Here's a fun thing to think about: exactly how much does Jesus love us? Well, let's look at what we know. Jesus gave up the glory of Heaven for us. Take it deeper. What exactly is Heaven like for Jesus? Well, He has millions, if not billions of angels that constantly worship Him. That's all they do. They just stand around Him and tell Him how incredibly awesome and amazing He is. Next, He lives in this place where everything is so extravagant that they pave the roads with gold. Can you imagine a place where gold is so worthless that you can't find a better use for it than to put it on the ground and walk on it? Then, Jesus is constantly in the presence of the Father while in Heaven. Imagine what that must be like. Now, He gives all that up so He can come to earth. First, He spends a third of His life just to be told "you're not rabbi material." (Being King of the Universe apparently doesn't make you an authority on the Word you wrote. Who knew?) So He spends the next twenty or so years mastering the back breaking trade of carpentry. In the meantime, He is tempted by every sin that we're all tempted by and is pretty much just an average Joe. Then He starts His ministry. He spends three years pouring Himself into other people. He performs miracles, he preaches, he prophesies, all the time knowing the end result. Next, Jesus is betrayed. First by one of His best friends, and then by most of the people in general. He's turned over to the religious leaders who want Him dead because His message doesn't line up with their way of thinking. He was then humiliated, beaten, humiliated, whipped, humiliated, starved, humiliated, abandoned, and crucified. Did I mention that He was humiliated (as opposed to being worshipped)? Oh, by the way, crucifixion is basically THE most painful way to die. Jesus knew in Heaven that this was what He would endure. Yet He chose to give up Heaven so that some of us might make the right choice and join Him in Heaven. Now, why is it so hard for us to take a few moments out of our ay to help another human being? "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Just food for thought.
Hang loose,
Moses