Live to Love Scripture Encouragement John 18.29

John 18:29 “Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?" Pilate was a blood-thirsty tyrant. Josephus, a Jewish/Roman historian, recorded a time when Pilate ordered his army to attack unarmed demonstrators, killing and wounding many. He didn’t hesitate to use force to quell an uprising. As Pilate was meeting with Caiaphas and crew at the Praetorium, reviewing the case against Jesus, God set up a test for him which became a surprising turn of events. God gave his wife, Claudia a dream. Matthew records what happened. Matthew 27:19 ‘While he (that’s Pilate) was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, ‘Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.’” Pilate began the farce by asking what the accusation was against Jesus. That would have been a typical line of investigation. However, it is probable that the message from Claudia came at this point, because the rest of the exchange between Pilate and the Jewish rulers didn’t go as planned. As we will see, Pilate began to look for a way out, but ultimately he caved to the pressure of Caiaphas and the crowd. However, consider the love of God for Pilate that He would give him a warning and an opportunity to do good. We will see in the coming days that it was an opportunity missed by Pilate. Speaking of opportunities missed and a test of character. Perhaps it is good to ask ourselves if we have missed opportunities to love and do good. I know I have. I regret those times when God tested my character and I failed the test due to fear of man or self-protection. How about you? Now that I have a greater understanding of my purpose in life—namely to love and bring glory to God by living to love with Jesus, I don’t want to miss any opportunity to love and do good—even to my enemies. As we come to the end of 2022, let’s take this opportunity to thank God for His steadfast love and forgiveness for all of the opportunities to love with Him that we missed. If any specifics come to mind, I encourage you to confess them, roll them over to Christ, and worship Him. As we look into 2023, will you join me purposing anew to live to love with Jesus? I invite you to visit www.livetolovewithjesus.com and write down the “Live to Love Prayer”. If you want to grow in loving God and loving others, I hope you’ll make that prayer, or one you write from your own heart, a prayer to launch every day of 2023. If you haven’t taken advantage of the free resources on the website, I also invite you to get Live to Love: Experience Freedom and Joy in Relationships in either print, ebook, or audiobook formats. You’ll get the most out of it if you read it with the study guide and with friends so you can experience Jesus’ love and discipleship. If you are committed to live to love with Jesus, I’m sure you will have a happy new year. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com