Knowing and experiencing.

There is a great difference between knowing about something and experiencing it.

I lived among the Yupik Eskimos in Alaska for two years.

I can tell you all about them, But that would not communicate to you

the taste of aging fish, the texture of seal meat or whale blubber,

the smell of home-tanned seal skins or the thrill of riding on a dog sled,

the experience of going trapping at 50 below zero, of hunting walrus,

or having a whale surface a few feet from the 18-foot skin boat you are in!

You could even watch a film on all this, but you still only know about it.

No, experiencing it is “knowing beyond knowledge,”

which is exactly what Ephesians 3:18,19 describes where Paul

wants us to “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,”

[that is knowing about the Love of Christ,] then he says,

“and to know this love that surpasses knowledge….”

which is to actually experience Christ’s love in your life.

More on this tomorrow

Picture: nothing you’ve every experienced: hunting walrus

“For God so loved the world….” John 3:16

We must stand

in awe,

in wonder,

in thankfulness,

in praise,

Lord God, at your ability and willingness to love us so.

You have made us those in whom you delight, rejoice and love.

You are gloriously great in your goodness and

persistently positive in your patience

as you faithfully work in us.

And in this you suffer grief every day

at our hands,

for we,

in our laziness,

selfishness,

pride,

rebellion

and unbelief,

choose to disobey you

and do our own deadly deeds

according our own puny plans.

And yet You continue to extend your invitation to us

to join you in your glorious and gracious scheme

for restoring the universe to its pristine pre-fall condition.

Help us, Lord, to repent moment by moment

leaving behind our minuscule matters

and wholeheartedly accept your offer for

being part  of the most significant thing we can do!

Picture: the invitation

In making us your children, Heavenly Father,

you have invited us into the deep, intimate relationship you have with the Lord Jesus.

You give us what you gave Him in His time on earth:

affection,

fellowship,

authority

and honor.

As you loved your only begotten Son,

so you love your only adopted children.

“Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ”!!! (1 John 1:3).

We must stand in awe,

in wonder,

in thankfulness,

in praise,

Lord God,

at your ability and willingness to love us so.

In the midst of the turmoil of life today,

let us revel in, bask in, rejoice in

the lavish love of our Lord,

as we are

chosen, accepted, approved and beloved!

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” John 15;9

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1

Heavenly Father, I share John’s wonder at this astounding truth: that you,

the Holy God,

the Righteous One,

the Just Judge,

the Creator King,

would take your enemies—

evil,

depraved,

ugly,

stubborn,

rebellious a

nd destructive as they are—

and transform them into new creatures, adopting them as your children!

What a turn-around: to bring your adversary into the palace and place him into your family!

This Agape love of yours is astounding.

In one way it is a brutal love,

brutal to you the Lover,

who gives and gives,

unswayed by the lack of positive response

from the rebellious, self-centered, unbelieving, negative objects of your love–us.

This love, so painful to you as you are grieved daily by our rebellion,

is so gracious to us:

caring,

kind,

forgiving,

correcting,

guiding,

rebuking,

nurturing,

providing,

directing,

cherishing.

Picture: “And that is what we are!”

The Tragedy and Triumph of Easter

“O LORD, the God who saves me, day and night, I cry out before you.” Psalm 88:1

May your name be exalted, Lord Jesus, for your willingness to be the Suffering Servant. You are glorious in your desire to suffer for your enemies.

As Psalm 88 prophetically says about you, “You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths. Your wrath lies heavily on me.

You have overwhelmed me with all your waves. I am confined and cannot escape.”

So you were, Lord Jesus, overwhelmed, struck down, trapped under wrath and totally crushed.

You placed yourself directly in the path of God’s anger and were unescapably confined to it.

Psalm 88 continues “Why do you reject me and hide your face from me?”

When you, Lord Jesus, became sin, the Father turned from you, leaving you utterly alone under His wrath.

“I was taken from my closest friends; you made me repulsive to them.” You took upon yourself the sin of the whole world.

Even  more,  You became sin for us: ugly, repulsive, and despicable. And because of this, the fabric of the Trinity was torn—

those eternal, rich, beautiful, warm and perfect relationships were ripped apart as you, Lord Jesus, became sin for us

and as you, heavenly Father, crushed the Son to save your enemies.

“Your wrath swept over me, your terrors destroyed me…the darkness is my closest friend.” You, Lord Jesus, endured this wrath,

moved through it, drinking every last drop of the bitter pain—you not only endured the jeers of the Jews,

but all the aggressive attacks of the absolutely evil demonic forces.

You waited until the right second and then rose up to defeat Satan and death, shattering the strength of the foe who had enslaved all mankind with the fear of death.

You triumphed in a dazzling blaze of glory, defeating, dethroning, destroying death and the devil with all his diabolic plans.

Only you, only you, Lord Jesus, could have done this, and you did it at the right time and in the right way! You accomplished it perfectly!

Your work is finished, opening a doorway between the dominion of darkness and the Kingdom of Light,

calling all the prisoners of the devil to come out into the warmth of your love and forgiveness.

You, Lord Jesus Christ, are worthy of all Praise and Honor, Exaltation and Magnification.

You are the Great and Humble Lord, the Mighty and Meek Savior, the Most High and the Most Holy.

To you be glory, both now and forever more!