DO YOU LOVE JESUS AS MUCH AS HE LOVES YOU?

SCRIPTURE:
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”  
(John 8:58)

MEDITATION:
When I was a child, I thought that Jesus entered the world at Bethlehem.
I could imagine how excited His parents were 
and how excited He was when they brought Him gifts from another country.
I would try to visualize 
how the bright light looked to the shepherds in the field.

The thought of an angel speaking to the shepherds 
and then a host of them singing was exciting to me.
It was also hard for me to understand 
why the shepherds were afraid, but then I was just a kid.

Whenever I imagined being a kid with animals all around I thought it would 
be an environment that I would really enjoy (due to my love of animals).
Not once did I think about the smell or the gnats and flies.
I could imagine playing in the barn and feeding the animals.
Those are a few of the thoughts I had about Jesus’ entrance into the world.

But as I grew older and developed a better understanding of the scriptures, 
I realized that Bethlehem was not where Jesus began.
Even though getting a grasp of the Trinity was not easy, 
I realized it consisted of God, the Spirit, and of course, Jesus.

The Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
If the Word was God, and Jesus is part of the Trinity, 
then it means the Word was Him as well.

When I considered the words, “In the beginning”, I realized 
that Jesus was here from the very beginning.
He was here before the moon and stars were put into place by His Father.
He was here when God created the planet Earth.
He has always existed and is here from everlasting to everlasting.

Why is that important?
For one thing, it means that He has existed longer than Satan.
We know that Satan has existed longer than us 
so he is much better at tempting us than we are at resisting his temptations.

However, Jesus is better at equipping us and helping us 
to resist temptations, than Satan is at tempting us.
Doesn’t that give you an amazing amount of confidence 
to know that as a believer, you have a powerful and more than 
adequate Advocate to help you win the battles against Satan?

ACTION:
What are your feelings about Jesus existing from the beginning of time?
Does it help you better understand why it was an amazing act of obedience 
for Him to leave the splendor of Heaven and enter an unrighteous world?
Isn’t it astounding that even though He knew 
the cross awaited Him, He still was obedient to the Father?
Think about that for a moment: 
He left a perfect world to enter an imperfect one so He could die!

Sometimes it is hard 
to get our minds around the magnitude of that kind of love for others.
He sacrificed His desires in favor of our needs.
It is sad to think about how many fail to sacrifice their desires 
in order to spend time worshipping with other believers, 
even though they know that it benefits them and brings pleasure to Him.
Thank goodness His love for us is greater than our love for Him.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that helps me to 
understand Your existence and how You had a plan for mankind 
before the first person was born. Thank You Jesus for loving me 
so much that You would leave the comfort of Heaven and die for 
me. Forgive me for the times I have failed to leave the comfort of 
my home or other activities in order to live for and worship You. 
Soften my heart so that my desire to fellowship with You will 
increase. In humble adoration I praise You, my Savior and Lord.”