, but we find that love is deeper still when we look at who it was whom Christ was saving. Christ was dying and suffering that day for you. Some people may feel that they are worth dying for and some people may feel that they aren’t, but to Christ, you are worth everything. But Christ wasn’t only suffering for you that day, he was suffering for the worst of the worst that this world has to offer. People who commit such terrible acts against one another that it is painful for us to even read about them or think about them. Yet a God knows these people more than you or I ever could, who knows them intimately, who knit them together in the womb (ps 139), who created them in His own image, who knows the number of hairs on their head, and who loves them with an everlasting love, that God, has to stand by and watch them commit these acts. And yet, He loves us despite all of this. This love certainly goes beyond our understanding.

The Terms

Jesus Christ suffered terribly and died for people who were completely undeserving and full of sin. Romans 5:6-8 puts it this way: “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Christ came to this world because we were sinners. We were helpless and hopeless, and God loved us so much that He paid that ultimate price for us. Christ wasn’t showing love to a world of believers that loved and adored Him, but a world of hopeless sinners in need of a savior. And ever more incredible is the fact that His love has no special terms. Christ loved us first (1 John 4:19) and will love us forever (Deut 31:6).

Below are the lyrics to the song How Deep the Father’s Love For Us. I hope that as you read (or sing!) them that you will think about the true depth of the love of God and remember what His scripture teaches us in Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

How deep the Father’s love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom