For LOVE'S sake

My heart is broken. My heart is double over itself in tears. The Lord of glory, the Darling of heaven, whose brightness causes the sun to appear dark in comparison, the only begotten Son of God Almighty, Jesus, came as a man for one reason: to die and then to rise again. He who was before time in glory with His Father, perfectly one with Him, climbed down from His throne to walk the earth with men. Why? For the sake of love. He loved me. I betrayed Him. He bought me. I sold myself again. He pursued me. I walked away. He healed me. I wounded Him. He was wounded for my transgressions. He remained holy. I drank wickedness like water. He, for love's sake, washed me so that I could be with Him. I, for the sake of the selfish lust of my flesh, took my way into my own hands and fell into the muck and mud of hatred. I have been infinitely ugly. And He...He is infinitely beautiful. He is kind. He is holy - wickedness cannot live before Him. He desires me. He is merciful. For while I was still a sinner, He loved and died for me. I was bound for a forever without Him - a forever of death and hell. I sold myself over to Satan. He rescued me from the pit. I was hopeless. And now, life and hope the redemption of my whole self are in Him. He gladly has come after me, blocked my way, and called me to life...all for the sake of love.

For the sake of love He endured the cross. He suffered under the hands of the Romans, the Jews, the weight of every sin ever committed by every human to ever live. Every murder, every theft, every blasphemy, every infanticide, every genocide, holocaust, and lie...every lust, rape, adultery and fornication...every disobedient child, every refusal to forgive, every beating and abuse, every slander, every hatred throughout the reaches of history converged in one place, at one time, marched on the Son of God and was born by Him for the sake of love. But yea, the hand which truly crucified the perfect Man, who never sinned, was that of His Father. Yes, the Father and the Son conspired that Jesus come because God is holy and because we, in our rebellious state were separated from Him and condemned to Hell. They conspired that Jesus die because we had to be redeemed - bought at a price. Our sin had to be paid for. Yes, this was the righteous requirement of the law and of the holiness of God. But in love, He sent His Son and Jesus came for the sake of love because He and His Father and the Holy Spirit are Love. God is Love. It is His character. God is just. It is His character. So, in His justice, our debt had to be paid. And in His love, He sent His Son to pay it. Either way, He could not act in a manner outside of His character. The minute that God is untrue to His character, He ceases to be God. And He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. He is and was and is to come. He is faithful. And for the sake of love, He paid the debt of the very ones who crucified Him. He paid the ultimate price for the the ultimate sinner: me. And He bought me gladly!? What man or woman has there ever been who was as worthless, as far gone, as full of transgression as me? And what price is more costly, more precious, more pure than the life of the very Son of the living God?

I have nowhere else to God. I have no reason other than this: to love Him with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. He lives! My Lord rose from the dead! He won! He has the victory over it all! How could I but thank Him and love Him for the rest of forever. My heart is sold out and undone for the sake of love.