Bible Reading: Ephesians 5
Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
As followers of Christ we are called to walk in love as or in the same way that Christ has loved us. How did he love us? He loved us with a sacrificial love in which he gave of himself. He sacrificed himself for us. In this we see love.
1 John 4:10-11 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
If you ever doubt the love of God for you, look to the Cross. There God commended his love to us!
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
In the Cross, Jesus was made a sin offering. We cannot pay for our own sin because we are not clean. But Jesus is the Lamb of God without spot or blemish. He is a suitable offering because he has no sin.
He willing went to the Cross for us!
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
The sacrifice of Jesus was pleasing to God. It was a sweet-smelling savour. This is a term used to describe offerings made by the priests to God.
Leviticus 1:9 But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
God is pleased with the sinless life of Jesus. He is pleased with the sacrificial death of Jesus. He loves you and gave his Son for you! Now you are free to love. Your sins are forgiven because of what Jesus did! You can look to the Cross and see the love of God then you can show that love to God and to others.
In Christ,
Rody
