Keep on Keeping on Loving Jesus.

“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” — John 7:38

Praise Jesus and bless you. This is Pastor Tim.
I love sharing about the Lord. You know, the Scripture says in one portion that His life in us ought to be like a wellspring, a river of life, rising up in us and flowing out on others. And you know, when we go through the challenges and difficulties of life, sometimes you can get your eyes off of that, maybe even forget about it. But you know, if it’s deep in your heart, you really can’t get away from it.
I’ve been through a lot of tough stuff in my life. Sometimes people think that I bubble over and share about the love of Jesus because I just haven’t been through anything. Whoa, you don’t know—maybe you do, maybe that’s why you listen. I’ve been through a lot, a whole lot. The main message here is about keeping on keeping on in the love of Jesus. And that sounds like, “Oh, that’s a simple little message.”

Born in Gethsemane

But remember that the love of Jesus was born in the Garden of Gethsemane, when our Lord and Master faced the most unfathomable, difficult possible trial of the human soul that anybody has ever faced. And willingly, He said to His Father, “Take this from me. But nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt, Thy will be done.”
And so He kept on in His mission to the cross. He could have easily walked away that night. He knew what was coming, but He faced it honestly. He faced it clearly. He faced it intentionally.

Facing the Bitter Agony

So as He went through all that bitter agony—the scorn, the ridicule, the being mocked, the unbelievable physical pain, the scourging, the absolute mocking. The jeering and sneering people that had once proclaimed to be His friends were now absolutely turning on Him in the most merciless, horrible, heinous, cruel, and vicious ways that anybody can imagine. And then going to the cross and experiencing the most horrendous suffering that anybody can imagine.

Forgiveness From the Cross

And this Savior, that purposed to go ahead and do this in the garden, was now fulfilling this mission to love us from the cross. And in the middle of that agonizing torture, looking at the very ones that sent Him there, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” and was praying for the very ones that put Him there.
You know, our first thought would be, “Lord, hit them with a lightning bolt, blow this place up, God punish these people for hurting me this way.” But no, no, no. That’s why we have to really worship Jesus and to seek Him deeply, because His way is so far beyond and above ours that it’s only through letting Him live out His righteous and holy character in the midst of us that we can experience this. It’s just not natural behavior. It’s not natural feelings for any of us. That’s why we should keep on keeping on in the love of Jesus.

Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

Yeah, I’ve been through some things. I’ve been through a lot of things, but I haven’t been through what my Savior did. But I’m learning to let the Savior go through some things inside me to show His love to other people. Wow.
And when you realize that God has used you in a certain way, and that it was only His love being manifest through you, and that you couldn’t have done it without Him—and it’s that self-same love that caused Him to face the cross from the garden and to pray for the people that hurt Him from the cross that’s moving in you and me! Christ in you, the hope of glory, Paul said.

The True Christian Experience

You see, the wonderful experience of this Christian life is not some personal realization; it’s the realization of Jesus in you. That Jesus wants to continue His love for this world through you and me. Will you let Him? The Jesus that so willingly faced the cross and went on anyway, knowing what He was getting ready to face from the garden; the Jesus that went through all that horrendous tragedy that He didn’t deserve in any way, but doing it willingly to experience that so that we wouldn’t have to suffer for our sins? He died in our place and prayed for our salvation and redemption from the very midst of the agonies that we put Him through. That Jesus wants to live in you and me. That’s the love of Jesus.

Dying Daily to Live Eternally

Let Jesus love you. Experience the love of Jesus. Let Christ care for you. It’s the most wonderful thing that can ever happen. And then, no matter what you go through, Jesus will go through it with you. It may not be easy to understand, but if Christ is in you, you may die daily—that’s what the Scripture says—but it will only be so that He can live eternally with you, through you.

Drawing Closer to the Savior

Let Jesus teach you that love. Keep on loving like Jesus loves, because Jesus is loving through you. Let the love of Jesus flow in your life.
Oh, you’ll blow it. That’s what disciples, men and women, do. We know we need Him more, and so we seek Him more. And this wonderful Savior somehow completes this work in us. He has this vision of our life that we can only see by getting closer to Him. Touch the hem of His garment. Draw up closer to Him. Let Jesus live on the inside of you.
Keep on keeping on in the love of Jesus. I love you, and I’m thinking about you, and I’m praying for you. This is Pastor Tim.