Unconditional Love

6/28/17-7/5/17                      rebeccacreates2012@gmail.com

A Grand Father's unconditional love.

                                      

Reading for Thursday  6/22/17 from the LGG teaching on being "Sold Out" John 13:23; 19:25-26; 20:2; 21:7 Soap is John 19: 25-26.

Dear God, 

Thank you for these words that when read in their entirety there is a much clearer picture of what may have been going on around the time of Christ's Crucifixion.

Well this study is about being "Sold Out" for Christ; to my way of thinking I would say that all of these people listed here in these verses were definitely sold out for Christ.  

But just what are these verse saying....

Alright lets go thru one at a time. 

John 13:23 

23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. 

This verse is taken from within the telling of who was going to betray Christ. And Christ was still at the Passover table and the Disciple that Jesus loved was sitting with his head against Jesus' chest. Peter encourage this disciple to ask Jesus who it was.  Now is this showing what it's like to not be sold out for Christ?  Oh just the thought of this breaks my heart for the sadness that this person must feel, maybe they don't feel it right away, but they will know they betrayed Christ. Such utter despair.

John 19:25-26King James Version (KJV)

(S)25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! (James or John, my thoughts) 

(O) Oh how a mother loves her child.  We, I think, if we are being honest, must admit to ourselves...will I be able to love my child enough? And what is enough? I honestly don't think enough is the correct word, but I am not sure that I actually have a word to use here. And then there was Jesus' sister, also called Mary, and Mary Magdalene. Sister Mary had a special love for her brother of that I am quite sure. And the last Mary, Mary Magdalene, I feel loved Jesus so deeply, but in a strictly platonic way, she returned the love to Christ that He gave so unconditionally to her.  Now how special is that? (A) There are times when I am around people that don't know they are being watched, per say. And I just observe the way that they are with their children, do these parents love their children unconditionally or do they only love their children when they behave in a certain way.  How must those children feel, verses the way a child feels when they are loved unconditionally ALL the time?
That's the way I want to love not just my children but everyone.  But oh this is not easy!

John 20:2King James Version (KJV)

2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

Unless you read the verse preceding this one you don't know who it is that is speaking to Simon Peter and the other disciples. Then we see that it is Mary Magdalene, you know this woman had a very special love for Christ.  She was, I think very aware, of what love could be like at least the kind of love she had grown up with.  And it wasn't the kind of love that Christ had shown her, was it?  So she was frantic!  Who wouldn't be?  This teacher of hers was gone!

John 21:7King James Version (KJV)

7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

Can you imagine, you are hard at work, fishing and a man appears on the shore and starts carrying on a conversation with you and your crew. Well one of the crew announces to the rest that it is the Lord, Simon  Peter has to go to him.  The rest of the men are doing fine, they are following the Lord's directive, so he grabs his fisher coat and jumps in the water so he can get to the Lord.  I would say he was sold out!

Now normally I would do my soap here at the end, but I already did it when I went thru the verses.  so since this is already so late Father I will allow all to reread up above my SOA part of the soap.

P Father God, I thank so much for the countless blessings you bestow upon me and my family. Continue to bless me with wisdom and courage to do what needs to be done, even if it makes me unpopular with those I love.  The only one I want to please is you  Poppa.  (And even though I haven't written here for a couple days, please don't feel I haven't been speaking to our Lord) Father I ask that you bless everyone here and everyone not here.  Help them to know your unconditional love. In Jesus precious and most Holy Name I ask these things, Amen.