Wednesday in the Word

I'm borrowing this idea from one of my dearest friends, Becky, over at Blessed With Olive Plants. Every Wednesday, I'm going to journal what God has been showing me in the Word. I love this idea! Thanks Becky!

I'm going to preface today's entry with something God gave me while reading aloud to the boys last night.

We finished The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Speare. It was an amazing book and will definitely go on my favorites list. But something Ms. Speare wrote in the very last pages of the book really struck me and I've been thinking about it since. She painted a picture of Jesus in the last few pages that washed over me and has been ebbing and flowing through my mind. She writes, "Although he held his breath and made no sound, Jesus raised his head, and his eyes met Daniel's. There was no need to speak. Jesus knew. He understood about Leah. He knew that Daniel had rejected him. His eyes, searching and full of pity, looked deep into the boy's and saw the bitterness and the hatred and the betrayed hopes and the loneliness. And then he smiled." I couldn't help myself. I began to weep. I've felt the bitter sting of resentment, anger, betrayal and loneliness. I suppose everyone might. But that Jesus "knew" all the ugliness in Daniel's mind but yet smiled at the boy was a fresh tide of grace for me.

Jesus knows. He has walked with me my whole life. I loved him and yet I utterly rejected him until about ten years ago. And even then, at times, I've rejected Him out of disobedience, wrong thinking or poor attitudes. Yet, he smiles at me. Not smiles of approval...but smiles of kindness, love, mercy, patience...all those fruits of the Spirit. Amazing love. Sacrificial love.

"Beloved let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:7-11

Phew...there is a lot of truth in the above verses! If Jesus can smile at me (trust me, I'm ugly!) with grace, then I should partake of that same grace and love those that have been ugly to me. I can smile at them just as He smiles at me. His smile is not contrived. It is from His heart. So that's how my smile should be. Grace, from the heart freely flowing to everyone who needs it. Can I do that in my own power? No...it must be powered by God's love. I cannot run on my own batteries. I must be charged by God. If He loves me, a degenerate sinner, then I should step back and allow Him to love others through me.

**Remember, love is a verb. It is something you do...and it is has to do with forgiveness, patience, longsuffering, grace, kindnesses, and selfless-ness.

Now close your eyes. Can you see Him smile? He's so good. I'm so deeply thankful for Him.