"Unto Me"
The Lord Jesus Christ so identified with the needs of those who trust Him that He accounts ministry to them as ministry to Him.
"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto Me" (Matthew 25:40).
Our Savior took upon Himself our humanity in order to redeem us from our sins. This involved experiencing life such as we know it as our High Priest. He could not have died for us had He not lived like us. "We have not a High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Without relinquishing His divinity, Lord Jesus lived, died, and rose again as a man in order to perfectly satisfy God's execution of justice against human sin. "Christ bore our sins in His own body on the tree" (I Peter 2:24). He also fulfilled our human need for "a merciful and faithful High Priest" forever united to us as our sympathetic and empathetic Redeemer (Hebrews 2:17).
God loves human hearts, to the degree He dwells within the spirits of all who trust the Lord Jesus (Galatians 4:6). He thus accounts our pains and sorrows as His own, and doubtless grieves more in our sufferings than do we ourselves. Indeed, the Biblical mandate to "weep with them that weep" originates in the heart of the God declared by the Psalmist to be "full of compassion" (Romans 12:15; Psalm 111:4). When we minister to suffering brothers and sisters, we minister to Him no less, and perhaps even more. We do well to remember this. Loving God involves loving those whom He loves. This includes all - "the Lord is good to all… do good unto all men" - and particularly our fellow believers whose hearts bear the heart of Christ's Spirit (Psalm 145:9; Galatians 6:10). To soothe their wounds, of whatever nature, offers opportunity to serve the Lord who is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities". It is hard to imagine a more privileged opportunity for worship, and to know the love of God as it flows through us unto people - and unto their Savior.
"And this commandment have we from Him, that He who loveth God love his brother also."
(I John 4:21)
Weekly Memory Verse
O the depths of both the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!
(Romans 11:33).
5805
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