February 7, 2025 - Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭3‬

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.” Isaiah 53:3 NIV

Jesus, the more we encounter and begin to understand the depth of your love the more we understand the pain you carry. It can be scary for us to allow ourselves to fully love another human, because if that love isn’t returned or is eventually rejected it can be so painful. But you love every human ever created fully, unconditionally, with pure love. A love that is deeper and more “all in” than we could ever love. And you love every human ever created like that. Sadly, look at how many of us turn our backs on your love. People deny you, reject you, blame you for things that are not from you, they choose sin and death over the abundant life you offer, they hate you and loudly come against you. Yet, you love. You pursue us even when we run from you. You offer acceptance, even if we do everything in our power to come against you. Even those who say we love you, choose sin over and over, knowing it was our sin that sent you to the cross. You paid a price for each of our sins. We can’t even comprehend the amount of pain we cause you, yet you choose to love us.

When you walked the earth, your heart longed to see every person you encountered set free and become all that you created them to be - even those who opposed you and sent you to your death. Holy Spirit, increase our ability to understand Jesus’ love. Let us see the anguish that we individually cause him and then let us grasp the fact that He still chooses us. That he died for us because of his great love for us. Let it wreck us. Please forgive us and help this realization radically change us. Let it change our whole perspective of you, the world, and how we love you and others.

In Jesus name, amen.