Extravagant Love

Today, as I think about Easter and all that it means to me as a follower of Christ, my mind is overwhelmed once again with the simple thought that Jesus died for me. Jesus. God made flesh. The God of the universe. He died for me. A poor, filthy sinner, imprisoned by sin, and rightfully sentenced to death for my utter inability to meet the perfect standard of my Creator. He could have left me there in my prison. He had every right. He didn't need me for anything, and I was certainly less than desirable. But He didn't. Why? Because He loved me. Did you catch that? God loved me. It makes no sense. For a perfect God to love a worthless sinner is completely unreasonable, wholly inconvenient, and totally outrageous. And He did it anyway. He took my death penalty upon Himself, and replaced it with the gift of life. That's a pretty ridiculous trade. No one in their right mind would trade life and redemption for death and condemnation. Unless, of course, they had an extravagant love for others that triumphed over their own wants and needs. Like Jesus. Oh, to have that kind of love! His love. Perfect, holy love that transcends common sense and pours forth the glory of God. My prayer today is that as we remember Christ's death upon the cross, God will fill us with His Spirit so that this world will see the transforming power of extravagant LOVE.