"Come Let Us Adore Him"

"Tis the Season" to celebrate God's gift to the world, given to us in Jesus Christ.

For we have been given a gift of incomprehensible value....the gift of salvation,

forgiveness and new life.

The best gifts will always involve sacrifice in order that someone else might receive His very best.

As we consider what gift we will give our Savior and the body of Christ this Christmas and into the new year...wouldn't it be just like "radical love" if it was the gift of adoration in the beautiful form of grace?

"Adore" is an action verb meaning to love and respect (someone) deeply.

As we so willingly adore our Savior, shouldn't we so willingly adore one another in order that the sacrifice not be taken in vain? Shouldn't our adoration and grace for others overflow and pour out as freely and abundantly into their lives as God so freely poured out His son Jesus into ours?

When we think of how adoration is expressed in the bible through Mary and the anointing of Jesus, or the widow that gave out of her lack, we are reminded that the deepest form of adoration comes through what we are willing to surrender, offer, give up and give extravagantly.

Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

John 12:3 NASB

All these others made offerings that they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all!

Luke 21:4 The MSG

We tend to take what's truly a beautiful form of adoration in gift giving and strip it of it's more significant meaning because we have learned to give "at the least cost to ourselves" and to "get" value rather than "give" value.

David said, "I will not offer to the LORD, that which costs me nothing." 2 Samuel 24:24

When is the last time we offered something to the LORD, that cost us something?

Wouldn't it be like radical love if we gave up our own rights in order to give someone else the blessing of grace?

Wouldn't it be like radical love if we were to give up our need to have a voice, our need to be justified, our need to be vindicated, or in control, that someone else might experience the "unmerited favor of God," through us?

Wouldn't we be radically changed on the inside through what we had to sacrifice to love?

Might not those experiencing God's heart for us all now feel loved instead of judged, forgiven instead of condemned, encouraged instead of discouraged?

Might not our relationships improve, our ministries flourish, our churches experience favor and blessing...all because we gave up our rights as individuals that random acts of kindness, radical love and bounteous grace could be present throughout the entire body?

And wouldn't it be radical love kind of living, if we lived lives in which we continued to walk out our faith in adoration; giving back to God through our gifts to one another by the very same means that He expressed His gift to us in Jesus Christ...grace poured out in radical love.

"... but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

Heavenly Father,

Give us Your eyes to see. Help us to behold beauty as you see it.

For you see not as the world sees and you do not hold dear what we esteem. You see beyond and through it all ...to every heart. You know what we are made of. You know how every outward symptom is a product of an inward condition. You know how every time we don't take the time to see with Your vision, hearts stay broken.

Forgive us for not being "healers" in every situation... for You came to heal the broken-hearted.

Forgive us for giving the world inaccurate pictures of you. You are love. You didn't come to condemn the world but to save it and you did it by and through who You are...love.

May in our adoration for You...we "be the gift" You so want that world to know...love.

In Your Son's Precious Name We Pray,

Amen