It’s Good Friday, a day when we remember how Jesus lived, loved and did what the Father created Him to be, a sacrificial Lamb. One that would restore fellowship with God and give us back the authority to rule the earth that Adam had given away.  As I was reading this morning, I saw how Paul summed up our lives as believers and decided to include it in my writings.

Romans 14:7-12 ERV “We don’t live or die just for ourselves.  If we live, we are living for the Lord. And if we die, we are dying for the Lord. So living or dying, we belong to the Lord. That is why Christ died and rose from death to live again—so that he could be Lord over those who have died and those who are living. So why do you judge your brother or sister in Christ? Or why do you think that you are better than they are? We will all stand before God, and he will judge us all. Yes, the Scriptures say,“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘Everyone will bow before me; everyone will say that I am God.’” So each of us will have to explain to God about the things we do.”

This morning, I’m thankful to belong to the Lord. I’m thankful for His sweet patience with me because it’s taught me to be patient with others. I’m thankful for His undeserved and unmerited favor on my life.  Each day I wake up, my purpose becomes His purpose because my life is His. I live because He lived. I die to self because He died to self. I give my love to others because He gave His love to the unloved and unlovely. I encourage others because He encouraged others. I trust Him because He trusted His Father. He was and is my constant example, my mentor, my love and my life.

I’m not doing this for the approval of others, but for His approval. Someday, I will stand before Him to explain about the things I’ve done. Every ugly thing will be covered by the blood He shed at Calvary, but of all that remains, I want Love to shine the brightest. I don’t claim to be perfect and those who know me best know that’s truth! But Perfect Love lives in me, I just have to keep the windows clean so He shines through. 

Instead of talking about Good Friday and Easter, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let’s LOVE. Like the old song that goes, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” Let’s love the messy, broken and hurting. Let’s love the hopeless, lost and undeserving. Let’s do something uncommon and out of the ordinary. Let’s show Love in ways we’ve never done before and take the world to the empty tomb.