Matthew 28:20 KJV
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Philippians 2:9-11 KJV
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Revelation 21:6 KJV
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Revelation 22:13 KJV
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
How Deep The Father's Love For Us
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
The Beginning and the End. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. The Creator, The Savior, The Comforter. Our starting point and our finish line. The First and the Last. Without Him we are nothing and with Him we have life eternal. He is the Alpha and Omega, the be all, end all, and He gave His only begotten Son to shed His blood on the cross for you and I.
I cannot help but sit here weeping as I write. I weep in sorrow for the pain He suffered at my hand because of my sin. I weep in awe because I cannot understand a love so vast that Jesus would willingly lay down His life for so vile a wretch as me and I weep because I don't have to understand it to accept it. I weep in utter joy because I do know with all my heart that His wounds have paid my ransom. I weep in expectation for the day I will sing His praises in His presence in heaven some sweet day. And I weep because I know that the very same God on that cross, the One that loved me enough to die for my sins, is the very same God who is with me each and every day, from beginning to end.
Matthew Henry said "He that drew near to God, to speak for us to Him, draws near to us, to speak from Him to us". Christ drew near to the Father on Calvary to make intercession for you and I, though we had done nothing to deserve His love and mercy. And Christ draws near to us to speak from God to us in all that we do. I see God in my children's eyes and I hear Him in their laughter. I feel God in my husband's arms and I know that God gave Brandon back to me when I feared I was losing him forever. I experience His mercy and grace in my parents' unfaltering love for me despite my failings and mistakes. But never do I feel Him as closely as I do when I whisper His name...
Jesus, the mere mention of His name can calm the storm, heal the broken, raise the dead. At the name of Jesus, I've seen sin-hardened men melted, derelicts transformed, the lights of hope put back into the eyes of a hopeless child...
At the name of Jesus, hatred and bitterness turned to love and forgiveness, arguments cease.
I've heard a mother softly breathe His name at the bedside of a child delirious with fever, and I've watched that little body grow quiet and the fevered brow cool.
I've sat beside a dying saint, her body racked with pain, who in those final fleeting seconds summoned her last ounce of ebbing strength to whisper earth's sweetest name--Jesus, Jesus...
Emperors have tried to destroy it; philosophers have tried to stamp it out. Tyrants have tried to wash it from the face of the earth with the very blood of those who claimed it. Yet still it stands.
And there shall be that final day when every voice that has ever uttered a sound--every voice of Adam's race shall raise in one great mighty chorus to proclaim the name of Jesus--for in that day "every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!!!"
Ah--so you see--it was not mere chance that caused the angel one night long ago to say to a virgin maiden, "His name shall be called Jesus." Jesus--Jesus--Jesus. You know, there is something about that name...
Jesus. The Beginning and the End. The beginning of hope, the end of despair. The beginning of love, the end of misery. The beginning of mercy and grace, the end of shame. He is the beginning of Life Eternal and the end of torment and sorrow in hell's neverending fire.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there is just something about that name.
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