DAY 2: UNION AND COMMUNION WITH CHRIST

DAY 2: UNION AND COMMUNION WITH CHRIST

Scripture:

 ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³² This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:31-32

Observation:

Day 2 of the NECF 40 Day prayer and fast focuses our attention on the illustration of Christ and the church as Bridegroom and Bride, which Paul describes as a profound mystery. When Paul was stopped by Jesus on the road to Damascus, the Lord asked him “Why are you persecuting me?” At a husband and wife level, the connection of some couples are so strong that the moment one is in trouble or ill at ease even millions of miles away, they immediately sense it. With Christ and the church, the connection is so strong that Jesus literally feels the pain and persecution being faced by those who follow Him.

In FGB Jaya One today, brother Mathew Thiru shared how as a teenager, he would be beaten with a belt for going to church on Sunday. Yet, he continued to go week after week despite the beatings. At times, he literally felt no pain, and he had the sense that the Lord Himself was taking the beating for him. In Iraq today, ISIS forces Christians to convert or face a daunting three-pronged choice - leave their homes with nothing, pay a hefty tax or face the sword. Reaching the border, they are stripped and what little money or possessions they have left are taken from them. The rest of the world watches and does nothing, but the Lord feels their pain, their nakedness, their despair.

When Lazarus died, the Lord wept although he already knew He would raise his friend back from the dead. I believe the Lord wept because He felt the pain, the sorrow, the sadness of Mary and Martha, dear disciples whom he also loved dearly. It is a profound mystery, but if only we could grasp even just a little of the depth of intimacy Christ has for His church, we would be completely overwhelmed by His amazing love.

Application:

How deep is Christ’s love for us, so deep it is beyond measure…. Greater than the most loving husband could love his wife, infinitely more does our Lord Jesus love us. The Scripture says that we love because God first loved us.

When life rolls along under the sunshine, and everything is rosy and hunky dory, it is easy to feel loved in a sense, as we enjoy the blessings from God. However, it is in the times of profound sadness or desperation or hopelessness that we can truly begin to learn to appreciate the incredible depth of the love of the Lord. It was only when the prodigal had lost everything, and came back empty handed and broken that he realized how deeply His Father really loved him.  

Let us meditate on our relationship with the Lord, remembering the good times, and especially the dark times, when He held our hand, when He carried us along to pull us through. Even as the song goes “Take me deeper, deeper in love with You”, let us ask the Lord for a fresh revelation of His love. Let us desire to move beyond the superficial joy of simple everyday blessings, but to really delve deeper into knowing Jesus’ love, not only for ourselves, but also for the rest of our church family around us.

Prayer:

We praise You and love You, Lord Jesus…, You loved us so much, so much more than we could ever comprehend or understand. Even now, O Lord, You suffer, and feel the pain for Your followers who suffer all around the world, in Iraq, in Africa, in North Korea, in India. Take us deeper and deeper we pray, Lord Jesus. Help us truly know Your love more and more. Take us past the outer courts, Lord. Take us to the inner place where You dwell… Help us love others as You love them, O Lord. Help us learn to love like You love…. In Jesus name, Amen.