“In Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. He himself is our peace.” Therefore, “love as I have loved you.” (Eph. 2:13-14; Jn.15:12).
Lord Jesus, Christmas closed the gap between your far-away-ness in eternity and the nearness of your incarnation. But it took the Gospel to close the gap between our far-away-ness from grace and intimacy with you. Hallelujah, you didn’t just close the gap, you obliterated it forever.
We now live in the grand reality of full justification from our Father, belovedness in you, zero condemnation for our sin, citizenship in heaven, and a future beyond all imagining. We are deeply loved. And we are also clearly called.
Our never-ending mandate is to love others as you love us, Jesus—not as they love us. That would simply be a “tit-for-tat,” quid pro quo (something for something), or an “even-Steven” transactional relational style. Instead, you relate to us with mercy for our messes, grace for our failures, and love in our unloveliness. Thank you. Really, thank you.
So help us love others as you love us, Jesus. Nobody can make us happy or holy, and we can’t do that for anyone either. But we can love anybody “as unto you”—as an act of worship, trust, and faith (Col. 3:23-24).
This side of the new heaven and new earth, we won’t have brokenness-absent, conflict-free relationships. But we will have Christ-present, Gospel-financed days. Will we choose to spend the currency of your grace? That’s the big, daily question. “Love never fails” isn’t a tattoo, cliché, or myth. It’s the most revolutionary way of life we can choose. It’s the way you love us, Jesus. So Very Amen.