You Don't Need Cupid, Stupid!

As today carries on people will be shown affection by their spouses, boyfriends, and family. We should not forget that we are only able to love because God first showed us how to love. There is no greater love shown to any man than the love Christ showed us by laying His life down.

He that was pure and perfect was made sin because of our own iniquities. (1 Peter 1:14 NKJ) "Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed."

This is a powerful scripture that I hope you meditate on for a bit and break down. He Himself bore our sins in His own body. The sins that we had not even committed yet, He bore. He had us in mind the entire time, even as He was getting beaten and whipped. As they split Him open with a "Cat of Nine Tails." A Cat of Nine Tails is literally a flail with nine straps coming out of it. Each strap is covered in shards of glass or has nails in the ends of it. Most men that suffered from this torment bled to death before they were even pulled off the chopping block. This was not just a weak spanking like dad used to give. This was a literal blood bath. They said that his face was unrecognizable by the time they were done beating Him. He took this beating for us; the fate of the entire world was on His shoulders. He who was perfect and sinless was made sin.

The entire chapter of Isaiah 53 talks about the prophecy of Jesus' Crucifixion. Verse 10 (NASB) says, "But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see  His offspring, He will prolong  His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand."

Love can be defined as a conscious decision to put another's highest good above all else. Jesus literally laid His life down for all of us. This is the Love we need to embrace! It is the greatest love we will experience. Jesus took His beating for us willingly and without a single response to those that beat Him. In fact, His love for man was so great that as His body was held up by the nails piercing His hands and feet, He prayed to the Father to "forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34 KJV)

Jesus first loved us and that is the only reason we are able to show love to others. I challenge us all to meditate on this idea as we express our love to our significant others.