New and Improved part 5
Jesus came to improve things. And He did so by making all things new. Not by rejecting what was already there and starting over--not by making all new things--but by recreating the world in His image. The Messianic rebirth of the world. And, of course, in order to give a new birth He had to first give a second death. That was the cross. That was Jesus drawing us into Himself and laying His life down so that He could take it back up. Giving His life for us and giving His life to us. So that we could have it. So that we could have life and have it MORE ABUNDANTLY. And what makes abundant life so abundant? In a word--LOVE. When God poured His Spirit out on all flesh... when God moved into the neighborhood, into US... He gave us a love receptor. He gave us the ability to receive (and release) His love. The cross didn't all of a sudden change us into something God could love. He already loved us. Always has and always will. That's not just what God does. That's who God is. No, what the cross did was transform us into something that RECEIVE His love. Something that could know and believe His love instead of toiling and sweating to try to earn it. Something... new. New and improved. Not just life, but abundant life. A life full to overflowing with love. Where instead of trying to fill a hole that we feel deep inside, we are bursting at the seams with the one thing that every living thing needs. See, God didn't just hit a cosmic reset button and tell us to try again and hope we do better this time. Jesus didn't just give His life for us so that we could get free of the bondage of sin and death. (He did that, but He didn't JUST do that.) He also gave His life TO us so that we could have something better than we ever thought was possible. So that we could have more than we could ever ask for or even think about. So that we could realize our EPIC (Eternal Purpose In Christ) Destiny and live a life worth living. A life where we CAN obey the New Commandment. Remember now, no one could keep the Law of Moses. Not even Moses himself. But now, on this side of the cross, we have been equipped and empowered to keep the New Commandment. To love one another as Jesus loves us. Because now, on this side of the cross, we know how much Jesus loves us! He loved us enough to lay His life down for us. And to pick it back up and give it to us. He loves us with every breath we take and every move we make. Because in Him we live and move and have our being and in us He lives and moves and has His being! He dwells in us even as we dwell in Him! That's what newness of life is all about. That's what Resurrection Life is all about. It's about being free FROM sin and death... and free TO live. Free to love! Because to live IS to love and to love IS to live! Jesus came to make things better. And He did that by showing us the Father. Showing us love. GIVING us love so that we would have something to give to each other!