Get the appThe Other Side of Hope: Breaking the Cycle of CynicismSample
Jesus Reflects God’s Love for Us
In the stories of Jesus’s life it becomes obvious that he sees differently than everyone else. He sees through the religious, cultural, and personal baggage and right into the core of each person he meets. He sees who they really are. And when he sees who they really are, he shows deep love for them. The radical nature of this love demonstrated by Jesus in his life on earth cannot be overstated.
If you struggle with the idea that how Jesus sees us is different from how God sees us, please know that’s not true. Pastor Brian Zahnd wrote: “People have never seen God until they see Jesus. Every other portrait of God, from whatever source, is subordinate to the revelation of God given to us in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Word of God, the Logos of God, the Logic of God in the form of human flesh.”
And consider his example. He spent time with to Romans (enemies), demon-possessed men (evil), Gentiles (judged), Jews (chosen), religious (included), nonreligious (excluded), female (subservient), foreigners (rejected), kings (authorities), poor (unwanted), and rich (arrogant). He demonstrated that the good news is that God is radical and inclusive love. Absolutely everyone is invited to the kingdom.
This might be the truly amazing part, the most beautiful part: He loves me right now. There is nothing I can do or not do, nowhere I could go or not go, that would separate me from the love of God. His love is not sentimental emotion void of power. His love is a power that can transform us. His blazing love can reveal all the junk and distortion, the baggage and the religion, the mindset and the racism, the abuse and the disfigurement of our lives (we call that sin).
His love liberates us to see who we really are and were always meant to be from the start. It empowers us to become who we already are in him.
Respond
Do you struggle to believe God loves you? Why? Imagine you are the rich man who came to Jesus in March 10:21 with questions. Jesus looks at you and loves you. What might he say to you?
About this Plan
When we feel cynicism, we make a way for despair to creep into our lives. Cynicism is the loss of hope in others. It’s an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest. In these excerpts from her book The Other Side of Hope, justice advocate Danielle Strickland exposes a critical belief that leads to cynicism and inspires us to break the cycle.
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We would like to thank HarperCollins/Zondervan/Thomas Nelson for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: https://www.daniellestrickland.com/othersideofhope
