The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

Easter is upon us!  My next few posts will focus on the greatest love story ever told and how your life fits into it's pages!  Enjoy!

Did you know you are part of the greatest love story ever told? That’s right! You are one of the chosen characters, created by the Author and introduced into the plot at just the right time. The Author created you to fulfill a specific purpose in his story.   Each one of your days was written before one of them came to be. The Author has so many thoughts about you that they outnumber the grains of sand. Yes, he created you wonderfully and knit you together perfectly. He gave you gifts and talents that would allow you to fulfill the special assignments he would give you throughout his story.

The story is about an Almighty King and his extravagant love for his bride. His bride came under a terrible curse of sin and eternal death. Not only that, but the sin caused a complete severance of their beautiful relationship.

So the King set in motion a detailed plan to save her and bring her back to himself where he could protect her and lavish his unending love on her. The only way the curse could be broken was if the King would sacrifice his beloved Son. He would have to suffer and die a torturous death on a cross. The Son was willing because he knew how much his Father loved the bride, and he too, loved her with all his heart.

The King’s Son was without blemish. He was perfect in every way. But, the people took him, stripped him of his clothes, and flogged him. They twisted together a crown of thorns and pushed it on his head until it pierced through his flesh. They mocked and spit on him. They beat him until he was unrecognizable. Finally, they pounded nails through his hands and feet and hung him on a cross to die. Darkness came over all the land.

The final blow was when the sins and curse of all the people were cast onto the him. When this happened, the King could not look at his beloved Son. The Son cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” He cried out once more in a loud voice and then gave up his spirit.  

The earth had never known such darkness.

The Son was buried and those who loved the King and his Son wept bitterly.

A first-time reader of this story may think the story ends here, but not so! Three days later, two of the women, who loved the Son, went to look at the tomb. There came a violent earthquake, for a mighty servant of the King had come to the tomb and rolled back the stone. The servant’s appearance was like lightning and his clothes were white as snow. The guards of the tomb were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men!

The servant said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for the Son, who was crucified. He is not here; HE IS RISEN!!!”

THE KING’S SON WAS ALIVE!! AND, THE CURSE ON HIS BELOVED BRIDE WAS BROKEN!!!  

But, there was one more thing that had to happen for the bride to be saved from eternal death. She must accept the fact that the Son died to save her. She must choose to give up her old, cursed life and surrender herself to the King and his Son. Would she trust his plan to save her? Could she grasp how much he loved her; how much he desired a relationship with her? Would she accept his gift of a new, abundant, joy-filled life? If so, her spirit would become immortal. She would become royalty and live forever with the King! She would become co-heirs with His Son and share in his great inheritance. If she would just say yes, she would live happily ever after, in sweet relationship with the King and his Son.

Friend, you are the bride with the dreaded curse of death. Have you said “yes” to the King who loves you with an everlasting love? If so, the curse has been broken. You are a new creation and have eternal life in Christ!

Next week, we're going to begin looking at who you are "in Christ."  It's a powerful revelation to study the fullness of what Jesus did for you on the cross.  Come back next week!  You might just learn something life-changing!

Today’s story comes from Matthew 27, 28; Luke 23 and Psalm 139.