The Father’s Love
“But Jesus was saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’”
In the early morning hours, while setting out admiring the beauty of God’s vast creation, I began to meditate upon the cross, where Jesus paid the penalty for my sins. At that moment, I became overwhelmed by the sense of love for which He loves me. You see, my friend, His love for me is not based upon my own merit, for truly I am the chief of sinners. There is not one who reads this short devotion who exceeds me in my rebellious heart. I was by nature a child of wrath. I had shameful passions that burned in my deepest affections like an insatiable fire that was shut up in my bones. Intemperance and obstinance were my companions that bred hate in my heart, and apart from a miracle there was no hope for me. I lived to indulge my selfish desires, and I didn’t even know were selfish at the time. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved me, even when I was dead in my transgressions, made me alive together with Christ and by grace He saved me. Even now, if it were not for His sovereign grace abiding in my life, I would sink headlong back into my vile corruptions to live a dissolute life in denial of my sins.
You must understand, God’s loving hand was with me in the womb of my mother when the doctors said it was a miracle that I was still alive. Even in the midst of my elementary years, The Lord showed me His power by giving me innate desires to want to preach His word, when I had no idea what preaching was. With a love so deep that surpasses understanding, He led me through the wilderness of my teenage years. This was a dark time when my rebellion was fueled with greed and lasciviousness, but with love the Lord always brought me back to the desires of my childhood, when all I longed for was just to know Him. His gracious kindness saved my marriage while immorality flooded my heart as thoughts of suicide filled my mind. He came to me in the cab of a trash truck, a place where I was often made fun of, in the early morning hours of work. This is a place which now I deem my sanctuary of worship. It was there the Lord opened the eyes of my heart to see the scars upon His body where He bore away my transgressions. At that moment, it was as if I could see the anguish in His eyes as the taskmaster ripped the flesh from His skin with every stroke of the whip. The echoes of sheer horror from His voice filled my mind as the executioner drove the nails through His hands and feet, pinning Him to the cross. You see, Jesus was God’s mercy to me, Who was the Prince of heaven hanging between heaven and earth reconciling me, an enemy, back to His Father.
Infinite love filled the eyes of my heart as I gazed intently upon my Savior hanging on the cross with a crown of thorns wrapped around His head. To see His body covered with blood, sweat, and tears as His weakened body was fighting to hold Himself up, humbled me. It was here that God was bearing my just penalty, and His words spoken from the cross resounded in my mind over and over again, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they’re doing.” The Spirit of God awakened me from my slumber, and with sweet chords of love He drew me to Himself. An unlikely man who could never achieve anything in and of himself, one who struggles with dyslexia and fear, now preaches the eternal words of a great king, Jesus Christ, to all who will hear. This is grace and nothing more than grace. My penmanship that is recorded for the newspaper is not for an argumentation, nor does it have any agenda. It is a simple testimony of God’s love towards me. It’s here that my weak and feeble mind will rest while awaiting death, which is my chariot, to usher me home to be with Jesus. May God’s grace be with you.