On the night that Jesus was arrested He began hours of untold and unjust torture. The twelve men he chose from all others and made his disciples — where were they? These men, His closest earthly companions became sacred and fled – they went AWOL. In His greatest hour of need, they deserted – leaving Him to go through a trail of made up, false allegations, a flogging that should have killed Him, nailed to a cross and to die – alone.
How often do we do the same when life gets tough. Maybe we blame God for what’s happened or we wonder why He isn’t doing something about the trouble we are facing. Maybe its being bitter over the death of a loved one. Whatever it might look like, we desert Him – just as the disciples did. We give up and stop praying for that miracle. We close our Bibles and put them on a shelf to collect dust. We drop out of church. We become AWOL children of God.
While we might give up on God, and even though the disciples fled and hid in fear, Jesus stayed true to His mission. He surrendered to the Father’s plan that would bring about our redemption and salvation. Out of His love for them and us, He endured the cross and died in our place – taking the punishment we deserve on Himself so that we could find forgiveness of sin and have a relationship with God. I sometimes wonder if in those hours of agonizing torture if the face of every human created past, present and future, played across the mind of Jesus and as He saw each face, He would say, “I’m doing this for you, Julie. I love you this much.” Go back read that again, but put your name there. In John 15:13, Jesus said that there is no greater love than a man lay down his life for his friend. He lived out those words as he hung on a cross with you and me on His mind.
No matter how many times we might turn our backs on God, God will never turn His back on us. He’s always there – ready to love us, ready to forgive, ready to bring us back into a right relationship with Him. With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, be sure that you take time to acknowledge Jesus’ love for us – an unfailing love that has no ends, an unconditional love that accepts us just as we are. If you are in a season of life where you have turned your back on God, take a few moments to remember the sacrificial love of Jesus as He hung on the cross for you.
#AWOLdisciples #AWOLchildrenofGod #nogreaterlove #IwasonHismind
Don’t forget to learn this week’s memory verse:
James 4:7-8
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Meditate and apply:
Will you commit to praying with us in 2020 that God will revive His people, renew our faith, and redeem our land? We feel such an urgency and desperation for revival. If God is moving your heart for revival, write your revival prayer in the comments along with your state or country.
#revive #renew #redeem #revivalinAmerica #revivalin2020 #WCM