The excruciating pain that wracked His body could not keep Him from forgiving them, from loving them, indeed this was the moment for which He was created. As He hung on The Cross of Calvary struggling to breathe, barely alive, He prayed this final prayer;
Luke 23:24 (AMP);
“And Jesus prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they divided His garments and distributed them by casting lots for them.”
With ten of the most powerful words ever released into Eternity, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ conquered the power of un-forgiveness on Calvary once and for all! Think about it, “He CHOSE to be obedient to His Father, even unto death”. Ref. Phil 2:8.
By choosing to, “love under pressure”, Jesus Christ made the way for each and every one of us to, “love under pressure” as well. You see the enemy will always try to get us to, “buckle in bitterness under pressure”, because he knows that if we choose bitterness over love, that we are actually rejecting God; because God is Love!
Hebrews 12:15 (The Passion Translation) gives us a warning of the repercussions of a bitter heart.
“Watch over each other to make sure that no one misses the revelation of God’s Grace. And make sure no one lives with a root of bitterness sprouting within them which will only cause trouble and poison the hearts of many.”
It is very dangerous to house a bitter heart and to associate with bitter people. It will literally poison your life! Like a venomous snake, once bitten by a bitter heart, trouble and death both spiritually and in some cases naturally are sure to happen…..UNLESS, we take the Anti-Venom of God’s Grace and receive His Eternal Love. As we “CHOOSE” to follow His example to, “Love Under Pressure”, we become Agents of Life, perpetuating God’s Grace, no matter how difficult of a situation we may find ourselves in.
In essence by learning how to “Love Under Pressure”, we are strengthening our love walk and developing a “Pressure Proof Love”; A love that will, “Forgive Under Pressure” and go the distance!
The Apostle Paul knew a lot about, “Pressure Proof Love” and being a “Love Distance Runner for The Kingdom of Heaven”. This Mighty Man of The Most High God endured being stoned, shipwrecked, beaten, imprisoned etc., only to come to the end of his life and with great anticipation and expectation have this to say, not only about his, but about our eternal reward as lovers of Jesus Christ as well;
2nd Timothy 4: 7-8 (NKJV),
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
As Jesus was being crucified, there were two criminals who were being crucified on either side of Him. One criminal mocked Him while the other criminal received Him. The criminal who received Him, “loved His appearing”; and that day received his reward to be in Paradise with Jesus!
At the end of our race who will we identify with my friend, the one who mocked Him or the one who received Him? As we choose to “Love Under Pressure”, like the Apostle Paul so eloquently stated, we to will receive our “Crown of Righteousness”! Glory to God!
Time For A Heart Check:
- Do you find it difficult to love under pressure?
- How do you handle being mistreated?
- If you are in an abusive situation, are you willing to leave that environment, so that you can be restored and healed?
- When was the last time that you handled a difficult situation successfully by walking in truth and love?
- Are you a “Love Distance Runner”?
- What steps can you take to pressure-proof your love walk?
© 2018 Clare Matthews – Boldly For Him. “All Rights Reserved.”
Boldly For Him 