Author: Lori Casto

But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant… Matthew 21:15

• Indignant- angered, outraged, furious, livid, foaming

There was a huge crowd both preparing the way for Jesus and following behind as He was about to enter Jerusalem. When He arrived on a donkey, the crowd was shouting “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”  It was a joyous and exciting time. Jesus was healing the blind and the lame after He arrived, yet the chief priest and scribes were outraged.

They were so full of anger they were practically foaming at the mouth. I think the crowd that was excited to see Jesus greatly outnumbered the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees. Yet, the same crowd who welcomed Jesus, would later yell “Crucify Him!” The crowd was so easily influenced by those so influential.

A little while later in chapter 22, Jesus had been teaching, when a scribe asked Him a very important question…

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40

The Holy Spirit has been taking me on a “love journey.” Just when I think He’s ready for me to move on, He adds another layer or reminder to what He is showing me about love. I noticed that a scribe, one of the very people who is an influencer to sending Jesus to the cross, is asking Jesus what the greatest commandment is. Jesus knew exactly who He was talking to and exactly what was about to happen.

I think it’s entirely possible Jesus was not only telling the scribe the greatest commandments, but He was also reminding Himself. (The love your neighbor part) How much love do you have to possess to love the ones who sent you to the cross? How much love must you possess to love those who nailed your hands to a cross or beat you or put a crown of thorns on your head? How much love must you possess when your very own denies and betrays you?

Remember, the influencers (chief scribes, priest) and the people responsible for Jesus’ death and everything that took place on His horrific journey, kept their hands clean. They weren’t the ones doing the beating or nailing Jesus to the cross. They didn’t touch blood one time. They were eloquent. They said all the right words to plant seeds and change the minds of those around them. The crowd did the rest. The people who once held palm branches were now yelling “Crucify Him. Crucify Him.”

The influencer is eloquent. He’s cunning. He’s sly. He’s clever. He’s a fox. His hands always stay clean. He never carries out what He influences us to do. We do it and we enjoy it for the moment. We deny Jesus. We betray Jesus. We may as well have been the ones nailing Him to the cross. Yet, Jesus loves us. He loves us so much He went through the process of death on a cross to save us from our sins.

How deep is God’s love for us? He sent His Son, Jesus, to give the ultimate life sacrifice of love. My humanness doesn’t allow me to fully comprehend it. This week, as we think of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection, the least we can do is try to comprehend and demonstrate the same kind of love that God has for us.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders (every weight) and the sin that so easily entangles. (ensnares) And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter (Author & Finisher) of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

Consider Him

Consider the Savior of the World who is the sinless Son of God and everything He went through for us.

Consider the rejection, denial and betrayal He went through. Consider the loneliness He must have felt. Consider the bruises and stripes he received from the beating He took. Consider the crown of thorns He wore and the blood that ran down his cheeks. Consider the nails that pierced His hands. Consider the cross he carried and hung on. Consider His death, burial, and resurrection.

When you feel like giving up, consider Him. When you grow tired, consider Him. When you lose heart, consider Him. Keep your eyes on Jesus and don’t stop reading His word. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you as you continue to consider Him. What hinders you? What weighs you down? Isn’t time to let it go? Put the weights down. They are too heavy.

It’s time to consider Him.

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; Hebrews 12:14-15 NKJV

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:14-15 NIV

•  Holy- Set apart; God-like, the highest calling of a Christ-follower; completion, maturity, progressive, never complete, yet to be lived;
•  Grace- unmerited favor, Gods continual mercy; The exercise of love, kindness, mercy, favor; disposition to benefit or serve another; favor bestowed, or privilege conferred.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

God has been showing me so much lately. Some things have been reminders, other things revelation.

1. We can’t be living in the joy God wills for us if we don’t exercise love

2. True exercised love isn’t on the surface. We need to be willing to get in the pit and truly invest in lives

3. True love is in layers. True love exercises forgiveness every day.

4. God shows continual mercy & grace. We are to live holy lives. We, therefore, need to show mercy and grace continually as He shows us. If we don’t, we are in danger of becoming bitter.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 2 Peter 1:5-9

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith 1. goodness; and to goodness, 2. knowledge; and to knowledge, 3. self-control; and to self-control, 4. perseverance; and to perseverance, 5. godliness; and to godliness, 6. mutual affection; (Phileo love) and to mutual affection, 7. love. (Agape love)

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 2 Peter 1:5-9

• Phileo Love– A warm, sincere affection & devotion, attachment, and the affectionate ties that hold believers together. Unlike superficial ties or mere sentiments, phileo love is marked by authenticity, closeness, and genuine care for another’s well-being.

• Agape Love- conveyed a sense of love characterized by goodwill, benevolence, and a focus on the well-being of others. The New Testament writers took this notion further, emphasizing that agape is not merely a fleeting emotion but a deliberate and selfless act of the will. (Jesus gave His life)

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

Again Peter is talking about the importance of loving others beyond the surface. We are to love deeply. I think to love deeply, we must invest in the lives of others. We must be willing to get in the pit with them. Sometimes, it’s the only way they’ll make it out. It may seem like a huge investment to “love each other deeply.” Afterall, love takes time. We are so busy, it’s hard to invest our time.

I’ve heard it said by people who have experienced deep hurt that they won’t allow anyone to hurt them the way someone in their life already deeply hurt them. This declaration causes them to put up barriers. This goes against what God is saying through Peter:

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

In fact, as I’m reading this repeatedly, It seems as if the deeper we love someone, the easier it is to forgive? Wow! That doesn’t seem possible. This scripture indicates that when our love runs deep, we are able to forgive as often as needed:

     love covers over a multitude of sins.

People are human after all. We all fall short.  I would certainly hope people would be willing to forgive me, so shouldn’t I be just as willing to forgive them…even when it means forgiving over and over and over again?

Will you join me as I continue to work on my “love walk?”

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

How will you Devote2day?

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:22-25

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:10-13

While continuing to read in Peter, I can’t help but be drawn once again to the subject of love. We are called not only to love, but to “love one another deeply, from the heart.” Peter is all about being genuine and authentic. He uses the word “sincere” when he talks about loving one another.

• Sincere- marked by genuineness: true, pure, heartfelt

The sincere love we are to have for each other, reminded me of Matthew 24, when Jesus is talking about the end times and describes the love of many as growing cold. I’ve read the passage often and those words stand out in my mind every time. Love is so important. It’s so important, Jesus mentions the absence of it as one of the end times indicators.

The genuine, authentic love we show for one another is valuable. We can only show love if we possess love. We can’t be stingy with whom we show our love. No matter how someone treats us, we must show love. How we demonstrate love can mean the difference in someone’s eternity.

How we demonstrate love can be the difference in someone’s eternity.

Today’s challenge: Show love to the one you’d rather avoid

How will you devote2day?

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 1 Peter 1:22