“As I have loved you, so you must love one another” Jn.13:34. “Be kind and tenderhearted to one another” Eph. 4:32. “Forgive someone 7 times? No, more in the grace-realm of 77 or 490 times” Matt.18:21-22. “What is impossible for people is possible with God” Lk.18:27.
Dear Jesus, as I read these verses, the image of a power cord came to mind—one end of the cord is plugged into me, and the other needs to be plugged into a power source—perhaps a nuclear-grace power plant. Because the call to love others as you love us is WAY beyond our instinct, motivation, desire, and resources.
Jesus, you have taught us that your life for us is where our salvation comes from. It’s you + nothing, Jesus. You are our substitute to trust for 100% of our righteousness… “Whew!’ And you also taught us that it’s your life in us that is our hope of glory. Not metaphorically, but actually, you live in us by the Holy Spirit—and you’re not leaving us. Instead, you will take us to heaven with you at the perfectly timed moment. Hallelujah, and thank you.
So this leads us to one more glorious preposition, Jesus—through. In a profound, mystical, actual way, we can say with the Apostle Paul, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Jesus, you are our life (Phil.1:21), and the life you lived for us you now live in us. So live and love through us, Jesus.
We’re tired of making excuses for why we don’t love well. We’re weary of qualifying, minimizing, and excusing ourselves from the demands of love. So Jesus, love through us. Don’t just empower us to love, love through us—actually, supernaturally, wondrously.
It’s not that we’re “a glove and you’re the hand.” It’s that we share a union with you that is real, not theoretical or metaphorical. Love through us Jesus, this very day. So Very Amen.