Now I Get to Love You In Return

Lent begins next week.
  
Have you seen "The Passion of the Christ"? Are you afraid of it? Should be. Should you still see it? Absolutely. (By yourself and with a large box of tissues.) Two experiences solidify in my own mind the journey Christ took to the cross and this is one of them. It was awful and we avoid thinking about it; we gloss over the details; we hear the same story every year. We know we're saved and are thankful, but it's all too "vanilla" for me.
  
If Jesus was willing to go through THAT for ME...emotions spill forth... Gratitude. Love. Determination. Commitment. Courage. And that's why I think the movie is a must watch every few years. 
  
The crown of thorns, nails in His hands, bearing the cross on the long road up the hill, the rejection of friends, false accusations, the whip marks through his flesh, hatred from the fickle. God forsaking God...for ME!
  
Aren't these the very things that give us the courage to live Christ-like? That prove God's love? If Jesus was willing to go through THAT for ME...compelling.
  
In today's Proverbs 31 Ministries devo by Glynnis Whitwer, she writes, "In the book of John, one of the disciples is described this way: the one whom Jesus loved. Interestingly, this description is only found in the book of John, and scholars believe John the Apostle, the author of the book, was referring to himself. Recently it hit me that this identity - one loved by Jesus - was how John described himself."

It wasn't a title the others gave to him; nor was it used by John in arrogance. Simply the truth. "The one whom Jesus loved." John had it figured out. "(put your name here), the one whom Jesus loves."
  
I'll end with a song, which is actually what got me started on all of this in the first place. I LOVE THIS SONG!
"Nothing Holding Me Back" by Bryan & KatieTorwalt

thank you for the cross that you have carried
thank you for your blood that was shed
you took the weight of sin upon your shoulder
sacrificed your life so i could live

now nothing is holding me back from you
redeemer of my soul
now nothing can hold me back from you
your love will never let me go

thank you for your death and resurrection
thank you for the power of your blood
and i am overwhelmed by your affection
the kindness and the greatness of your love

jesus, you make all things new
thank you that we're living in your kingdom
jesus your the king upon the throne
thank you for the way you've always loved me
now i get to love you in return

now i get to love you in return

Need a do-over? Come to Jesus.
Big mistakes in your past?
Can't get it right today? Come to Jesus.
Accept His love.
And love Him back.
That's all God wants. 
Our love.

(and everything else will follow)

~Tiffany