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came from the fact that someone loved him greatly. Like Mary, you<br />
and I have great worth – not so much because of who we are<br />
(although each of us is made in the image of God), but because of<br />
who Jesus is and because of his great love for us. As with Mary, if<br />
we’re lost, he goes on an all-out search until he finds us. And, we<br />
could add, he sent Christ to die for our sins, and forgive, free and<br />
transform us.<br />
This is not just something to know about intellectually, but rather<br />
something to experience on a deeply emotional, psychological and<br />
indeed spiritual level. Becoming a Christian is just the beginning of a<br />
journey where we can be increasingly transformed <strong>by</strong> the power of<br />
God’s love. His love can be known with certainty and be the reality<br />
we build our whole lives on.<br />
PAUSE AND PONDER<br />
How do you respond to the thought that there is a God who<br />
loves you unconditionally, and that he sent his Son, Jesus<br />
Christ, to reveal that love to you and set you free?<br />
THE SEEMING ‘ABSENCE’ OF<br />
LOVE<br />
I am sure we have all experienced times or seasons when it seems<br />
as if God is absent. It may be that you’ve never known God or<br />
experienced his loving presence with you. Or it may be, like countless<br />
followers of Jesus, you’ve experienced a season of spiritual dryness<br />
when God seemed partially or fully absent. If so, Mary’s experience,<br />
even though unique (witnessing first-hand the death and burial of<br />
Jesus) and short-lived (lasting only three days) – has something to
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