There’s a devotional plan I’m reading right now called “Mary’s Treasure.” Each day has a poem talking about an event that happened in Mary’s life (the angel appearing to her, visiting Elizabeth, Jesus’ birth, etc.) and something she kept as a reminder.
The one day it talked about when Joseph and Mary arrived in town and found no room. Part of it said:
“This just the beginning of closed doors for Him,
World not recognizing love poured out for them.”
That really stuck out to me. The people in Bethlehem had no room for Jesus; they shut their doors in the faces of His mother and Joseph. And over and over throughout history, the same thing has happened. People refuse Jesus, reject Him, turn away; they plug their ears to His voice, shut their hearts to His love.
Because they don’t recognize “love poured out.” Jesus poured out love while on the cross–love and blood and life. He emptied Himself. For them. For you. For me.
I’ve been thinking about that, how Jesus showed love and love and more love–even while dying in agony! We claim to be His followers, His children, so we’re supposed to be like Him, right?
Are we? Do we pour ourselves out for others? Do we always show love?
Now, loving someone doesn’t mean we never disagree with them or never point out sins in their life. No, love–real, true love–means we will speak up when they’re doing wrong, we will tell them they need to repent and get right with the Lord, because we care about them and don’t want them going to hell.
But do we do that? And do we keep loving even when so-and-so hurts us, that person said something mean about us, this person over here avoids us like the plague, she ignores us, he makes fun of us, and they always argue with us?
Will we show the world “love poured out for them”?
