God’s Heart Touching Ours
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life so that we could be loosed from the power of sin and delivered from the power of Satan. He came because He loved us, and He knew how much we needed Him. He came to make the heart of His Father glad, and to bring His joy into our lives. He came to the lowly place so that He could lift us to the highest place. He became poor in earthly things so that He could make us rich in heavenly things. He laid aside His glory and took up our humanity…He laid aside the praises of the heavenly host and made Himself of no reputation…He laid aside His heavenly home and dined in the home of sinners…He laid down His rights as God and took up a towel and a basin…He laid aside the splendor of His throne and endured the shame of the cross..jpg)
Imagine a large room filled with people. Each person in the room has great needs, and each person is looking to the other people in the room to help fill those needs. Each person that entered that room was inwardly saying as he or she arrived “Here I am. I have arrived. I have many needs. I am expecting each of you to do your very best to make me happy, and if you want me to love you and help you to meet your needs, then you must give me a reason to love you.” That is how all of us live our lives. We are self-centered. We have not come into the world to serve, but to be served. When Jesus came to us, He was like a man who entered that room full of needy people and said something completely different in His heart. Jesus said, “There you are. How may I serve you? I am here to meet your needs. How may I help you? You do not have to give me a reason to love you. I love you unconditionally, without reservation. I hold nothing back from you. I give you my all, willingly, happily, freely. Even if you choose to be my enemy, I will lay down my life for you.” There is only one place love like that can be found, and that is in the heart of God.
The greatest change that takes place within us is when God’s heart touches our hearts and we become extensions and expressions of His love to others. When the servant heart of Jesus is within us we will stoop in humility to serve others, instead of rising up in pride with the demand to be waited upon by others. It is only from the heart of Jesus that we are able to esteem others better than ourselves, love others as ourselves, and honor others instead of ourselves. Today, it is Jesus’ desire to put a towel over your arm, place a basin in your hands, put His love within your heart, and cause you to ascend the heights by having you serve.
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:1-11 NLT).
Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life so that we could be loosed from the power of sin and delivered from the power of Satan. He came because He loved us, and He knew how much we needed Him. He came to make the heart of His Father glad, and to bring His joy into our lives. He came to the lowly place so that He could lift us to the highest place. He became poor in earthly things so that He could make us rich in heavenly things. He laid aside His glory and took up our humanity…He laid aside the praises of the heavenly host and made Himself of no reputation…He laid aside His heavenly home and dined in the home of sinners…He laid down His rights as God and took up a towel and a basin…He laid aside the splendor of His throne and endured the shame of the cross.
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Imagine a large room filled with people. Each person in the room has great needs, and each person is looking to the other people in the room to help fill those needs. Each person that entered that room was inwardly saying as he or she arrived “Here I am. I have arrived. I have many needs. I am expecting each of you to do your very best to make me happy, and if you want me to love you and help you to meet your needs, then you must give me a reason to love you.” That is how all of us live our lives. We are self-centered. We have not come into the world to serve, but to be served. When Jesus came to us, He was like a man who entered that room full of needy people and said something completely different in His heart. Jesus said, “There you are. How may I serve you? I am here to meet your needs. How may I help you? You do not have to give me a reason to love you. I love you unconditionally, without reservation. I hold nothing back from you. I give you my all, willingly, happily, freely. Even if you choose to be my enemy, I will lay down my life for you.” There is only one place love like that can be found, and that is in the heart of God.
The greatest change that takes place within us is when God’s heart touches our hearts and we become extensions and expressions of His love to others. When the servant heart of Jesus is within us we will stoop in humility to serve others, instead of rising up in pride with the demand to be waited upon by others. It is only from the heart of Jesus that we are able to esteem others better than ourselves, love others as ourselves, and honor others instead of ourselves. Today, it is Jesus’ desire to put a towel over your arm, place a basin in your hands, put His love within your heart, and cause you to ascend the heights by having you serve.
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:1-11 NLT).
#easter #godsheart #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin
©2024 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.
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