MEDITATIONS
FROM THE GOSPELS
June 7,
2006
Reading
“Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the
end” John 13:1
What an encouraging and refreshing thought this is,
my soul—one for you to cherish for the rest of your life. As everything around
you changes, yet He remains faithful. Your Savior is the same and His love is
the same. He loved you to the fullest measure and His love can never
diminish—not even a fraction. His love, not your effort or works, was the first
cause of your salvation, and His love will carry you through to the very end of
your life and throughout eternity.
Jesus has a people, a very special people, a people in this world. These people belong to Him because
He redeemed them with His own blood and has promised to never leave them or
forsake them. His people are very precious to Him and He has chosen to spend
eternity with them. For ever He and His own will be together as one—nothing can
separate Him from His people—the bond and union He has with His people is
eternal.
It is as if He cannot find the words to describe how
precious His people are to Him—words like treasure, peculiar people, jewels,
bride and body, all fall short by themselves. They were first given to Him by
His Father, that made them dear. He purchased them with His blood, that made
them dear to Him also. He has conquered them by His grace; this endears them to
Himself as His own.
Although they are in this world and, more often than
not, too much in love with this world, yet Jesus’ love is not abated: they are
still dear to Him. He loves them though He hates their sins. The same love that
prompted Him to fulfill the plan of salvation continues to go forth from His
very being without change or compromise until the end of your existence here in
this world.
Precious
Lord Jesus! Oh for grace to love thee, who hast so
loved us! And while thou condescendest to call such poor sinful worms thine
own, and to love them as thine own, and consider everything done for them and
done to them as to thyself; shall not a portion of such love be communicated to
my poor heart, that I may love thee as my own and only Saviour, and learn to
love thee to the end, as thou hast loved me and given thyself for me, an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour? Robert Hawker.