December 26th

December 26th

It would have been enough…

The many layers to this gift that keeps on giving to us, shine a light on the heart of our God. The very fact that He didn’t stop at just salvation should speak volumes to us about the depth of His love. Not just that He loved us so much that He gave His Son for us, not just that Jesus loved us so much that He gave His life for us and submitted to the Father’s will, but that He loved us so much that He wants to spend time with us, He wants a relationship with us. He loves us so much that He doesn’t want to rule from afar and watch us down here trying to figure life out on our own. He loves us so much that He made us in His image with unique gifts and purposes. He loves us so much that He wants to keep on transforming us so that we can experience true peace by becoming who we were created to be originally. He loves us so much that we consume all of His time and energy. He loves us so much that He keeps on giving to us, He keeps on pouring out His love to us, every single moment of every single day.

Have you considered His vast love for you yet today? Does remembering the extent of His love for you change the way you want to live out today?

In the Hebrew culture and even today in modern Jewish culture they celebrate the Dayenu. The Dayenu is a Hebrew word meaning “It would have been enough” and it is a “song” that is done during the Passover seder that celebrates the many blessings and work of God in the lives of the children of Israel. If you want to get a good mental picture of that you can check out season 5 of The Chosen.

The Dayenu goes something like this: If you would have only rescued us from Egypt and not given us the Promised Land, it would have been enough. If you would have just given us the Promised Land and not healed our people from the snake bites, it would have been enough. Etc, Etc, Etc. I encourage you to read the whole thing online or watch that Chosen episode. But I also think it applies here and now to God’s never-ending Christmas gift to us.

God if you had only sent your Son to become human to save us by sacrificing His life, and not desired a relationship with us, it would have been enough. If you had desired a relationship with us but not decided to dwell within us, it would have been enough. If you decided to dwell in us but had not given us your Word to guide us, it would have been enough. If you had given us your Word but not given us the Holy Spirit to counsel and lead us, it would have been enough. If you gave us the Holy Spirit to counsel and lead us but not sanctify us or transform us, it would have been enough. If you gave us the Spirit to sanctify us but didn’t free us from the hold of sin until we get to heaven, it would have been enough. If you freed us from sin here on earth before we get to heaven but didn’t bring our hurting hearts healing, it would have been enough. If you brought healing to our hearts but didn’t hear our prayers for help, it would have been enough. If you heard our prayers for help but didn’t use us to touch others, it would have been enough. If you used us to touch others but didn’t give us peace in our storms it would have been enough. If you brought us peace in our storms but didn’t rescue us from the devil’s schemes it would have been enough. If you rescued us from the devil but didn’t pray for us, it would have been enough. If you prayed for us but didn’t sing over us, it would have been enough. If you sang over us but didn’t teach us, it would have been enough. If you taught us but didn’t hold us close, it would have been enough……….

But He does hold us close, He does all of those things and so much more. We could keep going on and on and on with that Dayenu and apply it to generalizations and to so many things specific to our lives. There are so many layers to His gift to us and every single one points to His love for us. We didn’t just receive a Messiah in the sense of the salvation of our souls. We received a Messiah in that He saved us from the enemy of our souls and continues to save us from ourselves. Write your own Dayenu.

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

Jesus, I thank you that you didn’t think that just bringing salvation of our souls was enough. Thank you that you continue to work in me and in my life. Help me not to settle for less than your best plan for me every single day. Thank you for the many layers of your love, help me to recognize and remember your love in my life daily.

Ephesians 3:16-19 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.