How Deep Is Your Love

Today I heard that those who admit to be Christian are on the decline here in America. The news means to me that the hearts of many have grown cold, the true meaning of love has become distorted and dimmed.

Today you will hear one of two messages. If your celebrating Palm Sunday, then Lazarus was raised from the dead, confirming our general and last Resurrection, and in recognition of the belief that Jesus is the Son of God, we sing Hosanna in the Highest, while palms are being waved.

Maybe it is Easter Sunday that your celebrating, when we proclaim that Jesus has risen from the dead, trampling down death by his death.
This is the greatest sign of Love, when a person gives his life for another. That was the reason Jesus came into the world, so by His death we can live. It is not about Easter colored eggs and the Easter bunny.

A person must be willing to give of themselves for the sake of another in order to experience love. The problem for many is that self gets in the way. You cannot be a Christian and not love your brother. This generation unfortunately is the me, myself and I one. Everything is self-serving. That is how you know you are a Christian, if you can find it in your heart to love someone other than yourself, and realize that this is not of your own doing, but the Love of God dwelling within you. You will be judged by h0w well you loved someone else. Simply, God is Love. Love is the only ticket, open your eyes to the truth. It is the only thing that matters in the end, and the only thing you can take with you.

We took a course not too long ago which suggested that if you love you will be crucified. That cross that you carry as a result of loving someone else, will enlighten you as to what love is. Then you will know who God is. People need to step out of the box of themselves to learn about the mystery of Love.

Jesus waited, knowingly four days to raise his friend Lazarus from the state of death. He commanded him to come forth from the darkness because God is Light, and darkness is overcome by light. He ordered that he be fed, so we would understand that he is not a ghost. Jesus witnessed the pain of separation, when one of his sisters reminded Him if He had been there her brother would not have died. Separation from a loved one is great pain and you experience a helplessness in which there is no comfort. This pain stems from "loving someone" and of which Jesus understood having had been cut-off from His creation since the time of Adam and Eve. This pain would be felt by His own mother, after His death. In many ways you cannot love deeply until you experience these things, especially the death or separation from someone you love, irregardless of the reason.
Jesus raised Lazarus to life, because He is the Life. That is why He gave up His life freely, to give us the "free gift" of eternal life. Like in the case of Lazarus, death stinks, isolation and hopelessness are the permanent result. Because of Love, Jesus wept.

This week, beginning with today, we will hear stories of a great love, and in preparing for the Bride groom services, I read stories of deep and intimate love. You will not be able to grasp the account and deepness of the message unless you've been there and know what Love is, by experience. For example, the tearfully kissing someone's feet, shows the desire to touch someone you love, searching their eyes, looking into their soul and embracing. What would that be like knowing they were going to die. (Facing the fact that you will not see them anymore). Now can you even imagine that you knew that the person you love was the Christ, sensing His divinity? Like that woman, how would your heart groan? And would your tears fall automatically, and uncontrollably? She was like the woman at the well, Jesus knew all her thoughts and actions. The only words that could be appropriate, would be to ask for His great mercy and that He would not reject her because of her sinfulness. We all fit in the category of that woman, who is caught in a multitude of sins.
What is keeping us separated from the Christ? Nothing keeps Him from loving us.

It is not to late. He is waiting for you, come just as you are and be counted amongst the many Christians in this great nation. It is a celebration that extends all boundries and is in every sense Love forevermore.