"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
In 1952 E. B. White published one of his best known works: Charlotte's Web. In reading this to my daughter I was struck with something special. Charlotte's Web is the story of a runty pig named Wilbur who was not worth allowing to live, not even worth feeding. But Fern, a young girl, valued his life for no other reason than that she loved him. She believed he was special, even though he had no objective value or ability of his own. He then meets a spider, Charlotte, who befriends him. She writes wonderful things about him in her web. Cryptic messages like "Some Pig" and "Radiant". Wilbur is then objectively judged, and found wanting. He is neither as big or as valuable as the other pigs at the show. However, the final effort of Charlotte achieved it's goal and Wilbur was not made into a Christmas dinner. Wilbur was no great pig, but he was greatly loved.
Perhaps this week you also feel like "no great pig." Heading into this week I hope you learn that you know that you are severely and intensely loved and valued by the Creator of Heaven and Earth. That love was demonstrated for you at the Cross, 2,000 years ago. That love makes you more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus your Lord. That love has placed you in Christ, and identified you with Him in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and seating at the right hand of the Father. That love will see you conformed to the very image of Christ. Though we had not a thing to offer Him, though we were powerless to help ourselves, He as loved us this much. Don't forget.
