This Christmas season the message of love has been in
nearly every sermon or candlelight service. God’s love. Maybe there is nothing
new about that. You could say that every Christmas is about God’s love. In
fact, it starts with the verse we have heard since we were children—For God so
loved the world…(John 3:16). We know God loves “us” and sent his son to save
the world. The part that I am focusing on this year is that God loves me. He
knows me and his love is intimate. That is the love that I am thinking about
this year. It is personal. Ephesians 3:17-19
... And I pray that
you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together
with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high
and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that
surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the
fullness of God.
This love is deep and intimate enough to reach me. It’s
not just about God loving the world or us. It is really about God’s love in
sending Jesus Christ to actually reach me. And to have me know how amazing it
is. To experience it in my innermost self.
That last part made me think of my own experience with
bone marrow and how it gives life or can take life away. Marrow is such an
interesting word. We don’t often use that word unless we are talking about something
medical. But the word marrow means
this: The inmost, choicest, or essential
part. Or in some dictionaries, the vital
part, essence.
Marrow is the part that gives life. It is the core of who
we are. So here is the revelation I had this week. Are we experiencing the love
of Jesus in our marrow? Not just recognizing that “God so loved the world,” but
seeing the truth that this love is personal. It is meant for us to experience
in our inner core—the part that defines who we are. When we really experience
the intimate love of Jesus in our core, it changes everything. It puts
everything in perspective. We all have this need to experience a deep and
personal love from our Savior. And there is no greater time to see this than on
Christmas day. Look around. Experience the joy of giving to others we love and
receive the gifts from others that love us. But most of all, experience the
intimate and personal love of our Savior deep in your marrow. Pray that God
would overwhelm you with this love. That is what gives life this Christmas
season.
Amazed by His Love,
Terence
