23 Jun LOVE = REACH Day 12

John 19:25-27: “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!  Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”

One of the most beautiful displays of LOVE is when Jesus was hanging on the cross.

Before Jesus went to the cross, He was exhausted. He lost blood in the Garden – he was physically drained. He felt like He had given all He could. He was weak. Emotionally he was spent – he went through 6 trials in effort to prove His guilt. They arrested Him at night (which was illegal to do at the time). He was sleepy. He was arrested, tortured, mocked, and his beard was plucked. The cat of 9 tails pulled his flesh until it was gapping. Wounded and worn out – and He had not faced the cross yet.

The chants from the crowd filled the air. His best friends were missing that day because of fear for their lives. His momma and John stood watching in agony as he was beaten and tortured.

We know that Joseph is dead and Mary is widowed. We know Mary will live another 12 years after Jesus dies.

There is a reason that these statements between his family / friend made it to scripture. It had significance. It is a message that we need to hear….and that is FAMILY MATTERS.

Here Jesus was filled with his personal despair and pain, but He was still moved by the pain and heartache of Mary and John.

There are several lessons we can learn about love from this story:

We must love our own family.

• Jesus recognized His mother. He was in pain, but he honored her. He called her by name. We should stop in the midst of our chaos, recognize our family, and call them by name,
• He made sure Mary was taken care of. He met her practical needs. We should tend to the needs of our family. He didn’t have anything to give His mom except a friend and He left her that friend.
• Jesus paid attention to Mary’s need. We should pay attention to their needs of our family. Give your family your time. When you give your time you are saying I love you enough to give you something I cannot get back.
• Jesus saw the pain His mother was going through and He knew that the only reason she was in pain was because she was CHOSEN. His life was causing her to suffer. Family should stick together. Family shows up, holds each other up, and sticks up for each other! Your family should know you have their back.

Treat other Believers like Family (Galatians 6:10)

• Share each other’s burdens. We must be intentional about connecting with one another. We are the body – we hold one another up. The enemy wants to isolate us.

Recognize the pain of others while you are in pain

• Jesus is in the worst pain of His life. He recognized that John was hurting and His mother was hurting. He saw the thief on the cross and reached out to Him. In the worst pain of His life He began to minister. Helping others in pain is like medicine to our soul.

Meet the needs of others when you feel like your own needs are going unmet.

• He was dying for the entire human race. In the midst of performing the most important act that will ever be done – He took time to meet the needs of others.
• He was busy, but He had time for those who needed Him. We must be aware that in our busyness there may be times that people still need us. Let’s be present in the moment.

ACT:

As we continue these 40-days together let’s pray that we love people the way that Jesus did. LOVE = REACH. We must not forget to reach our family and those closest to us. They need us in their corner.

REACH:

Do you have a family member or friend that needs you to REACH them, to love them? We are praying for you as you give of your time and attention to speak hope and life over them. Show up and let them know that regardless of the situation you are there!

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