Dedicated to all of my
fellow human beings who have not yet found true love.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38-39
NIV)
We were long overdue for a thorough washing of our
clothes. We were thousands of miles from home, and since luggage on planes is
limited, we didn't have a limitless supply of clean laundry. And now we were
wearing the last of it. Something had to be done!
It didn't help that we were in a part of northern New
Zealand that was experiencing extreme drought. We couldn't find a Laundromat in
town, and the bed and breakfast we were staying at was experiencing a water
shortage. The two large water containers that they used to supply their home and
business were dangerously low, and as a result, we were more than surprised when
the owner pleasantly said, "I'll be happy to do your laundry for you!"
"But you need your water," we insisted.
"It will be fine. I will do it for you while you are
out diving!"
We were touched by the love of these New Zealanders.
They went out of their way to help us, despite their lack of water.
That's when I began to ask myself, "How can you really
prove to someone that you love them?"
So often we are disappointed by our so-called friends.
So often we reveal our inner thoughts to someone we trust only to be let down by
them. We have been rejected so many times in our lives that we really have no
idea who we can trust. Imagine what would happen if people around us really knew
the real us!
Deep down, we all have the urge to search for someone
who will accept us for who we truly are. Does that someone even exist?
So often we are hurt by our own spouse, the one we
have decided to spend the rest of our lives with. Our spouse wanted to proof his
or her love by giving a beautiful ring with sparkling diamonds, or by some other
material means. True enough, it touched us deeply at the moment. Years later
though, that same ring becomes worthless as the love evaporates into
nothingness. In a world where divorce has become the norm, love has become a
species on its way to extinction!
Though we hunger to be loved, we have learned that
revealing our vulnerability only leads to more rejection, and as a result, we
have become cautious. Many specialize in searching for real love. Sadly this
kind of love cannot be found.
Unless …
How can someone truly show that they love us? Would a
ring do the job?
Not really.
Would a mansion suffice?
No, a mansion is transient.
What about money?
Even that will eventually disappear.
The only way we can be assured 100% of pure love is if
the individual is willing to sacrifice his or her life for ours.
Don't take me wrong. There are many true stories where
Prince or Princess Charming took a pauper out of his or her misery and elevated
him or her to riches, to be their husband or bride. And I applaud such
endeavours. However only One was willing to bring Himself down to our level; to
lower Himself from all the riches of Heaven to a level of true poverty; from
being worshipped by legions of angels, to being rejected and mocked, crucified
on across, as if he were the worst villain that ever existed.
That's love, friends! Real love! He was willing to
give up everything for you and me!
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid
down his life for us." (1 John 3:16 NIV)
He is the One who accepts us the way we truly are, the
One who guarantees that rejection is a thing of the past!
"Whoever comes to me I will never drive away." (John
6:37 NIV)
But though He was killed on our behalf, He didn't stay
in the grave. After three days He rose again, and humanity has never been the
same! "He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live
together with him." (1 Thess 5:10 NIV)
There is only One who truly love us. Would you like to
know Him?
He cleans our dirty laundry, too. In fact, He turns
our rags into a royal wardrobe, and all of this for free!
"Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of
your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All
the old fashions are now obsolete." (Col 3:10 The Message)
May our New Year resolution be to get to know the One
who truly loves each one of us. No love like this will ever be found, except in
the One who willingly sacrificed Himself for us!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.