Theme for week: Born from Above to Love
November 17, 2021 (Wednesday)
Let me make something clear about the “unlovable.” They are unlovable only if we say they are. Jesus proved to us that He loves the ones that others might label,”unlovable,” and He commissioned us to be led by His Spirit to do the same.
One of the accusations hurled at Jesus was, “This man receives sinners and eats with them!” Those who hated Jesus failed to understand the mission of Jesus, which He Himself said, is to “seek and to save that which was lost.” He said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32 NIV).
One day a group of men accused a woman of adultery and reminded Jesus that the Old Law required that she be stoned to death. Jesus looked them in the eye and said, “He that is without sin, let him cast the first stone.” No one cast a stone. Every man dropped his stone and left the scene, embarrassed. Those men knew in their hearts that they, too, were sinners. Perhaps we Christians should remind ourselves that we are “sinners, saved by grace.”
In Jesus’ eyes, no one is “unlovable.” He touched the lives of lepers, demon-possessed people, disabled beggars, adulterers, and such. On we could go describing people who are accused, ignored, hated, unloved,
despised, lonely, sick, you name it. People who are unloved are everywhere, but not one of them is “unlovable,” because Jesus loves them, and so should we. If the question involves helping someone, there is no need to ask, “What would Jesus do?” We know what He did, time and time again. The record is right there in the Bible.
No one is “unlovable,” but many people are “unloved” in today’s world. We who are “born from above” (“born again”) are born to love them all. It is our mission in life.
We are humbled by the thought that Jesus would die for us, sung by Rusty Goodman and his daughter, Tanya:
WHO AM I?
Words & Music Rusty Goodman
1980s
When I think of how He came
So far from glory came
And dwelt among the lowly such as I
To suffer pain and such disgrace
On Mount Calvary to take my place,
So I ask myself this question, “Who am I?”
Who am I that the King would bleed and die for?
Who am I that He would pray not my will, thine Lord?
The answer I may never know, why He ever loved me so,
But to an old rugged cross He’d go, for who am I?
And I’m reminded of His words, I’ll leave You never
And just be true, I’ll give to you life forever
I wonder what I could have done to deserve God’s only Son
To fight my battles until they’re won, for who am I?
Who am I that the King would bleed and die for?
Who am I that He would pray not my will but thine Lord?
The answer I may never know just why He ever loved me so,
But to an old rugged cross He’d go, for who am I?