John 19:30 “When Jesus
therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and gave up the
ghost.”
Jesus, Son of God,
Saviour of Man, now hangs lifeless on the cruel cross of Calvary. As we survey
the scene, a remarkable thing happens. Joseph of Arimethea goes to Pilate, begs
for the body of Jesus, then with help from Nicodemus carefully takes the body of
Jesus and places it in a new sepulcher (John 19:38-42). Why do you suppose these
two men would take it upon themselves to carry out this difficult task? I
believe they did it because of a tremendous love they had for Jesus.
Today, we are not
confronted with the lifeless, physical body of Jesus. Instead, we are confronted
with his living spiritual body and that according to Col. 1:18 is his church.
Christ love for us is evident (Rom. 5:8, Acts 20:28, Eph. 5:25-27, 1 Pet.
1:18-19). The only question is, do we truly love him? Loving Jesus entails much
more than just being saying that we believe in him and as a result are baptized.
It involves keeping all his commandments to the best of abilities (John 14:15,
Eccl. 12:13).
Loving Jesus means more
than just having our names on a church membership roll. With all my heart, I
believe that loving Jesus means that we will be worth something to the church
that he loved so much he gave his life for it (Eph. 5:25-27). From time to time
each of us should conduct an honest examination of our love for Christ and his
church (2 Cor. 13:5, 1 Cor. 11:28). By that examination determine whether we are
an asset or a liability to the church (Heb. 5:12-14, Phil. 4:1). Determine
whether we are a help or a hindrance to the work of the church (1 Cor. 9:12, 1
Cor. 15:58, Rev. 3:16). We need to determine if we are adding strength to the
church (1 Cor. 16:13-14, Eph. 6:10-11). And what about our influence (1 Tim.
4:12-13, Matt. 5:16). Will this examination show that we are growing in the
grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Pet. 3:18, 1 Pet. 2:1-5, 2 Tim.
2:15)?
No person can ever live a
life pleasing to Christ unless they are showing the proper honor and respect
toward the church for which he died. We can make the church more effective, more
active, more loving and more spiritual by giving our best to the cause of
Christ. Our Lord does not require the impossible from us. He does not expect any
of us to do something that we cannot do. But I do tell you this, he requires
that we give him the best we have and not the leftovers. He requires the best of
our love (Mk. 12:28-31). He requires the best of our money (2 Cor. 9:6-7, 2 Cor.
8:9-12). He requires the best of our labors (Matt.10:5-10, Luke 10:7, Acts
20:35, 1 Cor. 15:58). Much more could be said in this connection but suffice it
to say that giving God the best begins with giving oneself totally, completely,
without reservation (2 Cor. 8:1-5, Rom. 12:1).
Loving Jesus, we will
make his church, his spiritual body, the focus of our life. I wonder, how many
of us can truthfully sing, “I love thy kingdom Lord the house of thine abode”?—1
Cor. 14:15
Charles Hicks
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