THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE OF LOVE

THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE OF LOVE

"Christ died for us when we were unable to help ourselves. We were living against God, but at just the right time Christ died for us. Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us"- Romans 5:6-8 (ERV)

On the eve of Valentine's day few years ago, I stopped by at a shopping mall to pick up a valentine gift and card for my Queen. The shopping mall was gorgeously arranged and stocked with a lot of beautiful gifts, red hearts, chocolates, flowers, perfumes, greeting cards and all kinds of lovely gifts with the inscription: "You're beautiful and I love you." The gift I chose was really beautiful but the price was far above what I had planned for. As I considered the exorbitant price again, the blood of an Accountant  in me started flowing with strong  justifications why a relatively cheaper gift would have been good for the occasion. I was about buying a cheaper gift when I remembered these powerful statements below: 

"Marriage is like a bank account. It is what you deposit into your bank account that you can withdraw. If you don't deposit love, peace and care into your marriage, you are not a candidate of a blissful home. There is no free love in marriage, you cannot love without giving and sacrificing" ( Unknown Author)

“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life". John 3:16 (Amplified)

In John 3:16, God made it very clear that true love is actually not cheap. The depth of love is a function of what one is willing to give or sacrifice for those we claimed to love. Genuine and true love will make someone to go an extra mile, to spend and be spent for a noble course. God demonstrated this fact to us by sending his only begotten Son - Jesus Christ to be a sacrificial lamb for the sin of humanity. By implication, love actually cost God the most expensive gift in the shopping mall of heaven - His only begotten Son. Obviously, that singular act is the greatest deposit or sacrifice of Love in the Bank of the Universe. Don't you think it will be quite amazing to make withdrawals from that bank of love. Have you been making withdrawals from this ultimate deposit? If you have not, then, you don't know what you are missing.

Friends, love is all about giving and sacrificing. If you are married, then everyday should be Valentine's day in your home. You  should always look out for opportunity to make some deposits of love in your marital bank account. You may never know when you will need to make withdrawal from those deposits in future. So, please go ahead and put a smile on the face of that special person in your life today. However, it is impossible to show true love if you have not had an encounter with God who is the originator of love (1 John 4:8-9).

"The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.] By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him". - 1 John 4:8-9 (Amplified)

There is no better way to reciprocate the ultimate deposit of God's love than by giving Him the most expensive gift in the shopping mall of our life - which is our soul. On this Valentine's day, with or without those beautiful red hearts, chocolates, flowers or greeting cards, I urge you to please fall in love with the real and true LOVE (GOD). Make a huge withdrawal of salvation, deliverance,  healing etc from the ultimate bank of love. Tell the Saviour from your soul how much you love Him. Please make Jesus your Val today by starting a genuine love relationship with Him and you will begin to swim in the overflowing ocean of glory and dominion.

In September 2010, the understanding of this ultimate deposit of God's love must have inspired  Dan Muckala and Brown Bannister of MercyMe musical band to compose a song titled “Beautiful”. The lyrics of this song described the full measure of God’s love as displayed on the cross where the ultimate deposit or sacrifice of love was made for humanity. As we meditate on the lyrics of this wonderful song, let us trust God to remove the evil covering cast stopping many people from realising how deep, true and rich the love of God is. May God help arrest every of demon of lust and sexual perversion/immorality on assignment all over the world to ruin destiny as people celebrate Valentine's day today. Finally, may God help depopulate hell by throwing sinners into the overflowing ocean of God's love for genuine repentance today. 

BEAUTIFUL

The days will come when you don't have the strength
When all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart they'd see too much

Refrain:
            You're beautiful
            You're beautiful
            You are made so much more than all of this
            You're beautiful
            You're beautiful
            You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
            You're beautiful

And praying that you have the heart to find
Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
And they are nothing in the shadow of the cross

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to death

You're beautiful
You're beautiful
In His eyes
You're beautiful
You were meant for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You're meant for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His

My prayer for you and my humble self is that we shall not lose our beauty and sacredness in the light of eternity until we see our Saviour in glory. Through us, everyone deceived by the devil shall be delivered and start swimming in the ocean of God's love in Jesus name. Amen. 

Happy Valentine's day. Good morning and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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