Love
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 10986 |
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September 26, 2010 |
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 "Jesus said to [Mary], 'Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, "I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God."' Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord," and that He had said these things to her'" (John 20:17-18).
Not only at the times when Jesus performed various signs and wonders and changed many souls with His powerful and anointing messages, Mary Magdalene followed Jesus without any change of mind also when Jesus was tormented and afflicted by Roman soldiers and when He took the cross on the way to Golgotha.
She followed Him as He took the cross up to Golgotha. Mary Magdalene was near Him even at the moment that Jesus was hung on the cross. That could have resulted in harm to her, but she was never concerned about it. She followed Him.
Her true love for the Lord touched the heart of God. In order to accomplish such true love, we have to love the Lord with unchanging heart just like Mary Magdalene. She loved the Lord until she bore the first witness to the risen Lord. The most important factor of true love that God wants His children to accomplish is an unchanging heart. This unchanging heart is characterized by three aspects.
First, an unchanging heart is the core of the heart.
Since Mary Magdalene gained new life through Jesus, she loved Him from the bottom of her heart. To become even a little strength to Him, she served Jesus with whatever little she had. It was exceedingly shocking to her that Jesus, who had done only good things and showed amazing works by the power of God, was suddenly taken away by Jewish soldiers!
Mary Magdalene hurriedly got up and ran to the court of the high priest. There she found Him tied with rope. The high priest, the scribes and the elders tried to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They condemned Jesus to death illegally saying, "He deserves death!" And they kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and ridiculed Him by kneeling and bowing before Him.
In this situation Mary was never swayed in her faith and her love for Jesus. Rather, when Jesus was beaten by people, she felt severe pain as if she were being beaten herself. The passion of Jesus did not end there. He couldn't escape from taking the cruel penalty of crucifixion and death.
Because Mary Magdalene had an unchanging love in her heart, she was never weakened with doubt or fear. She followed the cross-bearing Jesus and even during His crucifixion she stayed beside Him with the greater power of love for Him. She felt the same pain in her heart that Jesus was suffering, and stayed near to Him until He drew His last breath because she couldn't leave her loving Jesus even for a moment. The unchanging love from the depths of her heart is the very proof that she had an unchanging heart for the Lord.
Second, an unchanging heart is a truthful heart.
It is recorded in Mark 12:30, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." We have to examine whether we have been truthful and unchanging in loving God with all our heart and with all our strength.
First, we have to examine if we have unchangingly loved God with all our hearts. In early days of our Christina lives, we have little knowledge of the truth, but we love God with all our hearts. To the extent that we learn and understand the truth, we can live our lives with the zeal of our first love for Him. When we are taught to keep the Lord's Day holy and to give our tithe, we do keep the Lord's Day holy and we pay the proper tithe. It is true that as we cultivate our hearts little by little with the truth, we also love God more fervently with all our hearts.
If we unchangingly continue loving God with all our heart as time passes, our faith will grow continually and cultivation of our hearts with the truth is two or three times more than in our early days. We also may give God two or three times more offerings than in the beginning. This is a proof that we unchangingly love God with all our heart and our truthful hearts.
Next, we have to examine if we have loved God with all our strength. Let me explain with an illustration. When you were 9 years old, perhaps you could help your mother by carrying 5 kilograms of luggage. Then, at 15 or 20, you could carry a much heavier load of luggage. Now suppose you are already 20 years old, but you still take the same 5 kilograms weight in luggage for her yet you say that you unchangingly love your mother. Then, your confession of love is not true. In this sense, workers of God have to fulfill their God-given duties with all their hearts and all their strength. They have to try their best to be faithful in all aspects.
Thirdly, an unchanging heart is of sincere deeds and action.
After witnessing the resurrected Jesus, Mary Magdalene was filled with joy and hope, and all sorrows and pains departed from her. Since her love for the Lord was sincere and unchanging, she kept on showing deeds of love even after the Lord's ascension and all her deeds bore fruits. She bore the fruit of being the first witness to the resurrection of the Lord as He had commissioned her, and she tried her very best to carry out that commission.
She didn't feel sorrow or lose strength anymore even if the Lord didn't stay with her for some time. Instead she was filled with joy and hope because she believed and hoped she would see Him soon. Sometimes she didn't eat because of the lack of food and sometimes she was in a danger because of the Jews' persecution. But, until she went to stay by His side, she remained unchanging in spreading the love of the Lord and in bringing many others to know about His resurrection.
Anyone who loves the Lord from the depths and the core of the heart; anyone who loves the Lord with all their heart; and anyone who keeps doing it unchangingly will have same deeds and fruits revealed. The person who loves like this is sure to evangelize as many souls as possible and love them. They will love the shepherd who is leading them in deeds and truth, and they will accomplish complete sanctification through prayer in spirit and truth.
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