Reading: Heart Speaks to Heart, Chapter II The soldier “pierced his side with a lance…”
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1:13-14
So far on this amazing journey we are sharing, we have sought to create a conscious opportunity for our heart to speak to the heart of Jesus, free from the many things that distract us, and last week we took the time to specifically invite His Kingdom to be first in our lives. This week we have the opportunity to reflect upon, and receive, the sacrifice Jesus made in order to bring each one of us into His Kingdom.
1) “You have given everything. You ‘have emptied yourself, taking the form of a slave; you have humbled yourself by accepting death, death on a cross.’ Your body has been fully given for me; your blood has been fully poured out for me. You who are love have not held back anything for yourself, but have let all your love flow from your heart to make it bear fruit in me” (p36).
a) How do these words speak to your heart?
2) “Your broken heart… there all suffering has been suffered, all anguish lived, all loneliness endured, all abandonment felt and all agony cried out” (p37).
a) In deep trust in His love for us, we once again have the opportunity to bring all of our suffering, anguish, loneliness and abandonment to the heart of Jesus. Let your heart speak to His.
3) An additional opportunity this chapter brings us is to realize that we need not get stuck in our pain. “Your precious blood flows from your broken heart to heal my broken heart, and the broken hearts of every man and woman in every time and place” (p42).
a) To those of you who have experienced the how the blood of Jesus can heal a broken heart, please share with us your story, so that others can be encouraged, and understand how to bring their broken heart before their Healer.
4) “O Jesus, I look into my own heart and at my own hands. There, too, I find blood… So often they have been instruments of greed and lust, of impatience and anger, of accusation and recrimination” yet “your heart knows no revenge, only forgiveness,” “the blood flowing from your heart is the blood of the innocent Lamb by which the sins of the world are washed away “(p40, 41 & 42).
INVITATION: Come before Jesus with a heart of repentance. Be honest with him about the “blood” on your own hands, and ask Him to wash them clean. If you are a visual person, perhaps you can see the blood of Jesus flowing over your hands, and cleansing them.
5) “I adore you, Jesus… I thank you. I praise you. I love you” (p 44 and 45)
INVITATION: Listen to your favorite song of adoration and praise (and share it with us too!), and just take time to adore Him. You may also appreciate the song “Worthy is the Lamb” this week.
I very much look forward to hearing from you all!