Today’s Reading: John 15:8-9 (NIV)
8 [Jesus said,] “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”
Good morning!
I remember making weekly visits to the nearby savings and loan with my mother and sister. We would go during the daytime, when the inside lobby was open. My sister and I each had our own savings account deposit booklet. The cashier’s desk was very tall; so tall that they provided a staircase just for wee ones to climb up to see the teller waiting patiently behind the counter. I would take my savings account booklet and the few coins I had saved from my allowance, and climb those steps to meet the woman smiling at me from behind the counter. She would take my money, place a red ink stamp in my savings booklet, and hand me a brightly colored lollipop in return! The teller would thank me for making an investment in the future, and then she would hand me my favorite grape lollipop! The lollipops from the bank were the best lollipops in the world! They would leave a sticky, sugary coating on my fingertips and lips. I liked our bank teller, and knew I could expect to see her radiant smile each week and receive a sweet return for each investment made. I continued to save my pennies with the savings and loan, even when I no longer needed to climb up the steps to see the teller. The money that I saved as a child helped pay for my wedding eighteen years later. That investment made over many years had a significant impact upon my future. I appreciated the gift all the more, understanding that it was the journey that made the destination priceless.
Jesus knew His earthly destination before the world could comprehend it. He willingly came for one purpose alone - to become a holy and perfect sacrifice for an unholy and imperfect world. Christ took on the very sins of humanity; all of them, to bridge the eternal chasm between the Father and His lost children. Jesus could have chosen to skip through thirty-three long years, investing his earthly time with the ones He came to save. Christ chose to demonstrate the gift of relationship, by investing His heart all of us. He is not just our final destination, but Jesus is the one who journeys with you and me every single day. He is our pathway toward holiness. Can you imagine what the world might be like without the lifeline of our Lord to guide and direct along the way?
Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” This is where the real journey begins. As we live each day in intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, we learn how to love others the way He loves each of us. And when we invest ourselves relationally into the hearts of others, we begin to share Christ’s love with the world. Climb the steps and invest your life with the eternal. Give your heart, your mind, your all to the Lord Jesus Christ. The sweet return in relationship that you receive today cannot compare to the glory you will share with Christ at the final destination.
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO
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