How to find true love by C. L. Skaggs

https://thedisabledhermit.blogspot.com   How do we find that once in a lifetime true love? Do we hang out in clubs? Do we cruise the local drive-in on Saturday night? Do we find that special love on a dating app or social media? The truth is, most of us spend most of our lives looking for love in all the wrong places, and end up with more than our share of "true loves" dwelling in the dark closets of our past. 

       No, in order to find true love, we must first know what true love really is. And in order to find out what it is, we must go to the source of true love. And who is the source? GOD. 

    And in God's perfect wisdom, He gave us a picture of true love so that we don't get confused. If you wish to see true love, then go to the foot of the cross. Peer up and look at the wounds on His feet and hands. Look at His side from which His blood flows out over mankind to wash away the sins of the world. Look at the crown of thorns pushed into His scalp. Look at the stripes covering His body from the whips of cat-o-nine tails made with sharp pieces of metal and broken glass.

    Here we have a King, who for our sake, put aside His Divinity and became a man. He humbled Himself and became a lowly servant. Washing the dirty feet of sinners. Consorting with prostitutes and tax collectors. Having dinner with the lowest and most disregarded and despised people in society. Here we have a Jewish Rabbi, leaving the Temple and going out to where the homeless and the beggars and prostitutes and drug addicts and drunkards all layed around draining society of its resources, and He had the unmitigated Gaul to tell them their sins were forgiven! And even more appalling, He healed people on the sabbath! This crazy hippie from Nazareth, even went around saying He was the Son of God!

    And now He can't even move around freely anymore because so many people are following Him and creating mass confusion and jamming up the streets and probably the worst of the worst of things He could have done- challenged the authority of the leaders of the Jewish Temple. Calling out their hypocrisy and their complete and utter disregard for others. Their greed for money and lust for power, their complete lack of love for God and mankind in general! No, for this He must die! But not before He is tortured in the worst possible manner. Not before He is made an example of in order to create terrifying terror to anyone else who dared to follow in His footsteps! Yes, this blasphemer who calls Himself God, must be put to death in the worst possible manner. He must be crucified on a cross! 

       Please don't send His mother around to beg and plead for His life. All of her tears and sorrows cannot possibly save Him. All His friends and disciples cannot steal Him away in some half-baked rescue missions so don't even try. This criminal has been chosen to die in the place of a real criminal, Barnabas, who can't help but feel like something is wrong here. He knew Jesus of Nazareth was actually a good man and deserved none of this. But he, Barnabas, was just glad he no longer faced death. He still felt a pang of guilt, however, because now, this Jesus was going to die in his place. He was receiving the punishment that Barnabas deserved. 

    Dear reader, if you are looking for true love, then go to the foot of the cross. Peer up into the eyes of Jesus. Peer up into the eyes of the King who became a servant. Peer up into the eyes of the man who called Himself Son of God, and see for yourself, you are looking into the eyes of your creator who has rescued you from your sins. Peer up into the eyes of the creator who is taking the punishment you deserve. Tell Him you are sorry for causing this. Repent of your sins and ask Him to wash you clean in His blood. Beg for His forgivness, and turn from your disobedience and let go of everything else and follow Him. The ressurrected Him. And when you wish to see true love, just look into His eyes. You are looking into the eyes of God my friends, you are looking into the eyes of true love.